Interview With Nicholas Routzen
Fashion photographer Nicholas Routzen is based in New York City. He is often spotted at music venues, putting miles on his Chuck Taylors, staring out the window of his Williamsburg loft or yet another coach class seat, or when the stars align, his own bed. Life is good.
Artistic Aesthetic
Much of my work is shot on location, with the juxtaposition of my subjects against mother nature. I've always been very intrigued by both beautiful and decaying landscapes. I find beauty in every location I shoot in. Textures and depth have always played heavy roles in my frame. Most of my strongest work is shot horizontally, which has a lot to do with being able to create a more compositionally interesting frame. That, and maybe the fact that I've grown up with watching a lot of film and horizontal frame of video influenced my photography. I also have a sweet tooth for shooting with a portrait style, keeping it tight and vertical, very opposite from my horizontal work where I shoot wide.
Regardless of how I'm framing, I love to overpower natural light with strobes. I keep my subjects creatively lit, underexpose my backgrounds, and tend to use a lot of eye contact and sex appeal. Love me some big beautiful eyes. But then again who doesn't.
Moody skies, bodies of water, lifeless trees, parched desert, and abandoned cities feature heavily.
How others describe my work
I've been told my work is energetic, humoristic, youthful, technical, dramatic, vivid, eclectic, genius, and always lit beautifully. People seem to say I have a very wide range of lighting, style, and creativity. I like to think all three are true, haha. Honestly, I get bored when I light one way to much, so I tend to mix it up a lot. Technicality has always intrigued me.
Obstacle/s Overcome or currently struggling with
Well one thing I' am currently dealing with is finding the time to promote my business, while having a pretty intense schedule of shooting.
Being a sole proprietor is amazing, but there are downsides to being your own boss. The biggest factor of owning your own business is self motivation. For what I do, I have to constantly be hustling, emailing, meeting people, setting up meetings, shooting, retouching, editing, and marketing. All on a daily basis. Luckily, I love business, so the business side I find fun. But it is a constant hustle. Many say agents help a lot, but really its about figuring out a system, what works for you, time management, and a serious work ethic. =)
Nicholas' website is at:
www.nicholasroutzen.com
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