Nate Christenson DC Team Photograhper - Interview

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Hi Nate glad to have you here, tell us a little bit about you, where do you live right now and of course how you made it into the photo biz and how you became a DC Team photographer? I’m currently living in San Diego, Ca. In the winters I spend my time in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve been snowboarding for about 23 years and started shooting my friend Chris Engelsman about 15 years ago to help him with his sponsors. My career in photography started there and took off quickly. I started with DC about 6 years ago. It was the only company that I considered working full time for. It was a combination of their history, their employees and the fact that I could shoot multiple sports that made it so appealing. 6 years and a lot of growth later, the appeal is still there.

Did your thoughts and your mind, as far as the photography is concerned, experience any major changes since you became a professional photographer?
That’s a tough question and I don’t know if I have an answer. I’ve always been highly motivated to get the shot. You have to constantly learn new techniques and push yourself but you don’t want it to come at the expense of missing a great photo. It’s pretty fun.

What kind of equipment do you use?
I shoot with Canon cameras and lenses. I use Elinchrom flashes and smaller Sunpak’s for lighting.

Do you miss analog photography and if why?
There’s definitely things I miss about analog. The excitement of leaving a shoot and not knowing exactly what you got. Having to wait until your film gets processed and the excitement of getting it back. It was a lot less time consuming shooting film and I also spent a lot less time staring at a computer. It was a lot harder to dial in lighting and there was a lot more stress and knowledge involved. You either had to be really good or really lucky. It’s a lot easier now for someone to pick up a camera and get really good photos.

What’s your advice for kids that want to start taking pictures and what would you say to amateur photographers that want to get into that “action sport” photo business?
I would say that you shouldn’t expect quick financial success. There are a lot of photographers that are out there getting good shots. Just stay motivated and make sure you’re getting your photos in front of a lot of people. Shoot sports that you not only like a lot, but also understand. Getting the right angle on a lot of tricks is the most important part and if you can visualize their trick before they do it…then you’ll end up with the best shot.

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What and who inspires you?
I just started taking photography classes a few years ago. They deal mainly with digital workflow but they are always very inspiring. Looking through magazines and seeing great photography is inspiring as well. Knowing that there is always something new to learn and better ways to do things keeps me motivated. That’s the beauty of being a photographer. There shouldn’t ever be anything stale about it.

What characterizes a good photographer?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just because someone doesn’t like a photo you took, doesn’t make it a bad photograph. However, to try and answer your question, I would say that a good photographer is one that can shoot a variety of subjects and get good results across the board. More importantly, they can have a variety of clients with varying needs, and get images that the clients are happy with and are able to use. What might be great for one client, doesn’t work for another so you need to be able to adapt a bit to cater to your clients specific needs.

Is there a difference on how you approach a FMX or Snowboard Shooting?
There’s definitely not as much physical labor involved when shooting FMX. The days usually aren’t as long either. They both deal with fast action and cover a lot of distance so they are very similar in those ways. I love shooting both and usually I approach it by thinking “I want to get the best angle of a trick while also trying to incorporate the best background for the photo”. Trying to be creative with this is a lot of fun. If there isn’t a good background or great angle then it’s time to get really creative.

Could you tell us any details about the Ken Block x Travis Pastrana shooting?
It looks like craziness x2 ?!!
Usually anything that involves Ken and Travis together is pretty exciting. Each person is very talented and creative. When you add the fact that they are both very competitive, it becomes a perfect combination. As you can see, they can get great photos in a variety of different sports.

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here some shorties:

Favorite camera?
Canon. Hopefully the Mark IV as soon as it comes out.

Favorite spot?
It could be a toss up. A huge backcountry jump with Travis Rice…or maybe shooting with Travis Pastrana down in Jamaica.

Analog vs digital?
I’m going to go with digital on this one. But there are a lot of reasons why I miss shooting film.

Single vs sequence?
Single…but if someone’s doing something really crazy or a trick that’s never been done before, then sequence.

FMX vs snowboard?
I think more hard work goes into getting a snowboarding shot so it’s more rewarding. Both are really fun to shoot though.

I can imagine your pretty busy these days, what does a regular day in the life of Nate Christenson look like?
Haha, It varies so much. Right now, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the office. Almost like a 9-5 job! Sending out submissions to magazines, taking care of our (DC’s) ad, p.o.s., and web needs. We’re about to launch our winter 2010 snowboarding site so check it out! (dcshoes.com or snow.dcshoes.com) There’s a lot of work that goes into that. This coming week I’ll shoot with Robbie Maddison. I haven’t shot with him much so I’m excited for that. Outside of work, I try to get a little exercise and spend some time with my friends. Fortunately I love my job because it really does take up a majority of my time.

Tell us something about your future, any projects planned yet?
At DC we’ve always got some pretty exciting things planned! You’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll be doing a few moto shoots this fall and getting ready for the winter. I’m making some changes to my website soon so check that out natechristenson.com

Please just note the word that you first think about when you read these letters:
1. C:  Cake (I must be hungry)
2. L:  Lightning
3. D:  Dog (my favorite animal)
4. F:  Fun (life in general)
5. X:    Xtina (a dumb nickname Christina Aguilera gave herself…although I do think she’s a great singer and easy on the eyes)

Thank you Nate for taking your time talking to CLDFX. Your last words here, tell us whatever you like:

I just want to thank my family and friends for always being there and supporting me in the decisions I make. Now, back to the photo editing…

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