My name is Nathaniel Merz and I am a landscape and nature photographer currently based out of South  Korea. I first fell in love with photography over half a lifetime ago as a young teenager after bringing my grandpa's old Contax 35mm camera on a family trip to Yellowstone National Park. 

After moving to South Korea I reignited my passion for photography while at the same time falling in love with the landscape here. In particular, the image of beautiful old pine trees clinging to rocky mountaintops stoked my imagination and has become a bit of an obsession for me. 

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I would describe my photographic style as light and moody. In general, my images are bright, often employing color as an important element. Often being more associated with darker imagery, mood is something I am constantly seeking out in the landscape: fog filled valleys, twisting pine groves and isolated dead trees are subjects often found at the other end of my lens. Compositionally, I mostly explore the fine line between simple and boring.

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A final note on image processing: clearly, my images are not straight out the camera jpg images. Mostly, I employ  contrast and color edits through luminosity masks in an attempt to accentuate mood and evoke feelings and memories. That being said, I try to avoid processing for the sole sake of visual stimulation. 

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If you have any questions about my photography-- or would just like to say hello, please feel free to get in touch using the form below. 

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