January 19, 2021

Check Out Nate Blakely’s Story

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nate Blakely.

So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I was born in Orlando, Florida, when I was five, my family moved to Vienna, Virginia, which is about 30 minutes from DC. Words have been hard for me to find all my life, I have always gravitated towards visual storytelling. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school in 2010, I started to do video editing, this was my first real love. I went to Lynchburg College, now the University of Lynchburg, as a Communication studies student. Three years into my college career, I realized that my videos weren’t upholding to others. Luckily, I had a mentor that was looking out for me and suggested that I should look into doing photography. Photography came into my life in 2014, where I learned that I truly love photography. When I moved to Tampa in 2015, I could finally afford a camera of my own, and that’s when my journey really took off. About two years later, my older brother dared me to take photos daily and now it’s become easier to count the days without a camera than the days with it. Publishing images daily has pushed me to be willing to try new ideas as much as possible. In the middle of May 2020, I launched my Etsy store so people can buy prints!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Earlier, I said that words have been hard for me, well that’s the truth. When I was 3 years old, I was diagnosed with dyspraxia and apraxia. Due to my dyspraxia, things get trapped into my brain. My brain miscommunicates with my body and my understanding of things really has hampered my growth as a person. My apraxia has made my speech slurred and words have gotten lost. These things go hand and hand, so when I found photography, I knew my life changed for ever. Photography has been the best way for me to communicate in recent years. Some people have Youtube channels and blogs, I have my photos. My photography journey has helped me find words, it’s my world. I will say after I started making photos daily, my photography journey has been pretty smooth. To be fair, I still have a long way to go.

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 a photographer, I specialize in finding the beauty in the ordinary. I am known for landscapes of where ever I am and streets of local areas; such as downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg. My photos are real life, real moments, little to none Photoshop. My background in video production helps me with framing the shots and seeing the potential in the basics. People are fascinating, I don’t understand them a lot of the time, and through my work I have learned more than one might think. My work tells the truth in the situation, and that’s what I love showing.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
You don’t need a fancy DSLR/Mirrorless camera, your phone is good enough and it will help with the basics. Watch everyone you can online and don’t be afraid to ask for help. There will be the people who are too greedy, and assume you will steal their clients, however most people will help. Lastly, don’t forget to breathe.

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