We’ve got another fabulous lifestyle photographer introduction for you today! Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Natalie Yates specializes in capturing portraits of motherhood. You can find her beautiful photos sprinkled throughout our photo cards on our website. Continue scrolling for our Q&A with Natalie below as well as a sampling of some of her portfolio.
If you could have dinner with one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be?
Julia Roberts
What is your favorite album of all-time?
Probably my very first one, because its nostalgic. Hootie and the Blowfish Cracked Rearview
What’s a book that has moved you?
Educated
What was the last great film you saw?
Its been awhile…I miss the early 2000’s romantic comedies and sitcoms. I actually haven’t gotten excited about a movie in a long time, but I am holding my breath for the next season of Jack Ryan.
What are your three favorite foods?
I love pizza and ice cream (not much has changed since I was 10!)
What is your favorite color?
Light blue
Beach or mountains?
Since I live in Jackson Hole, I feel obligated to say the mountains. But in the summer, we are at the beaches along the lakes and rivers here every day!
What inspires you most?
Being a mother is what gives me the inspiration to create beauty for other mothers. I had two babies a year apart, and four years in its still hard and messy most days! Yet in the sweet moments I want to freeze time, bottle up their scent, remember adorable phrases or ways they have of pronouncing words. I try to write things down when I can, but photographs always take me back to the moment. I love giving other mamas an excuse to press pause and to create something really beautiful out of their everyday lives.
What is your most prized possession?
Probably my camera. It has brought me countless hours of creativity and joy.
What is your preferred sign-off for correspondence?
XO Natalie
Favorite road trip game?
I Spy, because I thought my toddlers how to play and it saves me almost every time we are driving!
What is your go-to hostess gift?
Wine. Usually Cabernet Sauvignon.
Do you have a hidden talent?
I consider photography to be my hidden talent because I worked in finance for 10 years and it was my hobby (or my ‘jobby’ as my husband always referred to it) for the first 5 years that I was shooting. Now, I would say I am an ‘aspiring’ mountain athlete – I started mountain biking this summer which is something I thought I’d never do, I am running a half marathon this fall, also something I thought I’d never do, and I’m a pretty good skier!
What did you dream of being when you were a kid?
I loved space and wanted to be an astronaut for years. Then I decided on a lawyer. Then an interior decorator. Then I wanted to go into advertising. And in college I finally settled in finance because math and economics was easy for me. I didn’t pick up a camera until I was 27!
What fuels your creativity?
Nature has been my biggest source of creativity this past year. In Dallas, outdoor photography locations were pretty limited but in Wyoming there are hidden gems everywhere. It has become a weekly adventure to scout new locations with my kids.
What is your number one tool of the trade?
I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV with Sigma Art lenses. I have started playing around with film, but only for personal work.
3 most inspiring Instagram follows?
I love following designers, probably because I am a visual artist of sorts. Studio McGee is probably my favorite. Practically, Busy Toddler has been a LIFESAVER because we aren’t doing preschool this year and I love their curriculum and activities. Last, Defined Dish is my go-to source for clean cooking!
