Your X-ray art reveals a hidden world beneath the surface of everyday objects. What first inspired you to work with X-ray technology as your medium?

I’ve been into all forms of photography since I was quite young.  I was exploring anaologue experimental abstract photography when x-ray just found me.  I saw a newspaper article of flower x-rays by Dr Albert Richards and I was transfixed.  Shortly after that my wife, then a graphic designer for a light-hearted TV show came home from work saying she was struggling to find someone to x-ray a soda can.  It was just meant to be I think…

Your pieces often blur the lines between science and art. How do you strike a balance between the technical process and your creative vision? 

I think you need a bit of both – technical prowess and a strong idea.  Without these you are floundering.  The idea is always key though.  A beautifully detailed image of a crap idea is still crap.  I know as I’ve done my fair share of those over the years.

How do you choose the objects you X-ray? Is there a specific theme or story you look for in each subject?

That is quite hard to explain, but I’ll try.  I have hundreds of ideas – good, bad and indifferent. The ideas that nag away at me, that keep coming back into my thinking, that make me smile – these are the ideas we end up doing.  Typically an x-ray ‘scene’ with people and objects takes months to create so we have to try to be selective.  The inspiration comes from everywhere, such as other artists, music, movies, fashin and life in general.

Your work gives us a completely new way of seeing things—what’s one object you’ve X-rayed that surprised you the most? 

No it is not a new of seeing at all.  Rontgen’s discovery of the x-ray has its 130th anniversary next year.  I’m just picking up the ball and running with it (in no particular direction).  I am regularly surprised by what can make a beautiful x-ray.  Today I x-rayed a take-away burger carton and it looked exquisite.  On the other hand, things I think that are going to x-ray well can disappoint.

For someone viewing your work for the first time, what do you hope they feel or take away from the experience? 

I hope they see the wit and irony in what we do.  The message in my work is constant: It is what is on the inside that counts, not superficial things.  My art is pretty straightforward.   If it is an x-ray of a car you can see the engine and the mechanical parts.  You don’t need a degree in art history to understand it, but when you really study the work there are a myriad of subtle details to discover.

We’re excited about the "X-Ray Your Thing" contest we’re doing with you! What excites you most about creating a custom X-ray artwork for the winner, and what do you hope the winner gains from this unique experience? 

I love collaborating with people from outside my ‘world’.  I’m hoping that together we will go and make something I wouldn’t have done on my own.  That excites me.

Nick Veasey’s work proves that there’s always more than meets the eye. From delicate details to bold surprises, his X-ray art shows us a world beneath the surface, reminding us that sometimes the most captivating beauty is hidden from plain sight. What will he X-ray next? Stick around to find out.