Looking at Natasha Wilson’s art is like peering into a dream — which makes sense, since being a photographer was a dream of hers since first picking up a camera back in middle school. "I would dress up my friends in different outfits, put wigs on them and take their pictures,” she says. “Not a far stretch from what I continue to do today.”

Name:

Natasha Wilson

Location:

Los Angeles, CA

Medium:

Photography

What is your day-to-day like?

On my days at home, a lot of it is spent in front of my computer screen editing, taking short breaks to play with my dog and snack. Editing is my favorite part of photography, so it never feels tedious.

How did you get started making art?

I started taking photos of my friends when I was in middle school with my mom’s Canon point and shoot digital camera. I would dress them up in different outfits and put wigs on them. Not a far stretch from what I continue to do today! Haha. It took me a while to convince myself that I could have a career in photography if I worked hard enough. My first 6 or so years after high school was spent doing all sorts of random jobs, including a macadamia nut farmer in Hawaii and a sign spinner for the Halloween store in Nebraska. 

What tools do you use?

My medium is photography and I use Photoshop and Lightroom as my digital tools to manipulate colors. I also use my Wacom drawing tablet for more precise editing and movement.

Where do you find your inspiration? 

Mostly through locations. I find a bright corner on a street, a painted wall that matches the car parked in front of it, etc. I also spend time searching through Google’s satellite maps. 

Who are your artistic influences?

Right now, I love the way that Michal Pudelka uses space with his subjects, and I love Oleg Oprisco’s storytelling through imagery.

What do you love the most about being an artist?

Being my own boss. And the feeling of doing what I love every day, and not having it feel like work.

Being my own boss. And the feeling of doing what I love every day, and not having it feel like work.

Do you have a signature color or palette?

I am not sure if I have a signature color palette but I do believe that the way that I edit is cohesive throughout my portfolio. I definitely spend a lot of time in pre-production planning the colors, and just as much time after in photoshop perfecting them.

Tell us about this body of work launching on ArtStar.

For the series "Wild Things", this was actually a shoot created for the band, Ecstatic Union’s album release. I knew the location we were shooting at and I wanted the subjects to blend into the pastel dream world at Salvation Mountain. I styled the shoot with pieces that we bought at Goodwill, and a vintage store. The masks were from a gas station on tour. It was fun to witness everything come together so naturally.

What is your favorite piece(s) in the series you are launching on ArtStar? 

For the series titled Crossover Dreams, the execution was a little bit more challenging. I had saved the Salt Lake in my locations folder for some time. I wanted to plan the perfect shoot for the pink waters that I saw from my research. I asked my friend Suz if she would be interested in flying to Utah for one night, just for this specific concept. 

We met early the next morning in SLC, drove out to the lake, and ended up having to wait 4 hours in the heat for the sun to go down, because I realized that the pink waters weren’t picking up in my camera, and the lighting was too harsh for portraits. I had about 10 minutes of shooting time where I witnessed one of the most surreal landscapes of my life. 

When the sun left behind the water, the blue-lavender sky reflected like a mirror onto the still lake. These images are in the top 5 that I have ever taken.