We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nate B. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nate below.

Hi Nate , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Taking up photography was by far one of the biggest risks I took in my life haha. As we all know, photography can get very expensive. Whether it be camera body and lenses, protective and/or maintenance pieces, flights/hotels/rental cars, the expenses absolutely start to stack up as you attend more and more conventions . However, as with anything else in life, you have to weigh the risk with the reward. If I didnt invest my money and time so much when I first started, I would have surely missed out on many of the opportunities I was afforded.

The reason I picked it up was because of a friend actually. When I turned 30, I was going through a bit of an early mid life crisis. With such, I began indulging in many activities i had deferred in my younger years. Camping, getting more into cooking, exercising more, traveling, and lastly photography were the big ones I took more action toward. While out on a camping trip, I met a new friend whom i shared my will to indulge in photography with. They shared their mutual interest, and actually provided me with the camera and gear I used at my first convention I attended as a photographer (New York Comic Con 2023). I had such an amazing experience, that I stuck with it. And here we are today. Id say the risk was definitely worth it .

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hey all ! For those who don’t know me, my name is Nathan but im more commonly known in the community as Nate ! Im also known as the photographer with the red cow/teddy bear on his back at conventions haha. I have been involved in the anime/gaming communities for a while as a fan, however photography opened many new doors for me to connect with likeminded individuals in the community. I travel across the country, attending various conventions and events while using my photography skills to capture memories for both attendees and invited guests/cosplayers/voice actors/etc,

Outside of photography, ive always worked in the mental health field. Im currently work with adolescents as a form of children’s therapist, and absolutely love getting to be there for children who need someone to vent to/feel comfortable around. Prior to this, ive run several mental health group homes across the state, assisted in state ran mental health emergency hotlines, and worked directly with nonprofit organizations in order to bring more awareness to the rise of mental health services available in our communities.

If its not obvious by now, my passion is helping people feel comfortable being themselves. Helping others feel “seen” is what I would say is my strongest skill . Through my photography work ( as well as my words of encouragement throughout the shoot) im able to do just that for the many convention attendees I come across. It always amazes me how much effort and detail people put into their crafts/outfits, and as such it is no problem at ALL for me to genuinely let someone know how fantastic I find their work ! As well as request some time to work with them to give them some memories 😊

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My personality and charisma have by far been two qualities that others tell me signify my presence from other photographers in the industry. In this day and age, we all have advanced cell phones with highly capable cameras built into them. To claim that the average person cant take a fantastic picture with a smartphone would be an absolute lie. And unfortunately, when many people consider using a photographer i think the example I gave above comes to mind.

However, when booking a photographer like myself you’re not booking me just to take some good pictures for you. Youre booking me to capture memories that you will look fondly back on. Youre paying for my expertise at noticing the things you may not notice yourself. The angles, poses, and personal style, alongside the overall energy all comes together to make a photoshoot with a photographer like myself special. The encouragement I will give you, the reminders that you ARE as amazing as you think you are. The laughs we will share, conversations we have, and genuine smiles we exchange, will be the moments I capture. And its my absolute pleasure to do so.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Be yourself. I know it sounds so simple, but its because it truly is that simple. There are far too many people out there looking for the perfect formula for fame, but in reality people just want someone who is unapologetically themselves. I spent a very large portion of my life being shy and ashamed of who I was. As many others can unfortunately understand, growing up as a kindhearted person can have its share of ups and downs. I spent an unfortunate amount of time thinking my kindness was a curse, but after a while I embraced it. I leaned more into what was the natural version of myself. I stopped trying to fit into an image of what people said i “should” be, and just focused on how to accept being happy being “me”. And over time, I was lucky enough to run into others who respected my genuine personality. I do my best to help others feel comfortable enough to let their true selves shine as well, and through word of mouth and social media my clientele has continued to grow .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://natebphotography.shootproof.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yo_itz_nate/

Image Credits

All the photos were taken by myself and have already been published on my personal website as well as my social media pages. All people presented have previously given me their permission to use said photos at my discretion.