Sep 11, 2019

Capturing Light and Life in the Great Outdoors

Maker Spotlight: Nature Photographer Stefan Rosengarten

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Stefan Rosengarten and I live in Germany where I work as a chemist. My greatest passion is capturing nature through photography. I also have a wonderful family with my wife and two children. They are 2 and 4 years old.

How did you get started doing nature photography?

Animals have always fascinated me. I remember the moment when my interest in nature photography first struck me. Back when I was a young teenager, I took a family trip to Yosemite National Park. We passed a bridge and I spotted a moose in the distance and it really made an impression on me. I had my SLR camera on me and made an attempt to capture the moose from the other side of the river. At that moment as I framed the shot, I forgot about all of my surroundings. It was just me and the moose. I knew then that I had to keep capturing nature through photography.

Walk us through your workspace.

My main computer is my trusty old Mac Pro and a 27” monitor with Capture One Pro 12 installed. But more and more I like to use my iPad Pro, especially when I am traveling.

How do you use Luna?

I first started with Luna after using Astropad (which is a great tool to use in combination with Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro to paint layers in *Capture One). When I use Luna Display, I like that it offers so much flexibility, like using Capture One on my iPad when I am sitting in the garden or laying on the couch. I appreciate having versatility in the tools I use for editing.

*We created a handy guide for Capture One users on how to use it with Astropad.

What do you do to stay productive?

Well, in terms of nature photography, nature itself motivates me. Even if you capture the same species each year, every year is different. When I shoot, I don’t just want to show the animal. My goal is to capture a mood and feeling when you look at the photo.

What other tools do you use to manage your workflow?

I mainly use Capture One and Affinity Photo. To organize and manage my final photos, I use the Apple photo app. Some other great tools for nature photography are the map apps like PhotoPills and Sky Guide. With these tools, you can plan your trip and get an idea about where the sun will rise and set. This helps when planning for light changes throughout your day.

What’s the best part of doing what you do?

My connection with nature. Fritz Pölking (a very successful and well known German nature photographer) broke it down very well when he said: “Photographing nature is experience first-hand”. The moment when a badger or young foxes are coming out of there den and you spot them a short distance away is a really amazing feeling.

If you had to describe yourself as an emoji, which would you be and why?

The 🦡! I like the mood of a badger. I enjoy a quiet evening in the den with my family.

See more of Stefan's incredible nature photographs on Instagram and his website. Share your Luna Display workflow with us on social using #LunaDisplay for a chance to being featured.