Nathan Alston Photographs

I'm Nathan, a Chicago-based wedding, portrait, and commercial photographer. With a background in both photography and corporate consulting, I treat every project like a collaboration. Film is at the heart of what I do. About 2/3 of my work is shot on film, and even my digital work is edited to carry that same warmth, grain, and richness that only analog photography delivers. In a world of instant, disposable images, I believe film slows everything down and brings something irreplaceable to the frame. In addition, Black and Queer communities have a long history of film photography that it is important for me to honor. One of my favorite things is introducing film to people who have never experienced it before. There's something really special about watching someone see themselves captured that way for the first time. It changes how they feel about the session, and it changes how they feel about the photos. Those are the moments I live for. My style blends documentary and editorial photography, candid and real when the moment calls for it, intentional and composed when something big deserves to be honored. I come from a background in music, theatre, and writing, and that creative life informs everything I shoot. When you book with me, you're not just getting a photographer. You're getting someone who treats your session as a work of art — warm, honest, and genuinely unlike anything you've experienced before. Let's make something worth hanging on your wall.