Meet Dalton Lewis of Nerd With a Camera Productions in West Metro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dalton Lewis.

Dalton, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Hi! I’m a photographer and videographer from Atlanta, GA. I specialize in music photography and event videography. I always was super creative as a kid. I would always get in trouble for making stuff out of couch cushions and whatever else I could find around the house. I grew up around technology because my dad is an IT consultant. Messing around in Microsoft words and creating stuff was one of my favorite things to do, starting as early as age five. As I got older, I started using the family camera a ton. Doing anything from making goofy videos by myself to lego stop motion videos. I was an only child until I was 14 when we adopted my sister from China, so I was good at coming up with things to keep myself entertained. My mind has always worked a little bit differently than everyone else’s. Most of the time, that’s a good thing. It made me a very creative and outside of the box thinker and gave me many different and interesting solutions to various problems and situations over the years.

Music and Christian Hip Hop has always been a huge part of my life. I remember growing up as early as age three or four listening to DC Talk and TobyMac. That’s the kind of music my parents raised me on, and I owe a lot to them for that. Without their support and influence, I’d be nowhere close to where I am today. Once I got into my late elementary and early middle school years, I began to get into the modern-day era of CHH (Christian Hip-Hop). We changed churches towards the end of my 5th-grade year, and I was introduced to Lecrae and Andy Mineo at my church youth group. I liked what I heard, and began to get more into that area of music.

Around this same time, I began to get more into the creative space. I was fascinated with the things I watched on YouTube and wanted to start a channel of my own. I had begun to experiment with Windows Movie Maker and some other tools when my mom told me about a local film festival that was taking place in my county. Naturally, my reaction was, “Cool!” and then I thought nothing else of it. A day or two later, my mom brought it back up again and thought I should really go for it. So, I called up some friends, and we gave it a try. I sketched out a general idea of what I wanted to happen in the film on a sheet of paper, and the guys showed up the next morning, ready to go. We filmed all day, with no idea what we were doing. I began to edit the film in Windows Movie Maker over the next couple of weeks, and then I turned it in. Not long after the deadline, I got an email informing me that my film had placed at the festival. A few weeks later, we got our bowties and suits on and went to the awards show. It was a small-town film festival, but to us, it was the best thing that had ever happened. The film won “Best in Show” and “Best VFX” in the 9-13 age group, and we won $100, which we split between all of us.

I soon came to the realization that the film industry was more accessible than it had ever been, and I knew I wanted to get into it. A couple of months of making goofy videos on YouTube passed, and my youth pastor at my church asked me, along with another student, Charlie Morris, to shoot a recap video for one of our church trips. Charlie and I worked together on the project and made, looking back on it now, a pretty mediocre video. Everyone at church loved it, resulting in us being asked to do similar projects throughout the next year. Charlie and still good friends to this day, and frequently work on projects together.

In 2015, around the time of the film festival and the church retreat video, I decided I wanted to give this a shot from a business standpoint. I came up with the name “Nerd With a Camera Productions” and made a YouTube channel and started offering services to people that I knew in exchange for experience and a little bit of cash. I continued working on church videos in my spare time, giving me lots of experience, and a good bit of exposure.

After several years of doing this and other projects for local businesses and clients, people started telling me I should pursue photography as well. Previously, I didn’t have much of an interest in photography, as videography was my main passion. Around the summer of 2017, I created an Instagram account. Getting sick of the basic iPhone photos from my friends on the platform, I decided to start posting for myself. I started shooting photos on my DSLR and posting them on my Instagram from my phone. Getting some experience with nature photography and such, and I started having fun with it.

In December of 2017, I attended a youth conference in South Georgia with my church where Lecrae was preforming. I loved this because it was an event I could bring my camera to. Most other CHH concerts I had been to wouldn’t allow cameras into the venues. Combining my love of music and photography, I roamed around the arena during Lecrae’s set shooting pictures of the concert. I stayed up all night in my hotel room editing them so that I could post them on my Instagram page the next day.

Over the next few months, I began to follow various tour photographers such as: Joe Gonzales, Mike Folabi, and many more. I had a huge interest in getting into music and concert photography, but I had no idea where to start. I started reaching out to various photographers that I followed, asking the simple question, “Where do I start?” Most had simple answers like, “Contact the artist’s management,” and things of that nature. Having tried this before and getting no response, I was pretty discouraged and forget about it for a week or two. Around this time, Marcellus Walls reached back out to me after a message I had sent him. He wrote me a long and detailed response offering tips and tricks that he had learned in his time shooting in the music industry. We talked on and off for a few days until I managed to get a photo pass to an upcoming show.

While at a concert for fun with a friend, I checked Instagram and saw Marcellus’ story. He had posted a photo, also at the same concert. I messaged him and we linked after the show and talked for a few minutes. A few weeks later we shot said concert together, checking my first official concert as a photographer off the list. From there on out, I started shooting various shows when they came to town, while still doing video work for clients and my church.

In my few years in this industry, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to shoot for some amazing names such as: WinterJam, Andy Mineo, Lecrae, Danny Gokey, Tauren Wells, and so many more. I hope to go on to be a tour photographer/videographer for artists in this industry, and eventually become a music video director. I’ve already checked so many things off my bucket list and accomplished so many of my personal goals. I’m thankful to God for the opportunities he has given me, and I will continue to use my gifts to glorify him. My dream is to be able to share the gospel with people inside and outside of this industry through my business, and through the doors that God has, and will continue to open for me.

Has it been a smooth road?
I’d say the biggest challenge for me personally has been also been one of the things that has helped me grow the most. I am always super critical of the things that I create, often having to tweak a project until I am pleased with it before I out it out to anyone. Sometimes that causes delays along the way, but in the end, creates a better end product, and helps me grow in my skills.

It’s no secret that camera equipment is expensive, so being content and working with what I had and could afford was also another struggle I dealt with.

I am very young compared to the people around me in this industry, so people often question me or challenge me because of that. I like to use my age as an inspiration to people younger, or older than me that want to get into this industry.

We’d love to hear more about your company.
As previously stated, Nerd With a Camera Productions was founded in 2015. We do all sorts of video and photo work including, wedding films, promotional videos, music videos, event highlight videos, concert photos, senior photos, family portraits, real estate photos and videos, event photos, and much more!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I love Atlanta and the metro Atlanta area. I say this to people all the time, but if I didn’t already live here, I would move here. I honestly don’t think I could have been in a better city to start my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://nerdwcp.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daltonthenerd/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/nerdwcp/

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