Skip Nelson

Inducted 2003

From the days of wind-up black-and-white film cameras, Skip Nelson has been the dean of television photojournalists.

He joined KSTP TV Saint Paul/Minneapolis in 1948, and pioneered many of the techniques necessary to adapt film to the new medium, and later helped KSTP launch the nation’s first all-color television news operation in 1961. He covered local spot news, and brought home the station’s pictures of the Vietnam War and other events throughout the world. He later became director of photography for Hubbard Productions, shooting an award-winning documentary on the St. Croix River, the popular KSTP Cinerama features at the Minnesota State Fair, and much more. He also spent thirty years with NFL Films, which named him its “All Time All Pro Cameraman,” served as director of photography for the 1990 Olympic Festival, and took the breathtaking official photo of the 1992 Saint Paul Winter Carnival Ice Palace. His many honors include first and second place awards from the National Press Photographers Association and RTNDA Story of the Year, and his photographs have been displayed in the White House.

Skip Nelson passed away October 9, 2013.