Photographer – Jimmy Nelson ✔Certified
Between the Sea and the Sky (2021-2022) Effort🟧+ Skill Mastery🟨: 89%
Jimmy Nelson’s Between the Sea and the Sky is a photographic series and 528-page coffee table book published in 2022, documenting twenty Dutch communities in traditional folk costumes. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic when Nelson, unable to travel to remote indigenous cultures as usual, turned his lens toward his adopted homeland of the Netherlands. Shot entirely on a custom-made analogue 10×8 plate camera, the series comprises over 350 intimate portraits and iconic landscapes set against picturesque backdrops of fishing villages, polder landscapes, and fortified towns. Nelson spent enormous amounts of time waiting for perfect Dutch light, running outside when the sun would peek through storm clouds. The photographs, full of exquisite details reminiscent of Dutch Golden Age masters, combine the timeless elegance of Dutch naturalism with contemporary portrait photography. Each photograph required subjects to sit completely still for multiple seconds during long exposures, creating intensity in facial expressions. The project represents Nelson’s most personal work to date, a visual homage to Dutch cultural heritage and age-old traditions. The book includes hand-drawn maps and illustrations of iconic symbols, mythical characters, and natural elements, telling the story of the Dutch people who for centuries fought back water to secure land, almost a quarter of which lies below sea level. A free app accompanies the book, unlocking behind-the-scenes videos for each community. The series has been exhibited at the Jimmy Nelson Studio & Gallery in Amsterdam (September-December 2022) and is currently showing at Fotomuseum aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht (February 9-September 21, 2025) with 65 photographs and two films.
Here’s how this rating breaks down using photography-specific criteria:
Technical Skill and Execution (25% of total score): 10/10 = 2.50 points Absolute mastery of large-format analogue photography with custom 10×8 plate camera, perfect execution of slow exposures requiring extraordinary technical control in challenging natural light conditions.
Composition and Framing (25% of total score): 9/10 = 2.25 points Exceptional portrait and landscape composition evoking Dutch Golden Age painting, meticulous attention to costume detail, lighting, and formal presentation across hundreds of images.
Subject and Timing (20% of total score): 8/10 = 1.60 points Important documentation of vanishing Dutch cultural traditions during pandemic restrictions, capturing contemporary people in ancestral costumes with dignity and respect.
Visual Impact and Clarity (15% of total score): 9/10 = 1.35 points Outstanding visual impact with painterly quality and exquisite detail across entire series, successfully merging documentary purpose with fine art aesthetics reminiscent of Dutch masters.
Emotional Impact and Expression (15% of total score): 8/10 = 1.20 points Strong emotional resonance celebrating cultural heritage and human connection, the laborious process creating contemplative presence honoring Dutch tradition.
Total: 89%
