For Nick Veasey, artistic inspiration came from an unlikely source. While working as a photographer/designer for morning television in England, he was assigned the monotonous task of X-raying soda cans to determine which ones contained a winning code for a contest sponsored by Pepsi. After three days without a winner, he X-rayed his sneaker for kicks. Veasey recalls, ‘It was a great image and I thought ‘there’s something to this.’ It was one of those life-changing experiences. I just left behind everything else I was doing.’
Veasey spent the next three months working with scientists to refine his technique. He learned to gauge object density and structure by experimenting with a variety of materials including plastic, flowers and metals, taking the utmost care with his living subjects.