Contributor Spotlight: Tiny Atlas Quarterly

Adobe Stock recently traveled to Tahiti in partnership with Tiny Atlas Quarterly and a group of incredibly talented photographers. During the trip, Emily traveled to remote corners of French Polynesia to capture images for Adobe Stock’s Premium collection (which will be available later this month). We spoke with Emily Nathan, photographer and founder of Tiny Atlas, about the mission of the magazine and the importance of travel in her work.

Adobe Stock: Can you tell us a little bit about what Tiny Atlas is?

Emily Nathan: Tiny Atlas Quarterly is a photography-led lifestyle and travel magazine, brand, and social community. We bring personal travel to life through our magazine, events and through immersive adventures.

AS: How did Tiny Atlas start?

EN: I started Tiny Atlas because to combine the things I was missing from the editorial and commercial photography projects I was involved in. With editorial travel photography, I felt all the pictures looked similar, and photo editors wouldn’t always choose the images that I would pick for my portfolio. Tiny Atlas became a showcase for that.

In advertising, I learned to do incredible productions and got the chance to explore destinations around the world, but never had creative independence because the job was always for a client.

Tiny Atlas was the idea of putting together an incredible trip, producing the creative on my own, and also sharing all of the work that went into planning, and the talented people that were involved in making the shoot happen. There weren’t any magazines out there that combined those elements, so I created a space for it.

AS: Why is travel important to you as a photographer?

EN: Travel is one of the best ways to create empathy in the world. The more you travel, the more you understand other people’s perspectives. For me, I have my peak experience when I’m traveling – that’s when I am most connected to my photography, my thoughts, and my process. It’s also interesting, beautiful, and delicious.

AS: Why did you decided to partner with Adobe Stock?

EN: Deb Hearey, our Director of Photography, and I, attended Adobe MAX last year. We were impressed with all of the presentations and demos that involved Adobe Stock and its integrations into applications. We could tell that it’s a serious initiative and we’re excited to be a part of that. At Tiny Atlas, we work with a lot of great talent, so being a part of the Premium collection gives us another avenue to showcase their stories.

AS: Can you reflect on your time in Tahiti with your fellow photographers?

EN: As a photographer, you are usually alone, or in charge of group, if you’re doing advertising. In Tahiti, we were not only astounded by the beauty and warmth of the country, but it was also really fun to shoot and see so many photographers work together as a group. It felt like a microcosm of the magazine to have all these perspectives come together for one mission.

See more of Tiny Atlas on Adobe Stock.