OBSERVATION 020No excuses.Sometimes limitations become the beginning of something new.During the pandemic, I couldn't photograph models.Instead of waiting for better circumstances, I looked for another way. I contacted a model agency, arranged Zoom sessions and photographed the models directly from my screen.I printed every portrait and began experimenting — folding, crumpling, painting, destroying and starting over. What began as a limitation became the starting point for an entirely new way of working.I couldn't change the situation.But I found a way.

Principle 020

OBSERVATION 019It wasn't finished.This portrait was originally photographed for Amica Italy.The theme was Skin Tones.At first, I liked the photograph. It worked. It had been approved. It had been published.By most standards, it was finished.But the longer I looked at it, the less interested I became.So I printed it.I started cutting it apart.I rearranged the pieces, searching for something I couldn't yet describe.The collage wasn't part of the assignment.It wasn't requested by the magazine.It happened afterwards, simply because I wasn't ready to stop looking.Today, I prefer the collages to the original photograph.Not because they are objectively better.Because they are closer to what I had been trying to say all along.I've learned that satisfaction can sometimes become the end of curiosity.The moment we decide that something is finished, we often stop asking better questions.For me, photography rarely ends when the shutter closes.Sometimes it only begins afterwards.

Principle 019

OBSERVATION 018Just go.I was already cooking when the phone rang. An editor from Zeit Magazin asked if I could photograph Maggie Rogers."When?""Now."I turned off the stove, grabbed my camera and drove to the park.There was no preparation, no moodboard and no detailed plan. We simply met, walked around and made photographs. Afterwards I drove home and finished cooking dinner.Whenever I tell this story, people are surprised by how spontaneous it was. They expect a production, a schedule and weeks of preparation.For me, that has never been the interesting part.Photography has always been an adventure. I enjoy saying yes before I know exactly what will happen. I enjoy discovering ideas while working instead of trying to predict them beforehand.Were these the best photographs I have ever made?Probably not.But they remind me of something much more important.Not every photograph has to become the best photograph of your life. Sometimes it is enough that it reminds you why you love making photographs in the first place.Many opportunities disappear because we spend too much time preparing for them. We wait until everything feels perfect, and by then the moment has already gone.Sometimes it is enough to trust yourself, pick up the camera and leave the house.The opportunity didn't wait.Neither did I.

Principle 018

Observation 017It was never restored.I lived in Prague for six months.Back then, walls like this were everywhere. They carried decades of weather, history and time. Every crack, every layer of paint and every exposed surface told part of the city's story.Today, Prague feels different.Many of those walls have disappeared. Beautifully restored, carefully repaired and, in many ways, stripped of the character that once made them unforgettable.When I found this wall, it felt like discovering one of the last remaining traces of the city I remembered.It reminded me that photography often faces the same temptation.To remove. To perfect. To polish.Sometimes that's the right decision.But sometimes the marks of time, the imperfections and the things we didn't plan are exactly what give an image its identity.Not everything becomes better by becoming perfect.Some things become unforgettable because they were left untouched.

Principle 017

Observation 016The moment everything changed.Natascha Bedingfield had asked me to photograph the cover for her new record.We had already made several strong portraits. The shoot was working. Everything was under control.Then I asked the make-up artist to place her hand in front of Natascha's face.It wasn't part of the original idea.But the moment I looked through the viewfinder, I knew something had changed.The photograph was no longer just a portrait. It had become an idea.From that point on, we stopped trying to improve the portraits. Instead, we followed the new direction the image had revealed.Looking back, I don't remember this shoot because of the record cover.I remember it because it reminded me that the most important decisions are often the unexpected ones.Sometimes, the photograph tells you where to go.

Principle 016

Observation 015We didn't stop.Grizzly Bear came to my studio.There wasn't much time.They were hungry.Instead of interrupting the shoot,we photographed whatever happened next.They ate.I kept photographing.Through the backdrop.I still love these pictures.Sometimes the photograph beginsthe moment you stop trying to control it.

Principle 015

Observation 014What do you see?People often ask me how this photograph was made.Without Photoshop?Without a computer?The answer surprises them.But that's never been the interesting part.What interests me is what people see.Almost everyone recognises the two profiles.Yet very few notice how they become one another.The eye separates them.The photograph connects them.We don't simply look at images.We try to explain them.Sometimes we stop lookingthe moment we think we understand.The longer we observe,the more the photograph changes.Nothing in the image has moved.Only the way we see it.

Principle 014

OBSERVATION 013Notice first.Photography doesn't begin with a camera.It begins with attention.Most people think discipline means shooting every day, owning the right equipment or following a routine. Those things can help, but they are not what creates photographs.Discipline begins much earlier.It is the habit of remaining aware, even when you are not photographing.This photograph wasn't planned.I was taking a short break on the terrace of my studio. Below me, people crossed the square as they always do. Nothing unusual was happening. Until the light changed everything.That moment lasted only a few seconds. Had I looked at my phone, finished my coffee or simply gone back inside, the photograph would never have existed.The photograph was already there.It only needed someone to notice it.This is why discipline matters.Not because it makes you work harder.Because it teaches you to remain present.The camera is only a tool. Your attention is what creates photographs.The more you train yourself to notice light, shape, rhythm and gesture before reaching for the camera, the more often photographs begin to appear.They were always there.You simply started seeing them.

Principle 013

OBSERVATION 012Layers of LightLight rarely reveals everything at once.It moves across surfaces, slips through transparent edges, and builds depth through overlap. A single sheet of colored acrylic is simple. Place another beside it, and a new shape appears. Add one more, and the space between them becomes part of the composition.Photography works the same way.An image is never only about the subject. It is about the layers between the lens and the light, between what is visible and what is suggested. Reflections, shadows, transparency, color and negative space all become visual material.To photograph light is to photograph relationships.The strongest images are often not created by adding more, but by noticing how one element transforms another. A shadow gives color its weight. Transparency gives form its ambiguity. Overlap creates structure where none existed before.Light is never flat.It is architecture.

Principle 012

Observation 011The space around herThis series was photographed at the Mercedes-Benz studio in Stuttgart for Intersection.The obvious subject was the car.I didn't want it to dominate the image.Instead, I used distance, darkness and empty space to shift the balance.The model became the central presence.The car became the observer.Negative space is often treated as the part of an image where nothing happens.Here, it creates the tension.The darkness separates the figures.It also connects them.A small gesture becomes more visible.A glance carries more weight.The distance between the model and the car becomes part of the story.By leaving much of the frame empty, the image becomes quieter.Not less intense.The photograph is defined not only by what is shown.But also by what is deliberately left open.Sometimes, what surrounds the subject becomes the subject itself.

Principle 011

Observation 010Between light and formPhotography begins long before the shutter is released.It begins with noticing.How light changes a surface.How a shadow redraws an object.How a leaf briefly becomes architecture.How weather, time and chance create compositions of their own.Nothing in these photographs was arranged.The forms already existed.They simply waited for the light.This film is less about subjects than about relationships.Between light and shadow.Nature and geometry.Texture and silence.Looking closely isn't about finding something extraordinary.It's about recognising how the ordinary changes with light.Light never repeats itself.Neither do the forms it reveals.

Principle 010

Observation 009Noticing the small thingsMost people think attention belongs to extraordinary moments.It doesn't.It begins much earlier.With things most people never stop for.A shadow crossing a wall. A reflection in a window. The shape of a broken piece of wood on the pavement.Nothing changes in these moments.Except the person who notices them.The world is constantly offering forms, rhythms and unexpected compositions.They are not hidden.We simply pass them by.Photography is often described as making photographs.It begins somewhere else.It begins with learning how to see.Not creating. Not arranging. Not searching for perfection.Simply recognising what is already there.The more carefully we observe ordinary things, the less ordinary they become.Attention is not a talent.It is a discipline.And like every discipline, it grows through practice.Every walk becomes an exercise. Every street becomes an archive. Every overlooked detail becomes a possibility.Sometimes a city appears inside a splinter of wood.Not because someone designed it.Because someone finally noticed it.

Principle 009

Observation 008Some poems are more beautiful unfinished.For this photograph,the make-up artist wrote a famous Indian love poemacross the model's back.That was the idea.Then we realisedthere wasn't enough space.Some lines had to remain unwritten.At first,I thought the poem would lose its meaning.Then we made the photograph.I never thought about the missing words again.The feeling was still there.Sometimes,what is left unsaidis just as importantas what remains.Some poems are more beautiful unfinished.

Minimalist black title card with the statement "The process became part of the image." in white editorial typography on a black background.

Minimalist black editorial slide explaining that a love poem written on skin became incomplete as words disappeared, but the intention behind it remained. White serif typography on a black background.

Minimalist black title card with the statement "Some poems are more beautiful unfinished." White editorial typography expressing the beauty of incompleteness.

Editorial fine art photograph showing a person's back covered with handwritten script against a black background. The writing follows the contours of the body, creating a sculptural composition.

Principle 008

Observation 007There is beauty in simplicity.When I started photographing beauty,I always thought I needed more.Another light.Another prop.Another idea.I thought more would make the photograph stronger.It rarely did.Over the years,I noticed something.My favourite images usually came at the end.After I had removed the extra light.The extra styling.The extra distractions.Little by little,the photograph became quieter.And somehow,stronger.Today,I don't ask what I can add.I ask what I can take away.There is beauty in simplicity.

Minimalist editorial cover for Observation 007 with the title "There is beauty in simplicity." by Straulino Academy.

Close-up fashion portrait showing two faces with different skin tones joined together, emphasizing contrast, symmetry, diversity, and the expressive power of the human gaze.

Principle 007

Observation 006Some images begin with an association.This photographbegan with licorice.I remember noticing its shape.That was enough.I called my assistantand asked him to bring some to the studio.It probably sounded like a strange request.But I couldn't let the idea go.I don't question those moments anymore.I've learned to follow them.A shape becomes an idea.An idea becomes a photograph.Most of the time,I don't know where it's will lead.I only knowit's worth finding out.

Editorial cover for Observation 006 of the Straulino Academy Journal featuring the title "Some images begin with an association." in minimalist white typography on a black background.

Fashion portrait of a model wearing an avant-garde black sculptural garment with an intricate headpiece, photographed against a neutral grey studio background, emphasizing form, silhouette, and visual association.

Principle 006

Observation 005One exposure.The shoot was over.I was sitting in the back of a taxi on my way home through New York.I wasn't looking for another photograph.I was simply playing.I pointed the camera through the window.One long exposure.Then another.The city kept moving.So did the taxi.I never knew what each photograph would become.That was the interesting part.Sometimes letting go of control creates something you could never have planned.

Editorial cover for Observation 005 of the Straulino Academy Journal featuring the title "One Exposure." in minimalist white typography on a black background.

Minimalist title slide displaying the words "NEW YORK CITY" in white serif typography on a black background, introducing the location and context of the photographic story.

Principle 005

Observation 004The street is full of photographs.People often ask me where I find my ideas.I usually smile.I don't really look for them.I walk.I stop.Something catches my attention.A shadow.A reflection.The way someone stands for just a second.Most people keep walking.I've learned to pause.That's often the only difference.The photograph was already there.I simply noticed it.Since then, I've stopped worrying about finding new places.Almost every street has something to offer.You just have to notice it.

Editorial cover for Observation 004 of the Straulino Academy Journal featuring the title "The street is full of photographs." in minimalist white typography on a black background.

Minimalist editorial text slide reading "The street is full of photographs. Most people walk past them." in white serif typography on a black background, expressing the importance of observation in photography.Minimalist editorial text slide reading "The street is full of photographs. Most people walk past them." in white serif typography on a black background, expressing the importance of observation in photography.

Principle 004

Observation 003Seeing isn't knowing.I still get the same question."Is the image mirrored?"It never was.I understand why people ask.At first glance, it looks impossible.But everything is exactly as it was.Nothing was flipped.Nothing was changed.This photograph reminded me of something.Seeing isn't the same as knowing.We don't just look at photographs.We interpret them.We fill in the missing pieces.Sometimes we convince ourselves that something must be true.Even when it isn't.I still enjoy hearing the question.Not because people are wrong.Because it reminds me that photography is often less about what we see...and more about what we believe.

Minimalist editorial title card on a deep black background featuring oversized white serif numerals "003" with the heading "Observation 003" above and the statement "Seeing isn’t knowing." below. Clean, high-contrast typography and generous negative space create a refined, luxury magazine aesthetic with a quiet, conceptual tone.

Extreme close-up editorial beauty portrait of two faces with eyes closed, their lips nearly touching in a mirrored composition. One person wears vivid magenta lipstick, the other bright red, creating a striking contrast against pale skin and a deep black background. The minimalist framing and bold color palette evoke intimacy, tension, and graphic elegance.

Principle 003

Minimalist editorial title card on a deep black background featuring oversized white serif numerals "002" with the heading "Observation 002" above and the statement "A Memory." below. Elegant, high-contrast typography and expansive negative space create a timeless, luxury editorial aesthetic with a quiet, reflective mood.

Observation 002A memory.It was my first day in my new studio in New York.There wasn't even a proper sign.I wrote Candy Studio on a piece of paper and taped it next to the doorbell.Then I took a photograph.I didn't think much about it.The sign was only meant to be temporary.It stayed there for years.So did the photograph.Today, it's one of the most meaningful images I've ever made.Not because of how it looks.Because it reminds me of the excitement of starting over.Sometimes the photographs we value most aren't the ones we carefully create.They're the ones that quietly become part of our story.

Minimalist editorial typography on a deep black background featuring the centered phrase “A memory.” in large white serif type. The generous negative space, restrained composition, and timeless high-contrast design evoke quiet reflection, intimacy, and the elegance of a luxury editorial layout.

Principle 002

Minimalist editorial title card on a deep black background featuring oversized white serif numerals "001" with the heading "Observation 001" above and the statement "It wasn’t part of the concept." below. Crisp, high-contrast typography and expansive negative space create a refined luxury editorial aesthetic with a thoughtful, understated tone.

Observation 001It wasn't part of the concept.The portrait was almost finished.The make-up artist held a sheet of paper behind the model's eyelashes.Just for a moment.To protect her skin.One eye disappeared.I pressed the shutter.I knew immediately.The photograph had become better.Not because of something we added.Because of something we never planned.I never made the original version.I didn't want to.

Minimalist editorial cover on a deep black background featuring the title “Observation” in widely spaced white uppercase letters above oversized white serif numerals “001.” Refined typography, strong contrast, and expansive negative space create a timeless luxury editorial aesthetic with a clean, conceptual, and sophisticated mood.

Principle 001

The editorial archive of the Straulino Academy. Observations behind photographs. Reflections on visual language. Photography beyond technique.

JOURNAL

The editorial archive of the Straulino Academy. Explore observations and principles about photography, visual language and creative direction.

Journal | Straulino Academy

JOURNAL