About Stefanie

I'm Steffi, a documentary family photographer based in Hamburg, Germany. I live in Hamburg's Walddörfer with my partner, our two little whirlwinds and our cat.

I photograph families the way they actually are – not posed, not perfect, not shot with the final result in mind. I document the first quiet days after a baby arrives, everyday life as a family, and intimate civil ceremonies. I stay in the background, observing rather than directing: I follow along while you read, bake, comfort, cuddle and laugh together, and I keep what's already there rather than arranging it.

This way of working started when I became a mother myself. Classic shoots left my family stressed and the pictures, though pretty, didn't show who we really are. So I changed everything. The images I care about are the honest ones – a little messy, a little chaotic, exactly like real life.

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