A lowrider lifts off the pavement during a cruise in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli is a documentary photographer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work focuses on people, place, and public culture across the American Southwest.

Through documentary projects, portraiture, and street photography, he photographs the people, places, and traditions that shape community life in Albuquerque and beyond.

Seventh and Central: Lowriders

an intimate portrait of Albuquerque lowrider culture

“Paolinelli’s photographs are current, raw, and deeply human, and they honor a subculture that’s unique to our particular place and time. His reverence for his subjects conveys a remarkable trust and openness.”

– Suzanne Sbarge, Founder and Former
Executive Director of 516 Arts

People gather around a classic lowrider at dusk in downtown Albuquerque while a woman sits with a dog in the foreground.
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Selected Works

A selection of documentary projects rooted in Albuquerque and the Southwest, including New Mexico lowrider culture, Route 66 and Central Avenue life in Albuquerque, District Portraits, and photographs from the U.S.–Mexico border.

Explore Projects
Black-and-white portrait of a tattooed man standing with folded arms on a street in Albuquerque.
Black-and-white street scene of people with umbrellas in the rain at night in Bangkok.
Black-and-white photograph of people gathered around a lowrider in Albuquerque with a woman and dog in the foreground.
Black-and-white photograph of a dancer in regalia crossing Central Avenue during a post-COVID gathering in downtown Albuquerque.

New Mexico Lowrider Culture

Lowrider culture is a living expression of creativity, identity, and community. Through paint, chrome, hydraulics, and cruising, it turns the street into a place of pride and connection.

Explore Project
A lowrider up on 3 wheels at the Kimo Theater on Central in downtown Albuquerque at night.
Family and community gathered along Central Avenue during an evening cruise.
A portrait beside a classic car, grounded in the style and presence of the lowrider scene.
A lowrider hoping skyward beneath an overpass as a crowd looked on in Albuquerque, New Mexico.