Born and raised in Colorado, photographer Nate Abbott now spends his time traveling around the world capturing photos of skiers, meeting new people and continually learning about photography. Abbott has an impressive client list that includes many industry heavy hitters like Giro, K2, Oakley, Volcom and others. His photos can also be seen in publications like ESPN The Magazine and Freeskier.
This Thursday we have called out the illustrious photographer and asked him a few questions about photography, his inspirations, and super models.
How did you get your start in photography?
It all started out with my love for skiing. I was a skier in Crested Butte, Colorado and got hurt. After I was hurt I could still ski, just not that hard, so I started to follow my friends like Shroder Baker around and tried snapping photos. They were all pretty horrible, to be honest. I continued to shoot all winter though and eventually got an internship at Freeze Magazine. While I was there I learned a whole lot from their photo editor at the time, Flip McCririck. I continued to work at Freeze until they shut down. While I was there I made some great relationships and have continued to shoot photos since.
Are there any photographers you look up to/ are inspired by?
I definitely look up to Flip. He was my photo mentor. In the ski game I also look up to people like Chris O’Connell, Kevin Zacher and Jeff Curtes. I also enjoy the works of classic photographers like Nadav Kander and Irving Penn. I basically spend as much time as I can looking at photography. I have tons of photography books and just try to take in images, from skiing to classic photography. I think you can learn a ton just by looking at all types of photography.
What is the best and worst part about being a ski photographer?
There are a lot of “bests”. I think that being around the athletes and being in the mountains all the time though is one of the best parts. I also enjoy going to contests, getting caught up in the moment, and capturing the athletes when they’re in their element. I’ve also been blessed to travel with great crews like the PBP team and athletes like Simon, Peter, Jossi and so many others.
The worst part is probably the travel. When it is winter I am going all around the world and have no time off. That might not seem that awful to many people but I’d rather be out taking photos than sitting in an airport and taking days off to travel. I do not hate it but I guess you could say I do not appreciate it.
What is your favorite thing to shoot, park, backcountry or urban?
I’m a little A.D.D. so I can’t really shoot anything too long or I get bored. Urban and park are fun though because it’s always changing and you can play with angles, lighting, and other elements. The backcountry is also fun. It is just a good time being in the mountains, but can also be one of the more challenging places to shoot because there are only so many places you can shoot from and you usually only get one shot at it.
Any plans to photograph things other than skiing?
I have a few art projects in the works and am always open to other opportunities and creating new things. I’m like a little kid, I always need to be creating if you give me a stick I’ll draw in the sand (laughs).
All aspects of photography intrigue me and I’d love to do them all. I just spent some time in Santa Fe, New Mexico at a photography class and drove from there to the Dakotas and experimented with all types of landscape stuff. I will always want to keep learning and trying new things.
So you’d be willing to do some model photography, huh? If you could shoot any model who would it be?
I’d say for personal interaction Marisa Miller (laughs) but for photogenic reasons I’d have to say Miranda Kerr. Oh and the entire cast of The Hills so I can work on my group portraiture (laughs).
Any shout outs?
For sure, to everyone out there who reads and checks out the photos in Freeskier. You make it all possible, so thank you!
To learn more about Nate and check out more photos visit www.nateabbottphoto.com (relaunching August 15th) or check out blog.nateabbott.com.
