To the curators and administrators of the Prishtina Center of Narrative Practice:
My name is Matthew Nelson. I am an Iowan travel writer and photographer. I’ve worked on various photography assignments in Kosova during the past two years, including documenting the High Scardus Trail (featured in National Geographic earlier this year), as well as photographing a delegation of fellow Iowans that visited Kosova in the summer of 2022 in honor of the sister-state and sister-city relationships that connect Iowa and Kosova. Because of these experiences, Kosova, and particularly Prishtina, have felt like a second home for me over the past few years, and I would love to spend more time here going forward, and to deepen existing relationships.
I have been falling increasingly in love with film photography ever since I picked up a film camera a little over a year ago. However, I have not yet come across intriguing opportunities to expand this skill set until recently, when Flamur Qorrolli informed me of this workshop in September. I would love to participate and contribute however possible. Even though I have been practicing photography for several years (I am still very new to analog photography), I feel I could really benefit from the guidance of a mentor to help me visualize potential photography projects, challenge my eye and my assumptions, to gain experience working in a darkroom, and printing photographs by hand.
I plan to find my own accommodation in Prishtina in September if I am accepted into the program. I have a pre-existing flight from Iowa to Frankfurt on September 6th, so it may be difficult to plan an arrival to Prishtina in time for the opening of the workshop. Below are a selection of pieces (both film and digital) for your consideration.
Thank you for your time,
Matthew D Nelson
info@nelstravels.com
(+1) 515 864 9331
