Stephan Romer

Photographer

In a genre often associated with homogeny and crowded by postcards, Stephan Romer stands out as an artist whose work has the ability to move people profoundly. Exploring the wild and remote locations of New Zealand’s South Island, Stephan takes us to powerful and poignant places. His work exists in the space where technical precision and the chaos of nature dissect.

Stephan Romer’s landscape photography offers a visual feast for those who seek to glimpse into wild places or to hold onto places they once explored themselves. Utilising a large-format camera system that delivers three times the resolution achieved in most professional setups, he has created a style that is undeniably Stephan Romer.

Technical precision is a recurring theme throughout Stephan’s work and life. Born and educated in Germany, his early years were in industrial design followed by an internship in photography with Germany’s most renowned commercial photographers, Brigitte Richter and Thomas Caspari. In the 1990s, Stephan found his niche in transport and landscape photography, working with some of the most distinguished names in the car industry.

Prestigious vehicles require prestigious backdrops, and it was on these expeditions, Stephan discovered the landscapes of New Zealand and soon made this captivating place his permanent home.

Today, Stephan is regarded as one of the world’s top commercial automotive and landscape photographers. Formidable precision and a profound sense of respect for wild places are the common themes of Stephan’s work. With such a sense of drama and vibrancy exuding from his exhibits, audiences can’t help but feel they have opened a window to a secret world.

Stephan is most happy when travelling throughout the South Island to explore untrodden paths, hidden places and endure the wildest of weather. His art examines the unscripted moments, where technical ability and incredible patience give him an opportunity to seize the moment when it arrives. When clouds roll over the valley, when the helicopter circles back one last time in the fading light.

Driven by a desire to give audiences access to New Zealand’s most wondrous places, Stephan’s work is found in galleries as well as the homes of royalty, art collectors, and of course, lovers of nature.