Nato Tuke is a 20 year old photographer/writer who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. I’d like to share Nato’s photography with everyone because her photographs tell amazing stories of travel, beauty, and the hustle and bustle of every day life. Even though Nato is young, she is very accomplished in her field and has had her photography published in 5+ magazines and will be interning with National Geographic photographer, David Doublet at the end of 2009. Nato took some time to answer a few questions for me so we could see deeper into the life of a photographer. Nato posts new photography on her blog for anyone interested in seeing what she is recently snapping photos of.
Photography is a field that most designers become interested in, but with our busy schedules and client deadlines it becomes difficult to find time to grow our photography skills. So what better way to learn more about photography than from a professional photographer?
Introduce yourself!
Hello. I am Nato Tuke. I am a photographer of all things from travel, fashion, h20. Life is my canvas!
What are you working with?
I work with a Canon 5D and Canon 5D Mark II , Strobes, Aquatica H2O housing, Sea+Sea strobes for the housing, and a MacBook Pro computer
Do you have a favorite thing to photograph?
My favorite thing to photograph is the unexpected. That’s when you’re photographing or you’re about to photograph and then the unexpected occurs and you get this incredible shot. Example, I just encountered my first sea lion on one of my dives in California but was disappointed because I had a macro lens on which disabled me from photographing the very enthusiastic, posing seal. So I ascended to the surface and heard splashes in the distance, so i got my camera ready and hoped that the sea lion would surface far enough for me to photograph it with my macro and pose long enough for me to focus…the chances were close to nothing, but then the unexpected occurred and I got the shot, with it staring at me. That’s the unexpected.
Where do you find inspiration?
I thought that I got my inspiration from magazines, but then realized some time ago that a few of my best photographs came before I studied magazines and it got me thinking. It’s hard to explain but ever since I can remember, I live my life by letting my emotions (good or bad) affect the way my atmosphere looks and feels to me. If I’m sad for example: I could be sitting sitting against a tree and simply notice the strong shadow it’s casting, but I could be happy sitting underneath the same tree and only be noticing the sun’s bursting beams against the tree, creating those shadows instead. So, when I go to create an image I really tap into my own past to make an emotional image.
Do you do all of your own photo touch-up, or do you let a designer handle that aspect of the job?
Yes, I do my own. Which makes me feel like I have a lot of learning still to do. (though it never stops)
You live in LA, how can someone go about contacting you for a shoot?
Mainly email. But I have had people just call me up from my number on my website. Either are fine, but email is always a safe bet.
Click to view this one large:
I had the pleasure of designing Nato’s business cards and she took them underwater:
Pingback: Twitted by NatoTuke