Nehemiah Wilson, CM ‘22, has an extensive background in technology and software engineering, but is better known by most of Tech’s community and people throughout the nation for his one of a kind talent in cinematography and photography.
In a recent interview with the Technique, Wilson shared his story and motives as it pertains to his creative filmmaking and photography background.
“Growing up, I didn’t realize I was a creative at all and thought that creative people were just a ‘different breed,’” Wilson said.
At the young age of two growing up in Delaware, Wilson was put in front of a computer and taught the building blocks of technology. All throughout his childhood, up until college, his primary focus consisted of activities such as programming and coding, which is what led Wilson to Tech in 2018.
During his childhood, Wilson never really took notice of some of the “small pockets of creativity” he was blessed with.
Wilson recalled when he was younger at around the age of 11, he would make small Minecraft videos and share them on YouTube simply out of his love for the game; he never realized that he had a passion for filmmaking during the time.
Around this time of his life, however, Wilson was given an iPod touch, and he began experimenting with the camera and taking pictures of things such as nature and family and friends while on vacation.
Shortly after its release in 2017, Wilson got the iPhone 10, which was his first introduction to shooting RAW pictures. Shooting in RAW introduced him to photography techniques such as changing exposure, color grading and white balance.
“I downloaded Adobe Lightroom and learned how to edit photos for the first time,” Wilson said.
This period of his life was when Wilson started to realize that his passion for cinematography was far deeper than him making Minecraft videos as an eleven year old.
Wilson began sharing his best photography work on the platform VSCO, before he even had an Instagram; his iPhone held him all throughout his first year at Tech, as he captured captivating images with a simple mobile device.
It was not until the summer of 2019 that Wilson bought his first standalone camera.
“I interned with Google that summer and had the funds to buy my first camera,” Wilson said.
He bought a Nikon DX 360, which is the brand he still uses today. After that moment “I started my professional journey of taking photos and filming,” Wilson said.
While interning in New York City that summer of 2019, Wilson was surrounded by creative inspirations all throughout the city. Wilson would go to meetups that entire summer, meeting other models and photographers with a similar creative mindset.
That summer set the framework for Wilson’s nationally known production company, Shot by Nehemiah. Although Wilson’s motive was not to make money through his creative work, while he was in New York, one of his childhood friends reached out to him asking if he could take some shots of her.
Wilson was not expecting to receive money or anything in return, but she voluntarily offered him $100 dollars for his work. This was his first time making money by simply taking photographs.
Eventually, as he began to notice an influx of people requesting his work, that was when he knew it was time to “put a business together and make an LLC.”
The Shot by Nehemiah brand has grown exponentially from summer of 2019. With an Instagram following of over 24,000 (@shotbynehemiah), and with big name clients in the music and entertainment industry, Shot by Nehemiah is still rapidly growing.
In one of Wilson’s most recent projects with critically acclaimed rapper Foggieraw, he directed and filmed a music video for the artist that received over six million views in the video’s first two weeks of release.
Wilson’s unique coziness and warm feeling that are evoked from his videos leave no surprise as to the consistent success of his videos.
“Classic, timeless and nostalgic” is how Wilson described his style. In many of his videos, one can notice the soft grain and warm color grade that makes his videos memorable.
A large part of what makes his style unique and so memorable is that it is authentic.
“If you can be confident and to be comfortable with who you are, people will start to see that and respect that,” Wilson said.
As far as what is next for Wilson, he spoke on his love for fashion and how he recently began sewing pieces of clothing.
After graduating from Tech, he took the summer to relax and discover new found hobbies, such as by buying a sewing machine.
Wilson’s love for creating fashion pieces is just a hobby for him right now, but he sees himself exploring the fashion industry soon and starting a brand.
When asked what lasting legacy he wants to leave on this world through his work,
Wilson said that he “want[s] people to remember that I was just a dope dude that did his best to serve others.”