Explore The Polish Vistula Cabin With Warsaw Based Photographer Nate Cook

by Lexi Taciak November 6, 2020October 21, 2020 1 Project of the Week

The Vistula is the longest river in Poland, and today we’re taking you on a little adventure there to check out a gorgeous cabin designed by Kama Czudowska. Warsaw based photographer Nate Cook was invited to stay at the Vistula Cabin, getting to document it throughout varying lighting conditions with little rush on his compositions.

Nate introduces us to the cabin by telling “From my side, this was an atypical project, as I was not shooting for the architect, but rather the owner, Kama Czudowska. She co-designed the project with a private architect friend, and did the interior design herself. I had met her a year ago while photographing her apartment in Warsaw and we stayed in contact through Instagram.”

“She invited me and my girlfriend to stay for two nights at the cabin, which gave me a whole day to photograph from sunup to sundown. The weather was perfect without a cloud in the sky, so I was able to easily track the light throughout the day, and shoot each space during the optimal time.”

“For me this when the direct light is flowing over the interior, creating strong contrast and bringing warmth into the scene. On the exterior images, however, I wanted to show a softer, more dreamy mood of how the cabin sits in the landscape. Therefore, with the exception of a few shots of the deck, I chose to shoot at morning and evening golden hour with indirect light.”

I love the warm directional light and flare here. With the dog in the yard and the foliage lining the frame, it feels we just happened upon this scene during a peaceful and idyllic day.

Inside, the light pouring through the windows pulls out the texture and warmth of the wood paneled interior. The difference in exposure between the window views and the room itself feels proper and balanced. Nate’s images are very natural feeling, and it meshes perfectly with this fuss-free cabin.

There are great highlights and shadows sweeping across this scene that bring a lot of mood and interest to this seemingly simple dining space. This perspective allows us to see the cabin’s lovely view of the Vistula River beyond.

I really enjoy all of Nate’s vignettes sporting beautiful light patterns and shapes. They bring an element of intrigue and character to the cabin’s relatively uniform and contiguous interior.

I love that he chose to open the window on the right side of the frame, showing off the functionality of the space and adding a slight open air feeling to the bathroom. Check out that rubber ducky on the tub — Nate leaves in little artifacts that bring the humanity in to the home and help describe its character.

Back outside, Nate photographs the deck area to show how the dining area doors can be slid open to create an open-air feel in the house. The pup shows off the relaxing nature of this space!

There are a lot of great shapes and leading lines at work here. I love the shadows cast by the roofline and the door, creating triangles that mirror the shapeliness of the house itself. Beyond, we catch a glimpse of the river visible from the house’s perched position on the hillside. Nate gives us a good sense of place here with the styled table and warm light washing into the scene.

I love all of the textures and repetition in the lines in this next image. It creates movement that pulls our eyes down through the scene. The perfectly placed dog adds more motion and life to the scene, really getting across the casual lake house vibe of this project.

Here we are able to see how secluded the cabin is, perfectly nestled into the trees. I love the glowing light streaming across the cabin, really highlighting its shape and the color of the wood.

A big thanks to Nate for submitting this quiet and sublime project to us from Poland. Its simple charm and well thought out design is relayed perfectly by Nate’s true-to-life photographic style!