The Darkness of Light

Josephin (Jessi)

Our paths first crossed in 2017 during a casting for my workshops – and from that first encounter, a long and creative collaboration began.
The photographs featured in the book were taken in 2018 and 2019, some in the studio, others on location – always carried by Jessi’s calm presence and her clear, natural radiance.

She brought a unique blend of curiosity and composure to every set, shaping the atmosphere each time.
In The Darkness of Light, her images reflect exactly that: focus, silence – and the subtle trust that grows when you work together over many years.

Like so many others, I lost touch with Josephin during the pandemic.
Today, she’s married and a happy mother of two – a beautiful thought, knowing her story has found a new chapter.

Nes (Ines)

I first met Ines in 2019 during a casting for my workshops. Even then, she stood out for her natural elegance and her curious, open nature – a combination that kept creating special moments throughout our collaborations.

The photographs in the book were taken in autumn 2020 during a lingerie-themed workshop.
This time, the light didn’t come from outside – it was controlled, soft, yet precisely directed. Under the flash, an intimate and quiet atmosphere emerged, where Ines moved with a refined sense of expression and posture.
Every pose, every subtle motion was thoughtful and effortless at once – exactly what makes this series so unique.

Dominika

I met Dominika in 2019 during a casting for my workshops.
From the very first shoot, it was clear she was the perfect choice for fine nude art – confident, expressive, and with a refined sense for posture and light.

The photographs in the book were taken in 2019 and 2020 during various workshops I conducted.
Whether in the studio or on location, Dominika effortlessly understood my lighting concepts and ideas, filling them with her own elegance.
She embodies exactly what defines my fine nude art photography: calm, precision, and the quiet strength of an authentic presence.

In 2020, Dominika set out to explore the world.
For a while, I followed her career as she worked internationally as a model – with the same clarity and radiance that defined her here.
It’s always a joy to see someone walk their own path – and do so with such natural confidence.

Vendula

Vendula came to my studio from the Czech Republic in spring 2018 for a casting – and even during that first encounter, it was clear that she carried something special within her.
A calm presence, a natural ease in front of the camera, combined with that quiet strength that makes fine art photography come alive.

The photographs in the book were taken during that very first session and later at one of my workshops on Low Key Portrait and Fine Nude Art Photography, which I led later that same year.
Another joint project followed in 2019 – once again marked by the same familiar, focused atmosphere that had always defined our collaboration.

Then came the pandemic – and with it, pauses and interruptions.
At some point, I lost touch with Vendula.
The last thing I saw of her was a photograph showing her as a happy mother.
A beautiful ending to a chapter, I think – calm, fulfilled, and just right.

TotalBlue (Jeanine)

Jeanine – or, as many know her, TotalBlue – came into my life in the mid-2020s, shortly after she moved from Leipzig to the Ruhr region in western Germany.
As so often, it all began with a casting in my studio, and after the very first shots it was clear: this wasn’t going to be a one-time encounter.

From that start grew a close and ongoing collaboration – both in commercial work and in creative, personal projects.
Over the years, we’ve shared countless shoots and workshops together, probably more than with any other model.
Jeanine brings energy, ideas, and a unique presence that turns every session into something distinctly her own.

For a while, we even shared a common hobby: geocaching.
Many nights we wandered through forests and lost places – headlamps instead of studio lights, but the same sense of adventure and atmosphere.

The photographs in the book show Jeanine as she truly is: versatile, authentic, and with a natural ease in front of the camera that can’t be staged.

Lucy

Lucy came to my studio from Prague in early 2017 – at first for a simple test shoot that quickly turned into something much more.
Her calm nature, combined with that unique mix of restraint and confidence, fit perfectly with my way of photographing.

In 2018, I led several workshops with her – she was one of those models who immediately understood what mattered to me: atmosphere instead of posing, emotion instead of routine.
The photographs in the book come from this intense period of collaboration, during which many of my low-key concepts took shape.

Like so many others, I lost touch with Lucy during the pandemic.
The last thing I heard from her was that she had left modeling behind – choosing instead a new chapter, a family.
I’m happy for her. Some stories end quietly – but beautifully.

Lylou

Lylou stood in front of my camera in 2016 for a test shoot in my studio – just once, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression.
The photographs in the book come from that short, focused session where everything simply aligned: light, mood, expression.

Why there was never another collaboration, I can’t say anymore.
It certainly wasn’t because of her.

Taisia

Taisia came to me without a casting – a rare exception.
Her portfolio spoke for itself: professional, expressive, with a gaze that could tell stories. She’s originally from Mongolia.
She was one of the few models I booked directly for my workshops.

Until 2019, she took part in several of my workshops – always reliable, focused, and with an aura that instantly brought calm to the set.
Then came the pandemic – and, like so many others, our paths drifted apart.

As far as I can see today, Taisia is still active as a model.
I’m glad she’s remained faithful to photography – she has both the talent and the attitude for it.

Nataliya

Nataliya came to Germany from Belarus in the early 2010s to study – and modeling helped her finance her education.
One of those encounters that begin as something purely practical, but soon gain unexpected depth.

We worked together several times in the studio before heading outdoors in 2015 for one of my workshops – on the grounds of a former locomotive depot in Gelsenkirchen-Bismarck.
A place full of texture, rust, light, and silence – perfect for the atmosphere I was looking for.

The photographs in the book were taken during that time.
Nataliya brought a calm professionalism to every session, something that remains visible in every image – focused, controlled, and yet touched by a quiet, subtle elegance.

Nina

Nina was a young student back then, someone who carried a natural ease in front of the camera.
We only worked together a few times — in the studio and on location — and I also led one or two workshops with her.

The photos in the book were created in the spring of 2007, a time when my studio work was still very experimental.
With her, I could explore those early ideas: clean lines, reduced light, quiet poses.

Nina brought a mix of openness and curiosity to every set, something that always added a gentle calm to the session.
Our paths eventually drifted apart, but her images remain a quiet part of that early chapter in my photographic journey.

Sandra

Sometimes a collaboration begins with a promising moment — and ends right there.
I met Sandra in 2012 during a casting at my studio. Afterwards we did a few quick test shots — and those are the images featured in this chapter.
It remained a single meeting, but these brief sessions often hold their own kind of magic: authentic, unfiltered, a first impression that stays with you.

Guenuche (Pavlina)

Some encounters stay with you, even when they eventually fade away.
I met Guenuche — her real name is Pavlina — during a coaching session I was booked for. A wonderfully warm model from the Czech Republic, who stopped by my studio several times during her photography tours across Europe in 2016 and 2017.
We had a handful of shoots and a few workshops together, and the photos featured in this book came from those sessions.
In time she stepped away from the modeling world for personal reasons, and we drifted out of contact. But the moments we shared in front of the camera still echo quietly in these images.

Lucy Modéle

I met Lucy Modéle in 2020 following a recommendation. I invited her to the studio for a test shoot, and it quickly became clear that this would develop into more than a one-time collaboration.

Between 2020 and 2022, we worked closely together, primarily within the framework of workshops that I conducted. Studio work and teaching situations flowed seamlessly into one another, creating space for focused work, precision, and photographic development — grounded in trust and a shared approach to the craft.

The resulting images move thematically between ballet, low key, and fine nude art. The photographs featured in The Darkness of Light originate from these workshops and studio sessions. They are shaped by restraint, clarity, and an evolved visual language.

Kristina

I met Kristina in 2016 during a test shoot. What began as an initial introduction quickly developed into an ongoing collaboration that continued throughout 2016 and 2017. During this period, we created several shoots both in the studio and outdoors, working in a variety of settings.
In addition to the free work, further shoots and workshops followed, covering different photographic themes. These shared projects allowed space for development, experimentation and a gradual refinement of visual language.
The resulting images reflect this phase of collaboration — versatile, focused, and shaped by an open and trusting working atmosphere on both sides of the camera.

BettyB

I met BettyB in 2012, when she introduced herself as a model at my studio. All photographs featured in this book were created that same year during studio sessions and were originally intended as preparation for joint workshops.
Following these initial shoots, we went on to run numerous workshops together up until 2014, all of them very successful. Our collaboration during this period was intensive and productive, built on experience, reliability and a shared professional approach.
Beyond the workshops, BettyB was also one of the models I worked with for my professional book 'Peoplefotografie', published by humboldt.

Julia

I worked with Julia in several studio sessions in 2011. The photographs featured in this book were created during those shoots.
After 2011, we lost contact, but the images remain as a snapshot of a brief and focused collaboration.

Catbardot

Catbardot ran her own restaurant in France until the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the restrictions, she was forced to close this chapter of her life.
What followed was a radical new beginning: Catbardot started traveling worldwide as a yoga model within the field of fine art nude photography. One of her first stops was Germany.
I met her during a shoot in the winter of 2021. The photographs featured in this book were created in my studio in Essen at that time and mark the beginning of a very distinctive creative phase in her journey.

LaPassionata

I met LaPassionata (Melanie) in 2018 during a test shoot at my studio. Over the following two years, several additional shoots and workshops took place.
Her pregnancy brought her modeling career to an end, and we eventually lost contact. The photographs featured in this book were created during our very first shoot.

Fabienne

I met Fabienne in 2014, when she booked a shoot with me. During this first session, she spontaneously discovered her enjoyment of working in front of the camera and engaging with the photographic process.
Based on this initial experience, a second shoot followed, this time as free work. It was during this session that the images featured in this book were created.
Unfortunately, it remained limited to these two shoots. From my perspective, the collaboration certainly had the potential to develop further.

Nikola

I met Nikola from Prague in 2017. In earlier years, she was known across Europe as a model under the name NikolArt. She visited my studio at the time to introduce herself as a model.
This first meeting led to several shoots and workshops that I organized with her as a model. During this period, we worked together intensively and across a range of themes.
By 2018, the collaboration had already come to an end. For reasons I can no longer recall today, we unfortunately lost contact.
The photographs featured in this book were created during that time and preserve the memory of a short but formative collaboration.

Chiara

I met Chiara in the summer of 2013. She introduced herself as a model, and we subsequently did a short test shoot during which the photographs featured in this book were created.
Unfortunately, our paths parted again after this single session.

Miriam

I worked with Miriam only very briefly. The occasion was the newly installed shower in my studio, which I wanted to inaugurate with a first shoot. The idea was to create expressive low-key images, and I was looking for a model on short notice.
Miriam responded spontaneously, and we met at the studio. I explained the visual concept and the possibilities offered by the shower installed directly within the studio space.
The photographs featured in this book were created during this single session. Unfortunately, we did not meet again afterwards.

MissCutie

The test shoot with MissCutie (Yvonne) dates back quite some time. We met for this session in the autumn of 2008 at my studio in Dortmund-Dorstfeld. During this initial test shoot, the photographs featured in this book were created.
Following this first collaboration, we held a small number of workshops together with Yvonne. After that period, our paths gradually parted, bringing our collaboration to an end.

Evelina

I met Evelina in 2019. She applied as a workshop model, and we arranged a test shoot in Germany, booking flights from Kyiv to Germany and back.
From this first shoot, a strong and trusting collaboration developed — one I still think back on fondly and truly miss.
At the end of 2022, our paths separated. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine fundamentally changed Evelina’s life. She now lives in Spain with her young family.
The photographs featured in this book were created during our time working together and reflect a collaboration that went far beyond photography alone.

Juliette Desens

I met Juliette in 2015 during a coaching session. I was booked as the teacher, and Juliette was working as the model. The coaching was a great success in every respect, due in no small part to Juliette herself.
From this initial encounter, a strong collaboration developed through various workshops — a collaboration that continues to this day.

Marta

I first became aware of Marta through photographs towards the end of the 2010s. It was immediately clear to me that I wanted to have this remarkable woman in front of my camera. At that time, however, she was living in Poland, and arranging a shoot proved impossible.
That changed in the summer of 2021. Marta was back in Germany — and, as it turned out, living very close to me. We arranged a test shoot, and the rest is history.
Since that first session, we have worked together on several shoots, but above all on numerous workshops. I am still working with this wonderful and personable woman today.