Meet Nao Tharp | Digital Media Creator / Tour Operator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nao Tharp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nao, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I was working full time at a post production company by the time I actually started my own business. I had been a freelance videographer, photographer and editor for some time since when I was in collage. It eventually allowed me to find the niche and focus on establishing my catalog/library which now contains over 20,000 video clips. What really pushed me forward upon starting up was the birth of my first child Faith. I could have given up on my lifework in exchange of having a kid, just like any person would consider. But for me, there was a strong sense of duty to pursue what I was doing, even at a greater intensity. I was telling myself “I would be going away from my family from time to time for shoots anyway, so why not make the most out of each trips?” From that point on, I began to push extra hard on my productivity and began monetizing my content collection by partnering up with various Micro-stock agencies to start content production/licensing business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is characterized by advanced timelapse cinematography featuring immersive imagery of natural and urban scenery in dramatically changing lighting conditions, which human eyes cannot perceive otherwise shot on cameras. I try to capture and share the sense of being in the landscape by creating a cinematic camera movement using a proprietary motion control system. It provides a shot with a sense of perspective and first person’s view for a more immersive visual experience.
Unfortunately, this method of timelapse cinematography comes with its unique set of challenges. It adds to the payload and definitely presses on time constraints we face regularly when working on set or in the field. More parts come with more problems, followed by constant troubleshooting both on set and in post. But when everything goes as planned, the sense of reward you get from seeing the resulting footage is a very sweet one.
Oh yeah, I have learned the hard way, and it was the only way. It is a game of high risk and high return.
Many precious hours of driving out/back, scouting locations, shooting all night all day and editing all week have turned out to be some blurry sequence or choppy frames, or even waking up to finding your camera gear blown away by the wind into a canyon. Those painful lessons are now the main ingredients of my work ethics. I manage to bring myself into a meditative mindset, or “zone,” where I put myself in the landscape before I start shooting and I ask the landscape what it wants me to capture. In the process, I become very calm and extremely focused on executing my craft flawlessly.
Mother Earth is the greatest artist of all time, and everyone and everything on this planet reaps the generous benefit that she offers tirelessly. I would like to give back to the Earth by delivering my craft to the world and in doing so I believe I can help restore and reinforce humanity’s connection to the natural world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a tour guide I can come up with a fully customized itinerary that covers everything from urban hot spots to natural landmarks in Southern California.

Here are a few spots I would recommend hitting up.

– LA Beach Cities
Grab a bite at a local favorite at Busy Bee Sandwiches in San Pedro
Hit a cliffside trail with panoramic view of Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes
A stroll down the Pier Avenue in Pismo Beach
Window shopping in Manhattan Beach

– Road Trip to High Desert
Hike into unique sandstone chambers at Red Rock Canyon State Recreational Area
Explore towering formations at Trona Pinnacles
Camping amongst giant boulders under starry skies in Alabama Hills

– Soak ‘n’ Hike
Two geothermal natural mineral springs by the river in secluded canyon offer truly magnificent natural hot spring experience

– Go hit those National Parks!
Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Channel Islands, Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon are all few hours drive away and a must-do to fully experience California’s most dynamic geography.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to mention my father Mike Tharp, who recently passed away, as a fundamental inspiration to what I do. He was an enthusiastic journalist who reported from several warzones. His weapon of choice was a pen and a notebook, and mine is the guitars and cameras. Although expressed differently, I feel strong connection in the way we see through the world and try to make it a better place.

Website: https://linktr.ee/skyrockmedia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nnaaoo.tt/channel/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nao-tharp-a667b69b/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SkyRockMedia

Other: https://www.pond5.com/artist/naotharp