Nicole Franzen is a NYC-based lifestyle, interior and food photographer. As she found what was making her happy, she started chasing her dream and her passion led her to being a photographer, a quite good one. What distinguishes her style from other photographers is her ability to give the feeling of a home through her photos. How she use the natural light with a minimalist aesthetic create a warm, serene atmosphere in her works which is her signature.
How did you start capturing moments of life?
It started quite early for me. I am a nostalgic being who loves to capture moments in time. I remember being quite young probably around the age of 12 and I went on a holiday to Nantucket. I explored the island taking photos of the scenery and the beautiful homes. The long crushed seashell driveways with the grey shingled homes, hydrangea sand seaside plant life. Being from the west coast it was my first introduction to the charming architecture and style of New England. I've always been very aware of physical spaces and how they made me feel. I continued taking photographs throughout my teen years, keeping a wall of photographs in my room.
Who has the biggest influence on your work?
If I'm honest it's more of a feeling, nature, light, art and design are the biggest influences. I appreciate many styles of interiors and have fun photographing a range. I tend to personally gravitate towards minimalism and european style.
You have worked on many great projects. Which has been the most interesting?
I think we can all admit that this year has been challenging and unusual. I would typically be listing off an amazing trip/job that inspired me from over the last year. Since all of our worlds got smaller, I will mention a couple great projects that I've shot over the years. I worked with Athena Calderone on a really special book where we shot the homes of other interior designers that inspired us. Taking us to France, Denmark, New York andCalifornia. That was such a labor of love and such a joy to see come to life. I also loved shooting for the Shinola Hotel which was a very special place I shot in Detroit over the course of its opening designed by Gachot.
When photographing interiors how do you use angles to tell the story of the house?
When I approach a home, I look at the bones, light, and use of the photographs. Depending on whether I'm shooting for an architect, an interior designer, a commercial project or editorial. I take a slightly different approach keeping in mind the needs of the photographs. I like to shoot mostly daylight and make my plan based on that. I tend to shoot the more larger challenging shots at first because they take the most amount of creative energy. I usually make sure to take a series of wider shots that really show the space and then go in for smaller vignettes within that.
