Chris Nelson (photographer)
Encyclopedia
Chris Nelson photographer and co-founder of Bear Magazine
in the 1980s, was the photographic pioneer in the gay-oriented erotic photography of mature men with hairy bodies and facial hair. His work directly led to the legitimizing of the Bear Community
as a social group.
By profession, Nelson was a photomicroscopy researcher at the University of California's Lawrence Berkeley Labs. He was considered a highly adept microscopist at the Lab, with one colleague there noting, “Chris was the backbone of NCEM, the kind of person that makes LBL great. He was an awesome microscopist who understood advanced electron microscopes like a test pilot understands a jet plane.” Many international reseachers appreciated Nelson's eye for detail and often requested to work with him given his reputation and skill level.
Together with his then partner, magazine publisher Richard Bulger
, Nelson developed a characteristic "look", first in black-and-white
portraits of men in San Francisco's biker and leather community, and then, as the Bear Community grew, in black-and-white erotic portraits of a great number of men who submitted themselves to the magazine as amateur models. He later independently went on to further galvanize the gay bear identity which subsequently evolved over the years into a multitude of bear clubs and related social groups worldwide. "Chris brought about a whole new gay subculure that allowed bigger, bearded, and hairy gay men to be celebrated. Before that, the emphasis was on the lean, leather jacket and t-shirt wearing "Castro clones" that dominated the San Francisco scene. Now there was room for everyone, even the more forwardly masculine, non-svelte."
Nelson's photography was the sole subject of a 1991 book, "The Bear Cult: Photographs by Chris Nelson" (Gay Men's Press, London, ISBN 0-85449-161-9), introduced by Edward Lucie-Smith
.
He died in the San Francisco Bay Area in December, 2006.
Nelson's book and photography are discussed by author Jack Fritscher
in Ron Suresha
's 2002 nonfiction book on the bear community
, "Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions" (ISBN 1555835783).http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Interviews/Suresha%20&%20JF%20Inter%20Bears-Ron%20Edit.pdf
Jack Fritscher also comments on Nelson's work in the introduction to "The Bear Book 2", edited by Les K. Wright.http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Intro%20Bear%20Book%202-LesWright%20ver2.pdf
Bear Magazine
BEAR Magazine is a periodical specifically geared toward gay men who are — or who admire — "bears", i.e., men with facial and/or body hair. It was initially published in San Francisco, California in 1987 by Richard Bulger and his partner Chris Nelson and marketed to the bear community within the...
in the 1980s, was the photographic pioneer in the gay-oriented erotic photography of mature men with hairy bodies and facial hair. His work directly led to the legitimizing of the Bear Community
Bear community
"Bear" is a LGBT slang term that refers to members of a subculture in the homosexual and bisexual male communities and to an emerging subset of LGBT communities with events, codes, and a culture-specific identity...
as a social group.
By profession, Nelson was a photomicroscopy researcher at the University of California's Lawrence Berkeley Labs. He was considered a highly adept microscopist at the Lab, with one colleague there noting, “Chris was the backbone of NCEM, the kind of person that makes LBL great. He was an awesome microscopist who understood advanced electron microscopes like a test pilot understands a jet plane.” Many international reseachers appreciated Nelson's eye for detail and often requested to work with him given his reputation and skill level.
Together with his then partner, magazine publisher Richard Bulger
Richard Bulger
Richard Bulger is credited with coining the term "Bear" in 1985 as a description for heavy-set, often bearded and hairy gay men, eventually creating Bear Magazine in 1987. He was a pioneer in the publishing of erotic photography and stories for what grew into today's bear community...
, Nelson developed a characteristic "look", first in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
portraits of men in San Francisco's biker and leather community, and then, as the Bear Community grew, in black-and-white erotic portraits of a great number of men who submitted themselves to the magazine as amateur models. He later independently went on to further galvanize the gay bear identity which subsequently evolved over the years into a multitude of bear clubs and related social groups worldwide. "Chris brought about a whole new gay subculure that allowed bigger, bearded, and hairy gay men to be celebrated. Before that, the emphasis was on the lean, leather jacket and t-shirt wearing "Castro clones" that dominated the San Francisco scene. Now there was room for everyone, even the more forwardly masculine, non-svelte."
Nelson's photography was the sole subject of a 1991 book, "The Bear Cult: Photographs by Chris Nelson" (Gay Men's Press, London, ISBN 0-85449-161-9), introduced by Edward Lucie-Smith
Edward Lucie-Smith
John Edward McKenzie Lucie-Smith is a British writer, poet, art critic, curator, broadcaster and author of exhibition catalogues.-Biography:Lucie-Smith was born in Kingston, Jamaica, moving to the United Kingdom in 1946...
.
He died in the San Francisco Bay Area in December, 2006.
Nelson's book and photography are discussed by author Jack Fritscher
Jack Fritscher
Jack Fritscher, Ph.D. is an American author, novelist, magazine journalist, gay historian, photographer, videographer, university professor, and social activist known internationally for his fiction and non-fiction analyses of gay popular culture...
in Ron Suresha
Ron Suresha
Ron Jackson Suresha is an American author and anthologist of books centering on gay and bisexual men's subcultures, particularly the Bear community.-Biography:Suresha was born in Detroit, Michigan...
's 2002 nonfiction book on the bear community
Bear community
"Bear" is a LGBT slang term that refers to members of a subculture in the homosexual and bisexual male communities and to an emerging subset of LGBT communities with events, codes, and a culture-specific identity...
, "Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions" (ISBN 1555835783).http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Interviews/Suresha%20&%20JF%20Inter%20Bears-Ron%20Edit.pdf
Jack Fritscher also comments on Nelson's work in the introduction to "The Bear Book 2", edited by Les K. Wright.http://www.jackfritscher.com/PDF/Intro%20Bear%20Book%202-LesWright%20ver2.pdf