Nels Akerlund, 38

By Barbara Connors

Many who are successful in their careers before the age of 40 know what they want at an early age – and local photographer Nels Akerlund is no exception. At 12 he received a camera from his father — spoils from a poker game. “It was love at first sight,” he said. Within six months he built his own darkroom and has never looked back.

Photography may well run in Akerlund’s blood. The first time he held a camera, he was two years old. It was the possession of his uncle’s, who was a photographer visiting after a tour in the Vietnam War. The curious boy proceeded to open the camera; exposing all of the film. “Luckily I was named after him, so he didn’t kill me,” he said with a laugh.

Akerlund’s career formally began at 15 when he jumped at the opportunity to be a summer intern at the White House. There he had a chance to take photographs of President Reagan and various Republican Senators, and he returned for two more summers to intern.

Akerlund recently received the Capstone Award as an alumnus of Lincoln Middle School, Rockford, for his achievements and initiative at such a young age.

Akerlund returned to Rockford after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1992. Concerned about hearing that the Mississippi River near his hometown was considered the dirtiest river in the United States, he traveled by kayak its 2,300 miles — solo. He became the youngest person to do that, and used that fact to get himself in front of local television stations to raise awareness of the condition of the river.

To Akerlund, the trip was a rite of passage. “I discovered how little you need. I discovered my patience, or lack of it, and I learned not to complain.”

Since that trip, Akerlund he has combined his love of travel, adventure and photography into a successful career as owner of Nels Akerlund Photography, www.nelsakerlund.com. His studio is in a quaint neighborhood in Rockford, but his photography projects and workshops often take him around the world – to places like Indonesia, Alaska and Mexico. His photos appear in countless publications, like the Chicago Tribune, National Geographic Adventure Magazine and the New York Times.

Akerlund admits he’s fascinated by famous people and that reviewing his film still makes him feel “like Christmas morning.” He’s photographed political figures like the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama; and music icons like Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Buddy Guy and Rick Nielsen.

One of his more recent ventures highlights his appreciation for famous faces – and the not-so-famous ones. He’s formed the non-profit organization, American People Project, www.americanpeopleproject.org, which aims to capture the portraits of 100,000 Americans representing each of the 50 states – the largest collection of its kind ever taken.

Akerlund estimates that 5,000 portraits from 45 states and 34 countries have been taken so far. Each black and white headshot is 6 by 4 foot. Collections include the cast members from the movie, “Animal House;” famous surfers from Hawaii; the surviving “munchkins” from the movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” and residents from Barrow, Ala., the most northern city in the United States. Akerlund said he’s recently come home from a trip to West Virginia, where he photographed the last living World War I veteran, 108.

Plans are to donate portraits to museums like the Smithsonian.

After traveling with his wife Anna, also a photographer, about half of his time, Akerlund said he’s always glad to come home to Rockford. “It’s all about family and friends. It’s something you can’t replace by moving to a place like Seattle.”