LA-based, Indiana-raised photographer Nate Guenther has been surrounded by creative talent for more than half a decade. The freedom he had shooting in his early years resonates in his work whether photographing Kendall Jenner, an old high school friend, or his family. His innate creativity is apparent in every photo he snaps. Working mostly in portraiture, Guenther’s use of airy and vivid color, swaying movement, and alternative angles always make for a pleasing photo that holds attention for just a little longer.
Relying on Instagram and connections through friends and co-workers, Guenther has made a name for himself in LA. With the shoots he is booking, you’d think he went to photography school, has been practicing since he was a child, and that he has a perfectly crafted website. But none of those things are true, and still, his work is sought after by many.
After graduating from Perry Meridian High School in 2015, Guenther bought his first camera—an entry-level Canon DSLR—and started creating. That summer and through college he relied on his friends to accompany him in creating photographs and other art. They would stay out until 3:00 a.m. exploring interesting places to shoot editorial-esque concepts. After experimenting with cinema film, a clothing line, and different methods of photography, Guenther began to find his style.
His unique approach emerged from the influence of friends he made after high school. The community mindset of 2015 Twitter and a Tyler, the Creator concert introduced him to what is now a large part of his current creative circle. This influence helped Guenther expand his personal taste. As an artist, Guenther began to evolve into his own, celebrating the people around him.
“I worked with friends all the time, because they’re the easiest ones to ask to do cool ideas. A lot of what we did was our own ideas,” Guenther says.
They’d go out and just shoot; no one to answer to but themselves and their own ideas. Some of his friends were easy to photograph, like Cayley King and Darien. Some would become full-time musicians, like Omar Apollo and Drayco McCoy. One of Guenther’s close friends Austin Brown, who began photographing around the same time, was there to bounce ideas off of and available to shoot until early morning hours and in potentially dangerous places. The people around Guenther were all unique in how they helped him, as was he to them.
Guenther says they were never doing this kind of stuff for anyone else, until eventually someone asked. Kam Casey, who was working at RSVP Gallery in Chicago at the time, saw what Guenther and his friends were doing and loved it. He asked them to head up to Chicago and do the same thing in RSVP gear. Their first gig was aquired based on total creative freedom. Guenther didn’t have to change his photography style or creative direction for anyone. Instead, he got paid to do exactly what he was already doing.
“We’d all migrate to Chicago like once a week, and I’d shoot up there. I would still shoot all my friends for RSVP.”
After living in Chicago for a few months post-grad, Guenther had moved back to Indianapolis and didn’t have any major plans. He knew some people in LA and had visited before, so when he got a call that a friend had an open room, he jumped on it. Without any secure job waiting for him, he decided to go. He lied to his parents that he got a job in LA and headed out.
“I was like ‘I’m gonna go. I had like 700 bucks,’” Guenther says with a bit of laughter.
His whimsical attitude paid off. On the drive out, a gig at a production company opened up which paid for his first two months in LA. Then, Covid-19 hit, and he was left to figure out how he was going to photograph for money. Having little experience, Guenther relied on connections he made to find work. As a photographer with no website and no agent, Guenther continues to book incredibly sophisticated and artistic jobs. Since moving to LA, he has worked with Samuel L. Jackson, Trippie Redd, and Caleb McLaughlin, to name a few.
Engagement on his Instagram reveals how much his audience respects his work. From capturing Coachella with his friends, to his uncle’s wedding, to Jenner’s 818 tequila release—people are appreciative and supportive of his work. His authenticity makes people proud to follow him. All of his success comes from his genuine love and skill for the artform, the people around him, and his roots.
“It was important to work with friends because they all believed in me. I wanted to put all that energy back into them—whatever they would need. We’d all work together on everything. Everyone was pitching in, even if they weren’t creatively pitching in, they’d still be there for it. It was cool,” Guenther says.
Guenther says he uses the higher paying, higher profile gigs to fund what he wants to do. But even his roots weave their way into his higher profile work. Coming up in Indiana with Apollo, Guether has had the opportunity to photograph some of his earliest moments to a 2021 interview with W Magazine. The photos from that shoot, and all the shoots in between and since, are simply the product of Guenther and Apollo doing their thing, and what his audience loves so much is that they can feel that. Nothing is ever forced.
When he was in Indiana, Guenther got to see a crowd of humans that were creating for the sake of it and didn’t let their location keep them from making something inspiring. Now living in LA, he keeps that authenticity at the forefront. In the mix of celebrity shoots, he continues to make Indiana-focused art centered around his home, family, and friends who live here. The best parts of the midwest remain in who he is.
He has an intimate connection to the last generation of raw childhood experience. The absence of constant internet usage allowed for Guenther to grow up appreciating beauty in the mundane. Growing up in a suburban neighborhood just south of downtown Indy, he remembers being outside until dark and “lightning bugs,” he says, quite reminiscent. Guenther says he loves the midwest and always looks forward to going home, but the paid opportunities for his field just aren’t available in Indy.
“There’s a really strong art community here,” Guenther says of Indianapolis. “… but the art and music industries are weird. It’s productive, but at the same time everyone’s in a race to get somewhere that doesn’t exist.”
