Featured Artist Nathan DePue

Photographer Nathan DePue presents a striking portfolio based on his fascination with the natural world and flying. See more by visiting his website.

 

 

I’ve always had a love for photography. Pictures of amazing landscapes, people, machines, and far off places capture my imagination and wonder. I remember getting my first camera, a Polaroid camera, and the fascination of watching it develop right before my eyes! That never got old, no matter how many pictures I took.

 

 

Seeing the people and places I could capture, the details I didn’t notice when I snapped the picture, the feelings from a snapshot in time, also never got old. After my Polaroid came some toy cameras and then a standard 35mm camera.

 

 

Later in life I finally got a real camera and learned everything I could about it. I quickly found the freedom of turning off automatic mode and taking pictures in manual mode. Seeing what can be captured through the lens, the beauty of life and nature, but also a spark of imagination captivated me.

 

 

Art of nature should drive your imagination to go, see, and experience that spark! That is what drove me to explore the state parks of South Carolina, the state where my art photography journey started. Going to every state park and national site in South Carolina helped me enjoy and convey their beauty to others. It also helped develop my nature photography and style.

 

 

I lived in Pennsylvania for a few years and tried to capture as much of the beauty and rich history of that area as I could before moving back to South Carolina. While in Pennsylvania, I started to work on capturing one of my other loves—flying. I try to portray the beauty, history, and spirit of older aircraft, especially older warbirds. I seek the essence of flying, that joy and freedom found only in flight.

 

 

My main camera is a modern mirrorless camera, but I do photograph with antique film cameras. I have cameras from every decade dating back to 1908, and I still use them all! I try to keep editing at a minimum, if possible. My goal is to capture as naturally as possible the spark, imagination, and wonder from the actual scene. I find RAW is best for this.

 

 

I’ve developed an HDR technique (if the scene and lighting are right!) that is easy to create and requires little to no extra editing. I always feel accomplished when people tell me they’ve been inspired to explore because of my pictures.

 

 

People often say they’ve picked up their old camera and started taking pictures again, or have gotten a camera (and put their phone down!) to start taking pictures because of my work. Knowing I’ve been able to inspire and spark people’s emotion and imagination drives me to carry on, to keep creating.

 

Nathan DePue invites you to follow him on Facebook and X.

 

 

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