Life & Work with Nautis of Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nautis .

Nautis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am Nautis. I was born in Los Angeles.
I am originally from the Mid City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
I left LA when I was about 5 or 6 to Miami, FL for about 4 years. I was not a fan of the humidity. I came back to LA & lived in Santa Monica from summer 1998’ to summer 2000’. I went to Will Roger’s elementary. for 5th grade. Then John Adams Middle School for 6th grade. Fortunately but unfortunately I was shipped to live with my mother & stepfather in Salt Lake City where I lived for 11 years.
Went to middle & high school out there where I did meet a lot of great people. I was homesick though & was tired of the long mountain west winters. I was able to move back to LA through a transfer with the Freight shipping company I was working for.
Once back in LA I basically had to start over at 23 years old. The job here in LA was easier because the weather is 100 times better. No snow or frigid temperatures is a blessing. I decided to attend Santa Monica Community College to get my transfer credits to a 4 year university. Unfortunately the credits I did have from the community college in Salt Lake were not credited. Had to start over. I was only able to get 1 to 2 classes a semester. I decided I had to take a different route since education was going to take too long in my view. I always wanted to try out acting. I ending up & attending Playhouse West in North Hollywood. That experience turned out to be an interesting time but also so much fun. I learned so much about acting, film, & human behavior. Not just from being in class but all the homework/studying I did on my own outside of it. Ultimately I stopped going because it was either I pay for class or rent at my apartment. Rent was the obvious choice. LA isn’t cheap to live in.
After so much time just doing the work to home back to work routine, I had had enough of the job I was working at.
I realized it had become a dead end.
I had invested money on the side over the years so I thought after 11 years of being a forklift driver at just after turning 31, no wife, no kids, or any real responsibilities other than myself, now would be a good time to call it quits to start anew. At that time it was definitely a scary decision because I didn’t have anything planned other than to actually be able to breathe & rest knowing I could now actually steer my life in the right direction knowing with whatever it is I chose to do in a sense. After a month of doing whatever I wanted or going to wherever I decided to go, I started to look into photography. My interest in photography came from only being able to use my iPhone camera over the years.
At the time, November 2019, I purchased a Nikon D5600 w/ a 18-200mm lens. I started by taking pictures at sunset at Santa Monica Beach. I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t falter though.
I knew I had to go out everyday to shoot to get better. I had the time & especially the patience to do so. Then the Pandemic happened. Quarantine hit. Great. I had to find a new subject matter. Another pivot.
One day a good friend asked me to take some pics of him & his car in the Angeles Forest. I rode along to an incredible mountain road that looked like something out of a big Hollywood budget movie.
It was Majestic. The drive up was something spiritual. It felt like it would never end.
I also felt like I was robbed as a kid not knowing about this place.
We came back later that year at Newcombs Ranch for a thing called Good Vibes Breakfast Club from 9am to 11am on Fridays.
That’s where I begin to shoot cars.
I met so many great people.
I learned to become a better driver on that majestic road called Angeles Crest Highway.
As well as a better photographer.
I know that’s a lot but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. All of my past experiences have helped me see the world differently.
It has helped my photography immensely.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. The beginning struggles as for any photographer is how do you work a camera, what camera body/lens to use/get, how to shoot, what to shoot, what to look for, how is the lighting, & then the biggest challenge is how to edit your photos. After that it’s being able to repeatedly shoot the subject matter that interest you as well as allows you to get better day by day. Then the ones that will actually pay you. Putting yourself out there into different places, groups, & communities is one of the best ways to shoot as much as possible. I’m mostly self taught so Google & Youtube are my best friends in this realm. Befriending other photographers has been a priceless help as well. Being interested or passionate in photography is very important. As with anything you want to be successful at in life. As time goes by, the novelty of anything can wear off. You’re left with a simple question “Do I care about this?” This is where going back to the same place or subject matter you have shot many times requires you to look at it from a different perspective & challenges your creativity visually. That’s when the magic happens. When you least expect it.
Other obstacles have been having to turn down clients because I didn’t have the right tools within reach to deliver what they were asking for at that time. Which more often than not happens. I had a potential client who wanted me to do a photo shoot at the beach during sunset & along PCH with an exotic sports car. All provided by me but for a low cost that was not worth it all. This is where being direct but polite comes into play when having to say no to a request that is not able to be fulfilled by me.
Although I will say that I’ve never been opposed to helping someone out to find someone else who could do the job they ask of.
Also, the logistics of getting the right time/setting a client wants or needs.
Many people want the golden hour time slot but that all depends on if it’s daylight savings time or not if their schedule allows it.
All in all, I’m very grateful for all the people that I have been able to work with through photography.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Photographer. I photograph people, places, & events.
I shoot everything. I do specialize in Portraits, Landscape/Cityscape, Automotive, Night time, & Street photography. I’m mostly known as the “go to” person by friends & clients. Depending on the time of day, location, & subject matter, I will get the quality shot(s) you need.
You could drop me into almost any situation & as long as I have my go to camera setup, I can make the magic happen even with what may seem as if we have nothing with the naked eye.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
LA has everything you could want or need. You just need to know where to look or be.
The weather is probably the best in the country or even the world at times.
I can practically go anywhere in the city within reason. There is so much you can do.
Although the thing we all like least about our city is the traffic. You either live with it or plan around it accordingly. The traffic can make you isolate yourself as well. I’m lucky I can make my own schedule based on clients availability. Getting around town is fun for me. I’ve known ppl who hadn’t ventured out of their own neighborhood for a decade. In Santa Monica, Monday- Thursdays is great. Once Friday-Sunday arrives, all that tourist traffic locks you in or keeps you out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mr.nautis
• Other: mr.nautis@gmail.com

Image Credits
All photos are shot & edited by myself.