Black and white photo of a woman with platinum blonde hair and tattoos sitting in the driver's seat of a lowrider, looking directly at the camera.

Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli

Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli is an Albuquerque documentary photographer whose work is rooted in New Mexico, lowrider culture, and everyday life 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.

New from UNM Press

Seventh and Central: Lowriders

a photographic tribute to Albuquerque’s vibrant 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.
Seventh and Central

Mexico City
Día de los Muertos

Mexico City during Día de los Muertos is filled with memory, color, and life. This series documents moments I witnessed in the streets and among the crowds, where tradition, ritual, and everyday life come together in powerful ways.

Explore Project
People gathered among candles and flowers during Día de los Muertos in Mexico City at night.
Portrait of a boy surrounded by marigolds during Día de los Muertos in Mexico City.
People gathered at a flower-covered gravesite during Día de los Muertos in Mexico City at night.
Young girl holding balloons among candles and smoke during Día de los Muertos in Mexico City.

A loose edit of photographs made over the years, from early work to recent pictures. There is no single theme or fixed order, just images I keep coming back to. Some stay for the subject, some for the light, and some simply because they feel right.

For One Reason or Another

Explore Photos
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
Black-and-white photograph of a lowrider lifting at Central Avenue and Fifth Street in front of the KiMo Theatre in downtown Albuquerque.
Black-and-white photograph of a family gathered on a sidewalk beside a classic lowrider in Albuquerque
Black-and-white photograph of a lowrider hopping beneath an overpass in Albuquerque with people gathered nearby.
Black-and-white portrait of a tattooed man crouching beside a classic lowrider in Albuquerque.