FIRST LIGHT - Abstract Landscapes

My fine art photography is a deliberate juxtaposition to my commercial architectural work. While my commissions require meticulous planning, these abstract landscapes are born from slowing down the creative process. Using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) and long exposures, I create painterly photographs inspired by abstract expressionism, captured during the first moments of sunrise along the East Coast and Long Island Sound.


Each work is a bespoke creation, custom-printed and mounted to meet the scale of your space. We offer museum-quality Hahnemühle cotton paper and Fuji Crystal C-Prints mounted behind Acrylic Glass or in Aluminum Artboxes. Read more about framing options.

Signed en verso with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Editions of 10 and 2 APs.

See the artworks installed (In-Situ)
Some answers to some questions (FAQ)

Custom Fine Art Prints

Inquire about Custom Sizing and Mounting
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Press

In the 2022 Westchester Home - Spring Issue
by jessica jafet, laura joseph mogil, stacey pfeffer and laurie yarnell

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Stefan Radtke
PHOTOGRAPHER

Stefan Radtke has photographed the most exquisite homes in Westchester County and beyond — the kind that grace many elite magazines. Not only does he shoot the exteriors constructed by award-winning architects, he also skillfuly shoots incredible interiors. His portraiture features an elite yet eclectic group of people, including journalist Ann Curry and comedians Seth Rog‚en and George Lopez. But some of his most treasured photos are taken only a few miles from his home, in Rye, of the sun rising over Long Island Sound. It is these Rothko inspired photos that clients clamor for to adorn their not-so-humble abodes,

Radtke’s work is sought-after by |eading commercial clients and media companies, yet he did not plan to become a photographer.

Working in the entertainment industry in his native Germany, Radtke originally thought he wanted to work in film production, He enjoyed the creative collaborations but realized that film sets were “too complicated, with too many people.”

A friend told him to consider studying at the International Center of Photography when he moved to the US. in his early 20s. Radtke sent in his small portfolio and soon found himself accepted and enrolled in a portraiture class taught by acclaimed photographer Amy Arbus. “She was a tough critic, but I liked that. She was able to critique without making a big story about it, and she was always to the point,” he says. “She loved what 1 was doing,” explains Radtke. Arbus encouraged him to “let go” in his work, which is most evident in his fine-art photography. When he’s shooting homes, everything in the composition is micro-managed, and his focus is on capturing the intent of the interior designer or creating images to accompany a story.

In contrast to this, his fine-art photography frees him to experiment with his camera. “1 may not be focusing or holding the a completely still” but he loves being surprised by what comes out of this technique.

His fine-art photography requires minimal retouching, but his other photos are processed in-house, at his Port Chester studio. Located in the Ernest Simons Building, a historic former shirt-factory building from 1876, his studio is one of many offices occupied by local creatives cross a range of industries, from floral design and textiles to architectural model makers.

Although he has photographed many individuals against a white backdrop at his studio, he prefers to photograph them in a lifestyle environment. “I love to meet people who I would never meet otherwise. For Radtke, the perfect trifecta is shooting interesting people in their carefully curated, beautifully-designed homes, with great artwork on display. “That’s when I'm at my happiest,” he says.
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