Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Rupert.
Hi Nathan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My photography bug started in 2006 when I received a Fujifilm point and shoot digital camera for a gift. I used to carry it in my pocket all the time and try to capture the sunsets and crazy people around Pacific Beach. However, the pictures ended up out of focus or not what my eyes were seeing, so I invested my work bonus into a professional Canon 40D camera and lenses. I taught myself shutter speed, aperture, iso, and the professional settings through trial and error and by watching YouTube videos or reading comments/critique in Flickr groups.
I found out that shooting events, candid street photography, and surfers was my favorite. I think this is mostly due to all the cool celebrations happening here such as Comic Con, Dog surfing, Mardi Gras/St. Patrick’s Day parades, the Miramar Air Show, and Red Bull Air Races (before it left). I loved capturing the unique/crazy/sexy outfits people wore and their interactions with the environment and other people.
Today, I have expanded my skillset to do fashion shows and I now even host my own YouTube channel where I interview other photographers and showcase their work (YouTube.com/@PhotogProfile).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been an expensive road! I was shooting a dog surfing event at Del Mar dog beach and I had one of my lenses in my sling bag. A huge wave hit me from the back and destroyed that $500 lens. Needless to say, I learned my lesson from that – don’t mess with Mother Nature using expensive gear that is not protected.
I have also had my camera gear stolen from the trunk of my car so now I make sure to bring it inside with me all the time after I park.
Doing street photography – I have had a couple people chase after me for taking their picture but that is very rare. I always carry my business card with me and if someone asks me about the picture I usually give them my information in case they want a copy or to check it out.
I have also had quite a few lenses stop working on me (autofocus issues for example) so George’s Camera and Kurt’s Camera Repair have been life savers for me in cleaning and helping me fix my gear. Once, I did drive to the Canon repair center in LA to get my body and lenses back to normal.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known for my street photography, surf photography, and pics from Comic Con. On Flickr, I have 10,000 followers, 46,410 pics, and over 263 million views. Two of my shots have even hit #1 on Flickr’s Explore before.
Although I am not a full time professional, I have sold tons of photos. My dog surfing pictures have been made into a calendar that got sold in Japan. I even had a San Diego Chargers fan photo make the cover of the San Diego Reader.
Most recently, I am proud for starting my YouTube podcast called “Photographer Profile with Nathan Rupert”. I interview other photographers and showcase their work and let them tell the stories behind their pictures.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The lens is usually more important than the body of the camera. Buy a lens for the type of photography you are interested in – do your research by reading Amazon reviews and playing with the equipment at Best Buy. Find a mentor and go to local photography meetups – play around with shutter speed, aperture, and other settings so you know what the photo looks like and how it changes when you change the settings.
Take some tutorials online on how to fix photos with photoshop and other editing software – learn how to correct exposure, contrast and how to level your shots so that the horizon is straight. Put your photos online to Reddit or Flickr and have people critique your work – what needs to improve and what looks good. Bring your camera to any event or family outing you attend and practice, practice, practice!
Pricing:
- 175.00 hour to hire me for a photoshoot
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaninsandiego/albums
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathan_rupert_photography/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanrupertphotography/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PhotogProfile
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@photographer.profile?_t=8qIjGCNb9mU&_r=1
Image Credits
all images are mine – Nathan Rupert Photography
