Felix Rahlfs — Photographer

The Frame I Carry

I received my first camera seven years ago, and since then, photography has become more than just a passion—it is my way of telling stories. As I now pursue my dream profession, I am dedicated to documenting life in its most authentic and meaningful form. From an early age, I have been drawn to nature and the beauty of fleeting moments, always seeking to capture them through my lens.

I specialize in 50mm photography and combine digital and analog techniques to create a unique, film-inspired look. My approach blends the precision of modern photography with the timeless charm of film, resulting in a distinctive and nostalgic aesthetic. Every frame is an attempt to preserve something real—a glance, a shadow, a landscape that will never look quite the same way twice.

Approach

I work primarily with a fixed 50mm focal length. It forces intentionality—you can’t zoom, so you have to move. You have to be present. That constraint is the foundation of my style. Analog film gives me the grain, the color shifts, the happy accidents. Digital gives me the sharpness and the ability to iterate quickly. Together they let me build a visual language that feels both contemporary and timeless.

Whether I’m shooting in the German countryside, a crowded market in Southeast Asia, or the quiet streets of a European city at dawn, the goal is the same: to find the frame that tells the story. I shoot on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a 50mm f/1.4 for digital work, and a Leica M6 with Kodak Portra 400 for film. The two cameras live in my bag at all times—I choose based on the light, the mood, the moment.

Currently

Living on the road. Working on a long-term documentary project about the spaces between destinations—the transit zones, border towns, and overnight trains where life happens in the margins. I’m also building a small zine of my recent work from a six-week trip through the Balkans, tentatively titled Dust & Dawn. Available for commissions and collaborations worldwide.

Selected Work

Series I — 2025

Borderlands

A visual diary from the train routes between Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Shot entirely on the Leica M6, these frames capture the quiet tension of transit—waiting rooms, fogged windows, strangers in shared compartments.

Series II — 2025

Golden Hour, Always

A study of the last light before dusk across seven countries. Each image taken within a thirty-minute window, using only available light. Digital body, 50mm, no crop. The constraint makes every frame a negotiation with time.

Series III — 2024

Still Life, Moving

Objects in transit—a coffee cup on a ferry railing, boots drying on a hostel windowsill, a map folded and refolded until the creases tear. Analog, medium format, shot on a borrowed Mamiya RZ67.

Series IV — 2024

Heimat Fragments

Returning to the German countryside after months abroad. These images ask what “home” means when you spend more time leaving than staying. Digital, 50mm, desaturated in post to match the memory of the place rather than its reality.

Series V — 2023

Night Markets

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City. Shot at night with only the market lights—fluorescent tubes, bare bulbs, charcoal glow. Digital, pushed to ISO 3200, the grain becomes part of the composition.

Series VI — 2023

Portraits in Passing

Strangers met on the road, photographed with their consent in a single frame each. No second takes. The project is an exercise in trust and the willingness to be seen, even for a moment. Film and digital, mixed.

Contact & Studio

Currently based between Berlin and Munich, with frequent stops in Southeast Asia and the Balkans. I take on commissioned work for editorial, travel, and documentary projects. If you have a story that needs a visual voice, I’d love to hear about it.

Studio address: c/o Rahlfs, Torstraße 177, 10115 Berlin. Ring twice — the bell is temperamental. For quick replies, email is best. I check messages whenever I have signal.

felix@rahlfs.photography · @felixrahlfs