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Phil Nguyen

Commercial photographer based in the United States

"Boundless"

Having traveled to countless countries, Phil has managed to create one of the most inspiring galleries in social media. His drive to immortalize the most beautiful sites of our world has allowed him to push boundaries and reach special goals.

The charismatic style that Phil has been showcasing along the last years has attracted an enthusiastic community along. A community that celebrates the unique representations of his adventures, beautifully captured with his camera.

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Along his travels, Phil has collected really special moments, but he has been able to grow as an individual as well. Traveling has taught Phil to be grateful, for him being able to travel and experience different cultures is a huge privilege. After all, having deep and reach experiences is really important to Phil, because these are the little rewards that he enjoys the most!

Today, with great pleasure, we welcome Phil. We asked him 12 questions in order to learn a little bit better who he is as an artist. We have found out that behind the gorgeous photos there is a great personality!

Welcome Phil! Your first picture on Instagram was published less than 3 years ago, the 29th of July 2015. Back then you were posting already travel pictures but your progression as a landscape photographer has been remarkable! Can you summarize for us your journey so far?

Hey Alex, I appreciate you having me for the interview! It’s actually been a very unconventional journey for me. And I can tell you that there is no perfect story of how I picked up the camera when I was young or how the mountains just called to me.

In fact, I grew up in urban Texas, nowhere near the mountains. I am a first-generation descendant of immigrants who came to the United States as victims of war and if it wasn’t for their courage and hardship, I wouldn’t be here today. Because of this, I grew up in a very traditional household.

Most of my life’s journey has been finding success in education and forging a traditional career path. After finishing my studies and obtaining a career with a respected company, I quickly realized that this path wasn’t for me. Knowing that I needed a change, I worked hard to pay off all my student loans, saved up as much as I could, and shifted my mindset from everything that I was previously taught about success to my own definition of success. After quitting my job in 2016, I set off to backpack Europe for the first time and this was where I discovered my passion for photography and creating. It’s been quite a ride since then!

From all the amazing countries you have been to, what country impressed you the most?

It’s so hard to pick just one place. Each location offers something unique and is an experience that I will carry with me all my life. But if I had to pick one, that encompasses everything from beautiful scenery to incredible culture, and amazing food, it would have to be Japan. The way of life and the traditions that govern the culture are just something special. There no place quite like it and I’m hoping to return soon!

 

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One of the first countries you captured and shared on Instagram is Scotland. You shared some beautiful pictures from Skye 🙂 When did you realize that becoming a landscape photographer was attainable?

Thank you! A lot of my earlier travels, including Scotland was just out of curiosity and a passion to see new things. I started out with just a phone and a GoPro, and eventually upgraded to a Sony A6000, documenting my travels that way. As I started to take more and more photos and improving my work, I saw more people identifying themselves with the work that I was putting out. I felt like I was onto something, and for the first time in my life, I could do creative work that I enjoyed and have a positive impact on people’s lives. From there, I just kept going. I started investing more of my time into honing my craft, engaging with my audience, and getting out there and meeting other professionals who inspired me.

"You start to realize that anything is attainable if you just work for it. I know it’s cliché but there really is no substitute for setting a goal and putting in the work."

You have been working on your photography and developing your own style for a while now. What are the three most important tricks that allowed you to reach your current level?

I’m still learning every day and I think that’s one very important message I’d like to get out. That there is no “making it”. There isn’t a point where you are completely satisfied with where you are. It’s just human nature. The important thing is to turn that into something positive and keep on improving your craft and learning new skills.

3 things I’d say to focus on is:

1) The tone curve. Master the tone curve and you can make the image look any way you want.

2) As I mentioned above, invest in yourself and never stop learning new things. Watch YouTube videos (the productive kind). Take courses or workshops. Read books.

3) Shoot different genres of photography that you also enjoy: portraits, street, lifestyle, etc. Each genre requires a different way of looking at things and has its own set of rules and nuances that you can learn from.

Phil Nguyen
Nomadict Community
Meet the artist: @philngyn

Photography can be an excellent tool to capture unique moments and experiences. That is what makes this art so beautiful. You shared so many nice experiences in Instagram! What is your approach when it comes to find and create those little magical moments?

I try to keep in mind that 90% of the time, things will not be as I imagined. Murphy’s Law governs all and you never know when a trail is closed, a storm is brewing in the mountains, or a model decides to cancel on you. I just work with whatever is presented to me at the moment. That is the beauty of photography, in my opinion. That photo and the experience it represents will be unique to me only.

You have been traveling for years now! How do you sustain a life full of travels? Is there any trick or tip you can share with us?

Keeping your overhead low is key. We are very privileged in the Western world, and with that, we tend to own a lot of stuff. Often times, our stuff ends up owning us. I don’t have much gear, or material possessions in general. Once I realized that traveling was going to be a big part of my life, I made an intentional effort to cut down on the things that were rooting me to a specific location and started saving money from my previous job. You start to realize that you don’t need much to be happy. Instead, I focused on filling my life with new experiences. Once you make that mental shift, you start to think of ways to make money that would sustain the lifestyle you want to live. For me, diversity is key. I like to have income coming from different sources, whether it be promotional work, content creation, prints, affiliate marketing, etc.

What is your approach when it comes to planning your trip and finding your ideal locations?

I use Instagram and Google to find locations. As I find new spots, I save it all on Google Maps for that specific trip to reference later. A lot of my travels are very spontaneous. I always have a general idea of where I want to go and a goal I’m working towards but how I get there, I like to leave room for modification and also meeting people along the way. Having the map to reference helps me make adjustments as I go.

There are many landscape photographers sharing real value in terms of visual content as well as written content in Instagram. Yet, they are not able to grow as “influencers”. What are the three strategies that in your opinion allowed you to grow in Instagram? 

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I get asked this question a lot and in my opinion, it’s not the right mindset to have for an artist. Instagram is erratic and you can’t control who sees your work and how they will feel about it. You end up putting your emotional well-being in the hands of others and inevitably start comparing yourself to other photographers. Working in this manner will only leave you in despair. Art is not a competitive sport but a personal journey. The question photographers should be asking themselves is how do I get better as an artist and how do I keep refining my style. And through that, you will eventually find your niche and audience who will follow your work.

"Like money, influence comes only when you’ve made something of yourself but it is empty if all you are striving for is influence itself."

However, once you do find your audience, “strategies” you can implement are: engaging with your audience in DMs or comments, participating in community events, such as meetups, and networking with other photographers. Instagram’s biggest asset is the community, and once you start seeing your followers as a community and not a number, they will return the favor.

Social media can be a double-edged weapon. Parents for instance are concerned about the amount of time that their kids spend on Youtube, Snapchat, or Facebook, you name it. On the other hand, there are many good things happening on social media and there are also many opportunities, specially for landscape photographers. In this sense, I would like to know what role does social media played in your ambitions to become a pro landscape photographer and to what extent do you find these platforms to be useful?

Social media is simply just a tool to show your work and engage with your community. That’s all it is. We shouldn’t sacrifice our artistic views or mold our purpose to a platform because these platforms will be constantly changing. However, social media has definitely made photography and videography a lot more popular and has created tons of opportunities for the modern creator.

"It’s given photographers a chance to market their work without the middle man and reach out directly to their audience."

Traditional distributions channels have been disrupted by the Internet and never has there been a better time in history to take the leap and make a name for yourself. Take advantage of it!

As a photographer, I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. All your pictures represent unique moments of your life. However, among your works, do you have any picture that you really like?

 Such a tough choice but I’d have to say my series of the Northern Lights in Iceland is my all-time favorite because of the experience attached to them. Seeing these green streaks light up the night sky for the first time literally gave me goosebumps and is something I’ll never forget. 

What is the most beautiful thing that “traveling” has allowed you to do?

It has taught me to be grateful for what I have. It’s such a huge privilege to be able to travel and experience different cultures. I think that with each country I visit, I am humbled more and more. It has taught me that life is pretty simple and all you really need is family, a supportive community, and a purpose (big or small).

Phil Nguyen
Nomadict Community
Phil Nguyen

Is there any artist/photographer who has inspired your art? Can you name three?

Ah there’s sooo many good photographers out there who inspire me in different ways. Artistically, a lot of them are on another level. But the thing that inspires me the most is how an artist curates his/her brand. This encompasses everything from the way they run their business, to the way they present themselves, to the consistency in their photos. When you see it, you just know it’s their creation. If I had to choose just three, I’d pick Benjamin Hardman, Joey L, and Shortstache.

Any new projects coming up or countries you will be visiting soon?

I will be leading a workshop in Peru this summer with my good friend Jordan Hammond that I’m really stoked about.

"Peru is one of my favorite countries and has some of the most amazing landscapes out there! Can’t wait to explore this area again and meet new people."

Can you fix the world in one sentence?

It won’t fix the world but it would definitely make the world a better place: Live more minimally. So much harm has been caused by excess, especially in the Western world: too much food – obesity, too much carbon – climate change, too much plastic – polluted oceans, too much social media – depression, etc.

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