Some photographs are not created through elaborate staging, but through the interplay of light, a special location and a person willing to embrace the moment.

"Held Breath" is one of those photographs. A quiet, almost intimate moment, captured during one of my photography workshops at Gut Langenbach in Germany.

A Special Place for Creative Photography

For me, Gut Langenbach was always a place where photographic ideas could be explored in many different ways. Away from traditional studio environments, its rooms offered countless opportunities to work with available light, unusual perspectives and distinctive atmospheres.

It was precisely this creative freedom that made the workshops there so appealing to me. The aim was not to recreate predefined lighting setups, but to recognise, understand and photographically explore the situations already present.

Participants could experience how even small changes in perspective, the model's position or the framing could completely transform the visual impact of an image.

A Window, a Model and the Right Light

"Held Breath" also began with a very specific photographic exercise: I wanted to demonstrate to my workshop participants the possibilities offered by the particular lighting conditions beside a window.

The incoming daylight illuminated parts of the face, hair and arms, while the opposite areas gradually disappeared into darkness. A natural lighting arrangement that gave the subject depth and an almost dramatic atmosphere.

My model Angelina adapted remarkably quickly to both the situation and the photographic idea. Her closed eyes, slightly lowered head and protective posture gave the image an emotional intensity that cannot simply be created through photographic instructions.

It was one of those moments when light, expression and body language came together almost effortlessly.

Photography as a Shared Creative Process

What I particularly remember about the workshops at Gut Langenbach is their creative atmosphere. We experimented, observed and searched for photographic solutions together.

The sometimes unusual lighting conditions offered excellent opportunities to develop a more conscious way of seeing photographically.

I wanted my participants to leave not only with beautiful photographs, but above all with a better understanding of how light works and how it can be used deliberately in their own compositions.

That is also why "Held Breath" is a special photograph to me. It embodies precisely this idea: a simple lighting situation and a model's sensitive interpretation resulted in an image that went far beyond a mere demonstration.

When Photography Becomes a Drawing

For the artistic interpretation of "Held Breath", I deliberately chose a Sketch version.

Unlike my colour-intensive Painterly works, the focus here is not on a painterly appearance. Instead, it is about reducing the image to lines, textures and the interplay of light and shadow.

The original black-and-white photograph provided an ideal foundation. Strong contrasts, gentle transitions of light and the model's emotional body language already defined the visual impact of the original image.

The Sketch interpretation takes up these elements and translates them into a visual language reminiscent of a traditional pencil drawing.

The Language of Light and Shadow

Characteristic of this interpretation are the fine, sometimes densely overlapping hatching lines that give shape to dark areas, hair textures and subtle tonal transitions.

At the same time, the bright areas remain particularly prominent. The light from the window clearly illuminates Angelina's face and arms, while the surroundings increasingly dissolve into graphic textures and deep black tones.

This effect recalls the classical artistic principle of chiaroscuro, in which strong contrasts between light and dark are used to emphasise form, depth and emotional expression.

For me, the particular appeal of this interpretation lies in the fact that it does not change the original mood, but makes it visible in a different way.

The drawing appears more reduced, almost timeless. And it is precisely this reduction that draws even greater attention to Angelina's posture and expression.

A Quiet Moment That Remains

To me, the title "Held Breath" perfectly describes the atmosphere that characterises both the photograph and its Sketch interpretation.

A moment of stillness. A posture that can convey both vulnerability and a sense of comfort. A scene that leaves room for personal thoughts and emotions.

What originally began as an example of creatively using available window light during a workshop developed into an independent artistic work.

And perhaps that is exactly what I appreciate most about photography: sometimes the simplest situations produce images whose impact reaches far beyond the moment they were captured.

Through Behind the Art, I also want to make stories like these visible. Stories about light, people and those small moments from which remarkable photographs emerge.

Discover "Held Breath" as Wall Art

The Sketch interpretation of "Held Breath" is also available as Wall Art. If you would like to explore the atmosphere of this quiet moment and the expressive combination of light, shadow and drawn textures in more detail, you can find the artwork in my PICTRS Art Shop.

Discover more stories behind my photographs and their artistic interpretations in my Behind the Art project.

Get in touch and let’s make something amazing together