Natalie excels at documentary stories about real people and real life for magazines, corporations, and non-profits. She knows that those moments of life are the ones that too often go unrecorded. Each moment reflects a life. Each photo tells a story.

Natalie's clients range from the National Geographic Magazine to the Port of Seattle to the Gates Foundation; private and public collectors of photographic prints and kiln formed glass; corporations that need insightful executive business portraits to individuals who want unique portraits. Natalie Fobes was one of five photographers chosen to photograph His Holiness Dalai Lama up close and personal during his visit to Seattle.

Natalie was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her articles and photographs about Pacific Salmon. She continued this groundbreaking work for National Geographic and her first book, Reaching Home: Pacific Salmon, Pacific People. Natalie designed and managed a 43 print museum exhibit that opened at the Burke Museum and traveled to over two dozen other venues. She has won over 200 awards and has had three other books published of her work.

Natalie's documentary coverage of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill is considered one of the most comprehensive collections of that disaster. Her photographs were included in documentation presented before the US Supreme Court.

In recent years Natalie has added movement and depth to her still photos by working in kiln formed glass, fabric and multimedia. “Salmon in the Trees” was a commissioned public art project at Carkeek Park. She created and hung over 300 cloth flags with salmon photos in the trees over a salmon stream to represent the importance of salmon to our forests. For another commissioned public art exhibit, “Spring/Fall Convergence” Natalie created seven mobiles using hundreds of photos and hung them in the trees of Camp Long.

Natalie Fobes loves photographing people. She believes a portrait should tell a story about the person. Natalie was lead photographer on Microsoft's book "Inside Out." She often had less than 5 minutes to find out what the person did and create an environmental portrait that included reference to that. For the Gates Foundation she's created interesting group shots of VIP's in minutes. Each time Natalie photographs she considers it a chance to learn about different people, different cultures and the natural environment. She hopes her photographs will educate, illuminate and entertain. Natalie wants to make a difference.

Natalie's diverse skills show in her commercial work. As both a DBE and WBE she has done pre-construction and construction documentation for contractors in the Northwest. Her book on the construction of Safeco Field was published by the Mariners.

Natalie also photographs corporate reports, business portraits, operations and events. Past and current clients include the Port of Seattle, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Marler Clark, Hensel Phelps Construction, Washington State Convention Center and others.

Natalie Fobes is an artist. The joy of creating leads her to explore different media from photography to fused and kiln-cast glass to drawing to painting to three-dimensional, kinetic pieces. Natalie's latest work incorporates photographs screen-printed and fused on glass and then layered to create depth. She was selected as a featured artist for the Arts in Nature Festival where her seven deconstructed photography mobiles “Spring/Fall Convergence” were hung from trees. Her print, High Iron, was chosen for King County’s Art Collection. Natalie was selected to be part of Seattle Arts and Culture’s Artist Roster 2017-2020.

Natalie’s fine art prints are in many public, private and corporate collections. Her work has been exhibited at over 30 museums and galleries. She has received commissions to create new work including grants from the Seattle Art Commission, the Alicia Patterson Fellowship and the Skagit Watershed Council. Her traveling museum exhibit based on her first book “Reaching Home, Pacific Salmon, Pacific People,” has been seen by over a million people. The 43 piece exhibit was recently purchased for permanent display in its King Salmon, Alaska, Visitor’s Center by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

Prints are available of any of the photographs you see on this site.

Please enjoy Natalie’s recent Botswana photographs. All are available as prints. Contact her for more information.

Natalie Fobes compares photographing wildlife to shooting a football game. A photographer must learn the rules of the game, anticipate the action, capture those decisive moments and yield the right of way if a football player—or brown bear—runs his/her way.

She has photographed wildlife for many magazines. Bear, eagles, salmon, fox, whales, auklets, geese, walrus, seals and sea lions for National Geographic Magazine. The Resplendant Quetzal for GEO. Komodo dragons, timor deer and boar for Travel Holiday.

Natalie enjoys photographing animals in their world and not in animal farms. She has certainly had some close calls, like being brushed by a 1300 pound brown bear or surrounded by 12-foot-long komodo dragons, but feels it is worth it in order to photograph animals’ true behavior. Her hope is that when people see her photographs they will understand why it is so important to save the wild places the wild animals call home.

LIMITED EDITION PRINTS: Natalie’s photographs are in many public, corporate and private collections. One of her “Construction” series prints was just selected by 4Culture for inclusion in King County’s art collection. “High Iron” depicts ironworkers on beams during the construction of Safeco Field. Many others on the website are also available as limited edition prints. Contact Natalie for more information.

Natalie has authored many photography, Lightroom and Photoshop Courses for LinkedIn Learning, formerly lynda.com.

Retouching and Color Correcting Photography Portraits

Lightroom Quicktips

Lightroom Quicktips Portraits

The Elements of Effective Photographs

Exploring Photography: Family and Group Photos

Lighting for Photographers

CRUISE ALASKA GLACIERS: If interested in a remarkable and memorable Alaska wildlife cruise and workshop contact Natalie. She works with UnCruise Adventure, a small ship, environmentally sound cruising company. May is the ideal time to see the snow-capped peaks of Glacier Bay, sea and shore birds, marine mammals and whales, bears and wildflowers.

Contact Natalie to learn more.

PRIVATE INSTRUCTION: Natalie works with many professional and amateur photographers to improve their work. Contact her about private lessons.

SMALL GROUP WORKSHOPS: Natalie Fobes offers small group workshops. Two of her most popular: Digital Done Right covers the functions of digital cameras, composition, color, lighting and portraits. Lighting for Photography goes deeper into lighting and exposure.

WHALE AND WILDLIFE CRUISE RECAP: This year’s Whale and Wildlife Photography Tour to Alaska was a rousing good time. Whales, eagles, seals, forests, conversations with Native Alaskans, cultural explorations…. Please let Natalie know if you’d like to get information about next year’s tour.

After twenty years of sharing the joy, excitement and sometimes drama of hundreds of marriage celebrations, Natalie is no longer photographing weddings. A huge hug to all who trusted her to document one of the most important days in their lives!

And for current wedding photographers, Natalie has a couple wedding-related dozen domain names for sale. Send her a message to learn more.