Sweetheart: Nat Meier
COLORS, COLORS & COLORS - They’re what grab you the second you glance at Nat Meier’s photos. Getting into photography over seven years ago thanks to Tumblr, Meier was drawn to a gold and pink aesthetic, often featuring buildings and cars. The San Francisco based photographer has found ways to incorporate these references while always bringing their touch to every photo. Finding balance between shooting what she knows and likes, and expanding their taste with new elements, Meier continues to shape her style. Read below to learn more about how Meier switched to film photography, how she wants their work to grow and more.
LUNA: How did your journey with film photography start?
MEIER: I guess you could say it started in 2013 when I got really into Tumblr, even though I didn't actually pick up a film camera until 2018. I was reblogging a lot of photos with a similar aesthetic: golden and pink tones, unassuming homes, intricate architecture, and bright color pops. They all had the same sort of feel, and I started poking around to try and figure out where it came from. Most of them were unedited film scans. I loved the look and feel, and after awhile of just being a passive observer, I got up the courage to buy a little film camera off Etsy. I didn't know anything. Went to Walgreens and bought whatever color film they had (Kodak Ultramax 400, which ended up being my go-to stock!), put my headphones on, and starting snapping. My first rolls were absolute garbage, but they were my garbage, so I loved them. It's only been up from there.
LUNA: Vintage cars seem to be a recurring theme of your work (and your Instagram feed), what is it about them that you’re drawn to?
MEIER: I'm actually trying to get away from shooting vintage cars so much, even though it's fun! I've always liked stuff that's more 70s/80s/90s aesthetic, and vintage cars just seem to fit with that. There are also a ton of them in San Francisco, where I live, so it's always an easy and solid subject matter to fall back on. Lately though I've been focusing on pops of color wherever they show up — SF Victorians, a bright red cigarette box on green grass, the light hitting a pair of sneakers just right. I'm trying not to limit myself to one type of subject matter so much, just to make sure that I never feel stagnancy.
LUNA: What’s your typical process when you go out to shoot a roll of film?
MEIER: This is pretty wild, but in a day of shooting, I'll limit myself to one roll of film in my camera and one backup roll. I don't like having like 6 rolls on me because only having a limited set of exposures forces me to be more intentional and thoughtful about what I'm looking at. I might like what I see through the viewfinder, but do I LOVE it? That's kind of what I'm going for. Sometimes I'll see something I want to capture and when I hold the camera up to my face, I actually don't love it as much as I thought. On to the next thing.
Other than that, I like to do a lot of my shooting alone, with my headphones on. It helps me stay focused, and it's also super centering for me. I listen to a lot of J Dilla beats on repeat.
LUNA: Any dream collaborations with brands or artists?
MEIER: I'd love to work with Airbnb, OnlyNY, The New Yorker, or Adidas. Not sure what that would look like yet, but I'm open to any kind of collaboration, really. I currently work for Square and shoot a lot of digital, but I'm really excited because I get to mix some of my film work in this year, which I've already started the process of shooting.
I'd love to do some album artwork for a musician. I don't shoot a lot of portraiture, but I'm starting to get a bit more confident with it. When I get more comfortable, I'd like to capture people doing what they love. Artists, musicians, small business owners — anyone losing themselves in their craft.
I also think it would be really cool to team up with another photographer or a few others and create a photo book, something physical that other people can hold.
LUNA: If you had any 3 pieces of advice for someone wanting to shoot film, what would they be?
MEIER: 1. Just start. Even if you think you're "not a photographer" or "don't know what you're doing." If you're interested, go create and don't worry about whether the shots are good or the light is right or the camera you have. Make stuff that makes you happy.
2. Pick a few photographers whose work you enjoy and study their stuff. Look at how they see the world. You don't have the shoot like them, but find things that inspire you. That's really where it started for me, and I have the deepest respect for photographers who actually enjoy, study, and talk about other people's work.
3. Be kind to yourself. You can't always create at a high volume and expect the output to be really strong every time. There's gonna be photos or whole rolls that you don't like, and that's okay. It's okay to have periods of creative slowness, of more observation than action.
LUNA: How do you hope your art grows this year?
MEIER: I believe really hard in speaking things into existence, but for this specific thing, I like to not set too many concrete growth goals. I want to make photos that make other people feel warm, that make them feel like they want to jump into the scene. I just want to keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone — that's where I surprise myself the most.
