Today we’d like to introduce you to Nate Reimers.
Hi Nate, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My journey with cameras started as a kid- filming skateboarding videos for friends. I remember taking a lot of photos on flip phones and on family cameras throughout my childhood. I joined the Air Force at seventeen and continued being that guy who took a lot of photos on his phone. Fast forward a few years, and I’m a firefighter. Like most firefighters, I picked up landscaping as my part-time job. The townhome I lived in then had a rule about not having trailers in the driveways, so I only used a push mower. I distinctly remember how hot it had been during one August in South Carolina. I was push-mowing three to four yards a day. During one particular shift, I was chatting with a guy who was close to retiring from the job (he retired shortly after our conversation with 35 years “on the job”). He pulled out his phone and said, “This is what I was doing yesterday.” The video clip was of him doing a fashion photoshoot at a pool. He was smiling, kicking his feet in the water, and laughing. I said, “Spive, you’ve got it figured out. I was out busting my tail in the heat yesterday, stepping in dog poop while I mowed, and you were kicking your feet in the water with a bunch of models in a pool.”
While I was mowing, I started listening to podcasts about drone businesses and everything you could accomplish with a drone. I ended up studying for and testing for my drone license. I also bought a drone, only to discover that you could only do a little with a drone due to market saturation (among other things). Then I bought a mirrorless camera, and the rest is history. I’m so grateful for every opportunity that’s been afforded to me through a camera. It has been a master key to traveling and meeting many incredible people. I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way and given me a shot. Most of all, I’m thankful to God for allowing this to be part of His plan for my life.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t believe any small-business journey is without bumps in the road, nor should it be. I’ve encountered equipment failures, navigated the steep learning curve of creative work and pitching clients, faced imposter syndrome, and dealt with inter-client relationship problems. The most significant jump in the creative realm was changing jobs from firefighting to doing creative work full-time in October of 2023. Every day has been a learning experience about myself, the skillset, and the industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with what you do?
I help solve problems for folks in defense, outdoor, and blue-collar industries. This typically looks like content creation to support their marketing needs. It also extends beyond my work to include connecting clients with other people who might be a better fit for a particular problem. I’m most proud of the work that highlights someone else’s passion for what they do. I truly enjoy and gain energy from the opportunity to tell someone’s story. My industry, military, and fire service backgrounds influence my creative approach and content creation to match various industries. This creative journey also scratches that curiosity that comes along with wanting to know how and why things are constructed the way they are. Applying my experiences and background to current clients and photoshoots has helped create stronger relationships and directly impacted the authenticity factor in my work.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories was driving to different industrial plants and machine shops with my dad. I got to see a lot of the Carolina clay that was off-the-beaten-path. My dad was a salesman and would occasionally bring me on his sales route to those small machine shops that would always have a couple of hunting dogs, a go-cart that only took “Castrol GTX oil,” and a machinist who had cinnamon candy in his overalls. Those childhood experiences sparked my curiosity for creativity, machine shops, and the outdoors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.natereimers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natereimers/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natereimers/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/n8reimers
Image Credits
Nate Reimers
