About
I’m a documentary photographer of Japanese and Italian heritage based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My work centers on people, place, and cultural traditions across the American Southwest, with an emphasis on community, history, and everyday life.
I’m drawn to long-form visual storytelling and to photographs built through time, trust, and attention. Much of my work is rooted in New Mexico, where I continue to photograph the region through the lives of the people who shape it.
My book, Seventh and Central: Lowriders (University of New Mexico Press, 2026), reflects that commitment through a community-centered portrait of Albuquerque’s lowrider culture, shaped by family, friendship, craftsmanship, and pride.
Selected Exhibitions & Features
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City of Albuquerque — Centennial Roots — 2026
Secret Gallery — Nuestra — 2026
Expo New Mexico — Solo Exhibition — 2025
Naonian Tattoo & Motos Expo — Solo Exhibition, Pordenone, Italy — 2024
516 Arts — Solo Exhibition — Albuquerque, New Mexico — 2022
Black Box Gallery — Portland, Oregon — 2022
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NEW MEXICO MAGAZINE — Take a Little Trip Through Lowrider Culture — 2026
THE PHOTOBOOK JOURNAL — The images are intense, a brilliant mixture of color and black and white bringing each page alive while blending perfectly into a single, heartfelt story — 2026
PASATIEMPO — Photographer Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli Finds Focus Among Albuquerque's Lowrider Culture — 2026
THE PAPER — Photographer Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli Captures the Humans Behind the Hydraulics in Seventh & Central: Lowriders — 2026
KUNM — New book showcases Albuquerque’s vibrant lowrider culture— 2026
NEW MEXICO MAGAZINE — The New Mexico State Fair brings people together year after year. Photographer Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli has been there to capture it all. — 2025
PBS ¡COLORES! — Documentary photographer Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli captures Albuquerque’s culture — 2023
i-D / VICE — Photographing the vibrant subcultures of downtown Albuquerque — 2022
LEICA FOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL — Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli is not only an observer, but is also at the heart of the action. His pictures reveal dynamic snapshots of life — 2022ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL — Street photographer brings Downtown Albuquerque into focus— 2022
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