IN FOCUS: Nathan Kraxberger
“It was a personal crisis that led me to double exposure photography. My life was crumbling around me and I needed a way to express myself in a new light. Double exposure photography, specifically (and only) on film cameras, allows me to create new realities without any rules. It is this freedom that draws me here. My professional work as a commercial still-life photographer is defined by its rules. The images must be sharp, they must be straight, the color must be perfect, and the list goes on and on. While I fully enjoy following these rules in the studio, having the freedom to work without rules was the balance I needed. For example, some images are shot upside down, some sideways, some sharp and some blurred. And while there is no consistency to my process, there are two things consistent with all of my images: First, each image is comprised of at least 2 exposures and, secondly, each image has a certain feeling of chaos to it. It is this chaos that begs the viewer to look deeply into the image, acknowledging the obvious compositions and the subtle nuances as the exposures overlap upon themselves to tell a new and untold story.”
~ Nathan Kraxberger
Meet Nathan Kraxberger
Photographer and artist Nathan Kraxberger began his career in architecture photography, but after assisting a prolific and inspiring still-life commercial artist, Nathan shifted his focus and passion to the nuances of still-life photography himself. His keen sense of story, composition, and lighting, transforms objects into visually compelling narratives which creatives applaud and recognize. He has shot for iconic fashion brands such as Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Spade, Rag &Bone, and The Gap to name a few.
When not in the studio, you can find Nathan laughing with his kids, biking with his buddies, or roaming the streets of NYC where he captures the big and small, nature, light, people, and skyscrapers that inform his fine art and commercial work.
atedge: It is wonderful to see how you merge advertising billboards with cityscapes creating incredible graphic dynamic visuals of brands. Rich in texture and mood, it’s fun to imagine a double-exposed billboard featured on a billboard. Where do you see this series going next?
Nathan: The ultimate goal for these doubles, at the moment at least, is possibly twofold: One, a purely fine art point of view, and two, a more commercial + branded approach. Doing both would be a dream come true.
atedge:Are there other themes you are curious to explore and push this work? Other cities? Milan? Paris?
Nathan: If I could get some sort of traction or some affirmation that this is worth pushing and pursuing, I would be interested in traveling to various cities to explore. I have had people suggest this before, and as of now, I haven’t had a real reason to move forward…but that would also be a dream, to travel and shoot with a distinct purpose and mission.
atedge: Is there a magic recipe that you lean into when creating these images? For example, Is there a time of day or season that you gravitate towards?
Nathan: There doesn’t seem to be a particular best time of day, but there certainly are some of my images that have been shot at night or at dusk/dawn that have a light quality that is recognizable. I look more so at composition and contrast + empty space.
