With nature being a potent source of inspiration for many creatives, it’s no surprise that Stuttgart-based Florian Nick found the great outdoors the perfect playground for his timelapse photography.
My name is Florian Nick and Iʼm a freelance director of photography and timelapse photographer based in Stuttgart, Germany. My ideas and visions as a filmmaker are inspired by the diversity of our planet with its stunning places to be traveled, extraordinary people to be met and inspiring stories to be told. This drives my passion for capturing unique moments and images from around the globe in an authentic and meaningful way. As my work is particularly dedicated to the outdoors, sports, travel and lifestyle, my fascination for nature had me specialize in timelapse photography as a powerful method of creating impressive high-quality imagery of stunning landscapes.
I shoot most of my work on my Sony A7sII and A7II that I put on the eMotimo Spectrum ST4 motion controller for moving timelapse shots. As for lenses I love to use the Canon 16-35mm f4 for wide landscapes, Sigma 24mm f1.4 for astrophotography, and Canon 70-200 f4 L IS for interesting details in the distance.
Why did you get into photography?
Florian Nick: At some point, I realized my passion for expressing myself visually. Especially, being outside in nature inspired me to share my very own perspective of nature with others.
What photographers are your biggest influences?
Nick: I love to follow the work of Chris Burkard. He personifies what I love about photography and filmmaking when traveling to remote places all around the world. He shares unique moments and stories while having an impact through his work.
How long have you been shooting?
Nick: I’ve gotten more and more into filmmaking and timelapse photography in 2015 when I was 21 years old.
Why is photography so important to you?
Nick: I consider it a powerful tool of having an impact on people in our society. I think this form of art can be really captivating so I feel a responsibility to use my craft for sharing stories that matter in our world.
Do you feel you’re more of a creator or a documenter? Why?
Nick: I’m really into a mix between the two. My style of work mostly consists of creating a story around something that already exists — such as landscapes or real humans.
What’s typically going through your mind when you create images? Tell us about your processes, both mentally and mechanically.
Nick: I’m always trying to capture subjects through an interesting and somewhat uncommon perspective without losing authenticity. So I try to retain a sense of reality instead of getting too artsy or abstract.
Want to walk us through your processing techniques?
Nick: Timelapse processing is very time-consuming with lots of file sizes and render times. There’s a great software that closely works together with Lightroom. It is called LRTimelapse and is used to deflicker the timelapse sequences and smoothly blend between different color grades. After turning the image sequences into video files, the editing continues in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. I believe that spending extra hours and days on all these little details sets my work apart from many others out there.
Tell us about the project you’re pitching, or your portfolio.
Nick: Every year millions of people come to experience the majestic mountains around Chamonix in the French Alps. Whether theyʼre mountain climbers, backcountry skiers, hikers or tourists — they all embrace the Mont Blanc massif in their very own way. And so did I as a filmmaker and timelapse photographer when I created this timelapse film. It takes you to the higher grounds of the Mont Blanc massif — where nature is shaped by giant mountains and glaciers.
I think what makes this project stand out is the harmonic interaction of imagery and music. Impressive landscapes are shown in a very unique and atmospheric style. Combining the visuals with this specifically composed soundtrack creates a magical portrayal of nature as it is barely seen in other videos online.
What made you want to get into your genre?
Nick: I discovered timelapse photography at the same time as I discovered the beauty of the outdoors. I think it is the most impressive medium to show landscapes in a dynamic way. It adds another dimension to a still photograph and can be used very creatively and artistically.
Tell us a bit about the gear you use and how you feel it helps you achieve your creative vision.
Nick: The essential piece of gear for my timelapse work is a motion controller that is used on a sliding track. With this combination you can create sophisticated timelapse shots with the camera sliding, panning and tilting all at the same time. This adds tremendous three-dimensionality to the scene compared to a simple timelapse off the tripod.
What motivates you to shoot?
Nick: What keeps me going is the diversity of every project. There are always new challenges to overcome with every shoot you do and there is also so much to learn from it. I think what makes this work so exciting is that every situation is different and adds to your experience as an artist.
Find out more about Florian Nick and his timelapse photography on his website and Vimeo, and follow him on Instagram to stay updated with his work.