Today we’d like to introduce you to Philip Carnevale.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been fascinated by cameras and the outdoors, especially the old-fashioned way of doing things—getting outside, learning by doing, and creating something with your own hands. But it wasn’t until I met my amazing wife, Natalia, and had her support and encouragement that I really started to see how those passions could become a career.
Over the years, I’ve been incredibly blessed with opportunities that I never could have imagined when I was starting out, including having my photography published by National Geographic and Arizona Highways, and being able to help build things like Nature Kinship around our shared love of nature, learning, and family.
What’s really kept me going, though, isn’t necessarily the publications or the accomplishments. It’s the people. There’s something incredibly powerful about being able to capture a moment that someone will never get back—a wedding, a family, a child growing up—or watching a child face something they were afraid of and come out the other side with a new sense of confidence and capability.
Seeing a child overcome the limitations or expectations that society may have placed on them is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Whether I’m behind a camera or helping someone learn something new outdoors, I love creating those moments where people realize, “I can do this.”
I think that’s ultimately how I got to where I am today. I’ve just continued following the things I’m passionate about, surrounding myself with people who believe in me, and trying to use those passions to help other people see their own potential. And honestly, there’s not much more fulfilling than that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I could go into the limitations of my youth, but honestly, that would be contradictory to everything I believe in and everything we do with Nature Kinship. Were there hard times? Absolutely. Were there people who doubted me or questioned whether I could actually make a career out of the things I was passionate about? Absolutely.
But I’ve learned that it’s not really about what happened to you. It’s about what you choose to do with it.
There have been plenty of moments where things didn’t go the way I wanted, where I’ve had to start over, figure things out, or push through uncertainty. But the one thing I can always control is my mindset and how I react. I can’t control what someone else thinks of me, I can’t control every circumstance, and I certainly can’t control the obstacles that show up. What I can control is whether I let those things define me or whether I use them as a reason to keep moving forward.
That’s something I try to teach my own kids and the kids we work with through Nature Kinship: you don’t have to be defined by where you started, what someone expects of you, or even the things you struggle with. You can choose how you respond, learn from it, and keep moving.
For me, the struggles along the way haven’t been something I needed to erase from my story. They’ve become part of the reason I am where I am today.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My career is probably a little difficult to put into one category because I’ve never really wanted to fit into just one. At the heart of everything I do is storytelling, whether that’s through photography, working with families, teaching kids, or helping people connect with the outdoors.
As a photographer, I specialize in capturing people as they actually are. I’m drawn to the moments that happen naturally—the emotion, the little interactions, the things you can’t recreate or stage. I’ve had the privilege of photographing weddings, families, businesses, events, and some incredible people and places, and my work has been published by National Geographic and Arizona Highways.
Through Nature Kinship, that same philosophy carries over into a completely different kind of work. We create opportunities for kids and families to get outside, learn practical skills, challenge themselves, and discover that they’re capable of much more than they may have thought.
I think what sets me apart is that I’m not really interested in creating something that just looks good on the surface. I want it to mean something. Whether I’m holding a camera or teaching a child how to build a fire, my goal is to create an experience that sticks with someone.
What I’m most proud of isn’t a particular award, publication, or photograph. It’s those moments when someone sees themselves differently because of something I helped create—a family being able to hold onto a moment forever, or a child realizing, sometimes for the first time, “I can actually do this.”
That’s what makes the work meaningful to me.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My wonderful wife, Natalia, is everything to me. She has always been my biggest fan and my strongest support, but more importantly, she has never been afraid to call me on my bullshit. She pushes me when I’m playing it safe, challenges me when I doubt myself, and encourages me to take that leap into the unknown. A lot of what I’ve been able to accomplish simply wouldn’t have happened without her believing in me and, sometimes, believing in me more than I believed in myself.
I’ve also been incredibly fortunate to have some amazing teachers, mentors, family members, and friends throughout my life. Some of those people have since passed, but the things they taught me are still very much a part of who I am.
They helped me understand that the way I think, the way I see the world, and even the things that might have made me different from other people could actually become strengths. They taught me to look at problems differently, to be curious, and to find my own way of doing things rather than always trying to fit into someone else’s mold.
I carry those lessons with me every day. In a lot of ways, the people who believed in me—and even the ones who challenged me—are still part of everything I do today. I’m incredibly grateful for that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.naturekinship.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipcarnevalephotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BHPdJwVER/
- Other: https://www.philipcarnevalephotography.com
