Natalie Romana Albers | Fine Art Landscapes & Environmental Portraits

My approach to portraiture is rooted in the quiet observation of the human spirit. I strive to capture my subjects without impinging on their moments—finding the 'anchor' of their story in the unposed and the unaware. Success, for me, is when a subject sees themselves in a light they didn't realize was being watched, yet fully recognize as their own.

Natalie Romana Albers - Cellist at Baroque Concert
It's not often I find an opportunity as good as this one. I play the cello myself, and I fell instantly in love with the intensity of the gaze of the cellist here, and how she is lost in the music she is playing. She was sitting in a shaft of intense sunlight in a well-lit church, and this produced the perfect exposure here.
1/200th sec at f/5.6, ISO 125, 29.57 mm

Natalie Romana Albers - The Isolation of the Soloist
Wandering around the concert venue for a local Proms concert, I spotted one of the soloists sitting in the middle of the hall, all alone, awaiting her turn. You can see her pre-concert focus in her eyes. I was struck by how a soloist is ultimately a lonely endevour. While you are supported by the orchestra, you are still exposed and isolated up on stage, just as much as she is in the hall before playing.
1/100th sec at f /2.2, ISO 800, 85 mm

Natalie Romana Albers - Soloist Warmup
Still in rehearsal, we see the payoff to 'Isolation of the Soloist', where our violinist is now completely immersed in her music.
1/100th sec at f/2.2, ISO 800, 85 mm

Natalie Romana Albers - Staccato
Another violinist, warming up before the concert. She's just having a blast, relaxed in her music.
1/100th sec at f/2.5, ISO 2500, 85 mm

Natalie Romana Albers - Safety First!
1/500th sec at f/6.3 ISO 450 210 mm

Natalie Romana Albers - Climbers Caress
1/160th sec at f/10, ISO 400, 210 mm

Where it began

Captured at the end of the 80s and early 90s, these photographs mark the beginning of my education. They are foundational pieces for me—not for their polish, but for their honesty. They reveal the early roots of my interest in the relationship between a person and their surroundings, a theme that remains the core of my work.

Natalie Romana Albers - Morris, the mountain man (1988)
I was a keen member of my high school tramping club, Morris, seen here was a biology teacher, father of a fellow club member, and the person I learned the most from when it came to managing the dangers of tramping in the Southern Alps. Both a rugged and kind man. I owe him a lot.

Natalie Romana Albers - Pensive in Paris (1990)
I took this photo on a school photo club day trip to Paris. The young lady in the photo was my trip buddy, but we'd just met that day, and it was only by late afternoon that she relaxed enough that I could point a camera in her direction without her flinching. Then of course I messed up by holding my finger in front of the lens...
Luckily I managed to capture her mood in the moment.

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