New Hampshire Seacoast | Featured Photographer Philip Case Cohen

DESCRIBE YOUR CONNECTION TO NEW ENGLAND.

I was born into a family that loved photography and raised in Central Massachusetts. My Dad belonged to the local camera club and would always venture up to Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine for its holiday lighting. He bought me my first camera, a 35mm Canon Rebel, while I was in high school. I went to the University of New Hampshire and rowed on the men’s crew team. Our early morning practices further solidified my love for the water, and often had me wishing I could capture the incredible scenes we witnessed. I ultimately decided to settle in Portsmouth and as I used my camera as an excuse to really explore the region in every season, I discovered why so many are drawn to it. I am thrilled to be raising my family here and I’ve enjoying introducing my daughters to the many things that I love about the area.

DESCRIBE YOUR EQUIPMENT.

I primarily shoot with a Canon 5d Mark III and have recently fallen in love with the 100-400mm. Early in my digital days, I mostly shot wide angle images. I loved how much you could fit into the frame in an effort to convey a scene. More recently, I find myself focusing in on narrower scenes and the details that comprise the atmosphere of a place, and the longer lens is perfect for that. The telephoto lenses also work wonders for moonrises, which are fantastic along the New England coastline thanks to the great backdrops provided by our numerous landmarks. Occasionally I’ll use a 10-stop neutral density filter to blur movement and remove people from scenes or to smooth out the water, a nice way to transform scenes that are otherwise familiar to people. A few years back I was gifted a Hasselblad 500c from my great uncle, and that has become my most recent tool of choice. Before it made its way to me, it traveled around the world and went on safari in Africa. Being older and completely manual, it forces me to slow down, something I always benefit from doing. The camera shoots medium format film, which has a beautiful ability to convey the natural colors and feel of a scene in a way that isn’t commonly seen these days. I prefer to shoot without a tripod, but am always rewarded when I slow down and use one—I have carbon fiber Gitzo legs with a Really Right Stuff ballhead.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I get endless inspiration from the natural beauty of the NH seacoast as contrasted with its functionality/utility as a working port and a world class historic destination. I love that I can travel 15 minutes or less and see historically significant locations from the Revolutionary War, beautiful oceanfront beaches, tugboats and massive freighters, nuclear submarines, or soak in a one-of-a-kind view while dining on one of Portsmouth’s waterfront decks (an especially big treat on warm summer nights). Photographically, I draw a lot of inspiration from classic photographers such as Joel Meyerowitz (for his color landscape work of Cape Cod), Michael Gaillard (a large format film photographer with beautiful work of Nantucket) and Edward Burtynsky, but I’m just as inspired and motivated by my many passionate local friends, including Ben Williamson and Adam Woodworth, who are driven to get out often. See more of Philip’s work at phillipcasecohen.com.

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER PHILIP CASE COHEN | THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SEACOAST