Cootchill Nelson Takes Us On A Journey: Image Expert at Google

Your dedication to the craft and your taste for a certain type of photography becomes your style. That style is what makes you unique.

1.) What made you choose to pursue a career in the photo industry?

My love for music production is one of the foundational elements that inspired my passion for photography. Another was my love of movies, and although I didn’t know it at the time, these passions both became building blocks for my life. Whether I was admiring album cover art, modeling campaigns, or amazing depth-of-field shots in cinema, I always focused on the intention behind the iconic visuals, which introduced me to the world of art. I would find myself wondering why certain movie scenes or songs stuck with me, and it occurred to me that this might be the right journey for me. Eventually, I tried my hand at creating my own stories with people, which led me to portrait photography.

I typically focus on personal portrait sessions, often working with creatives who want to showcase their work or likeness. I also focus on “behind the scenes” photos in production settings, wedding photography, and the occasional product photography. While these areas were my own choice, it almost felt as if I was following a specific pathway that gave birth to more pathways. Years later, as I reflect back, I realize that I’ve been through it all, including success and failure. I’ve manifested great opportunities, from getting to photograph one of my favorite music artists, Ryan Leslie, to bringing in over six figures doing wedding shoots. I’ve also faced obstacles like my equipment getting stolen or malfunctioning. I’ve also been so frustrated that I’ve quit my passion, but I’ve always found my way back. I’ve struggled through dry seasons and floated my way through abundant seasons. I’ve met so many people through this journey, and in just the last year, I leveraged these connections in order to secure an Image Quality Expert position at Google in the Creative Camera “Computational Photography” space.

I chose this position because it’s a fresh and exciting twist on what I’ve always done. First, the consistent pay means no more grinding for a living or discounting myself because I’ve proven what I need to prove and Google values me enough to pay me what I’m worth. Second, I get to enhance their vision for mobile photography by working with software engineers to tune various aspects of virtual image quality and assist with testing new and exclusive features that will be rolled out in the near future. I’m also involved in the ideation of features from the conception phase because they value my opinion and recognize that it is based on my professional experience. This position provides me the opportunity to grow, but more importantly, to learn. Did I mention the consistent and amazing pay?

2.) Break it down for us. What does a day in your position look like?

A day in my position is pretty straightforward. It usually starts with catching up on anything I missed through emails and conversations, etc. Depending on what day it is and which feature I’m working on, I may also have meetings, but most of my days are spent out shooting, using between two to three devices at any given time. The images I capture range from people to random objects and are dependent on the environment. For example, if there is an issue with low light, my focus would then be on scenarios capturing specific things that will give engineers an idea of how their current iteration of the feature is handling that scenario.

I define impact as: Your existence makes someone else’s life better.

3.) How do you define success in your field?

I would define success in the field of photography as making a visual impact. Your dedication to the craft and your taste for a certain type of photography defines your style, and that uniqueness is your offering to the world. Whether or not you win a Pulitzer, you are adding flavor to the mix of life and are making an impact, even if it’s on a small scale. I define impact as the fact that your existence makes someone else’s life better.

4.) What’s your endgame?

Honestly, my endgame will occur once I run out of ideas in my head. The biggest thing I can dream of right now is creating movies with original music to tell stories that will advance communities that reflect where I’m from. It is my hope that by living out my dream and being creative, which is what I was created to be, I can give children and youth the option to dream. If you look at life as a series of steps, no matter how massive your goal is, it still starts at step one. Ironically, every time I complete that first step, I find myself at another “step one”, with unique challenges that require me to learn and experience more, while remaining humble. It is critical to remember that you never know more than God.

5.) What’s one resource that you wish you had right now?

Capital, for sure. Money affords you options on how to spend your time, and time is valuable when you need to produce a strategy for a grandiose vision. In 2022, we live in a world with unlimited access to information as long as you have an internet connection. And with discipline and consistency, I believe you can learn anything, but no matter how much you learn, you still need money to operate and scale your ideas in real life.

My disposition led to this position. #bars

6.) What was your “aha” moment where you realized that you could actually work in the photo industry?

I think my “aha” moment came in high school when Instagram was released, at the same time that Apple was unveiling their revolutionary iPhone 4S. In those days, Instagram was mostly used to share cool photos, so I would mess around by adding their filters to the groundbreaking images that the iPhone was producing thanks to an updated camera system that allowed for photos to be sharper and have blurry backgrounds. That led me to ask for a DSLR camera for high school graduation, and when I received my Nikon D3100, my photography journey began.

7.) What was something that you wish you would’ve known sooner?

There are quite a few things I wish I had known sooner. The first is that I wish I had known about the opportunity costs that come along with not honing your skills, following your dreams, and staying consistent. I often took my talents and affinity for the creative things in life for granted, and assumed the rest would fall into place. It took time to learn that talent alone isn’t enough - you also need to put in hard work and adopt a mindset of preparation in order to create and maximize opportunities. I also wish I understood sooner how valuable we are to God. He trusts us with a plan that is designed for us to prosper and accomplish and experience amazing things in order to lay the groundwork for future generations. But even if I had learned these lessons sooner, they would have been meaningless if I didn’t also understand how to manage resources like money properly. And the greatest resource you have is yourself, so it is critical to always put your physical, mental and spiritual health first.

Google’s Pixel guru on what’s next for Magic Eraser and the Pixel 6a: The photographer turned Pixel product manager on how Magic Eraser helps you take better photos.
(via stuff.tv)
Photos: Google

Bonus Question (We All Want to Know): What skills were required of you to receive this type of role?

Honestly, I know it sounds cliché, but being myself is one of the skills necessary for my role.

This is just my own viewpoint, but throughout my life, I’ve always tried not to stray off the path of what was expected of me. I found myself trying to be what others wanted me to be in my career, despite my own needs, and was only myself with the people closest to me. The code-switching was exhausting and created a double consciousness, but it also led me to learn a lot about myself.

The wisdom I continue to gain as I follow my life’s journey has helped me understand myself in those moments, and also envision my future self. As Socrates so eloquently stated, “above all else, know thyself.”

I came to realize that the way others perceived me was not aligned with how I perceived myself. The stress, burdens, and projections I created came from within and were not due to external forces, but if I believed what others said I am, I then allow myself to become that version of me. Through this introspection, I’ve learned that I am who I say I am, and I become what I consistently do.

And when THAT person shows up to interviews, it makes a difference. It sparks genuine conversations and my responses flow freely because there is no mental block stemming from the struggle of not being myself. I find that life sort of bends to my will. Of course, this all hinges on the fact that I MUST continue to work on my skills - both soft and creative - and stay ready so I won’t have to be ready. My professional journey has lined up to be EXACTLY what was needed for this position, and I believe that staying open is the number one thing required to pivot or elevate to a new level in life.

My disposition led to this position. #bars

But if you are interested in knowing which specific technical skills I needed for this position they are: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Video Editing software (Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro), MS Office suite, Project Management, etc. These are the production skills: Cinematography, Lighting, Audio production, Photography, Directing, Video editing, Color grading, Positioning & Storytelling.

Bonus Question 2: What two key skills do you possess that you deem most significant in your position and how does that attribute to your overall workflow?

1. Attention to detail
2. Being proactive

I think these are both skills that work in any capacity individually, but in my current role, these are the skills that I’ve found work successfully hand in hand with each other.

Visit Cootchill’s website at the link below:

https://cootchillcreations.com/