Getting ready with Rurik Gislason

A chance conversation with Rurik on Wednesday turned into a spontaneous shoot on Thursday, just two hours before the red carpet of the Bambi gala in Munich — a glimpse behind the scenes, in those quiet moments before the flashlights begin. The getting-ready, the styling, the unhurried rhythm of preparing for an evening that will soon feel electric.

There is a particular atmosphere in a hotel room at times like these: a blend of focus and ease, anticipation and calm. Outfits come together, details settle into place, the energy builds slowly — and then, suddenly, it’s time to step out and into the gala night.

Moments like these remind me of what photography continuously gives me: it pulls me into encounters I could never script, into conversations that unfold naturally, into connections that feel both surprising and effortless. It allows me to meet extraordinary people, to see beyond the surface, and to translate that perception into images that feel honest, present, and alive.

I love capturing these authentic instants — the unfiltered ones, the ones that simply happen. I’m far more drawn to being there than to choreographing perfection; the moment itself is what matters. And I deeply cherish the trust, like Rurik’s, that allows me to be present in these intimate minutes of preparation, seeing and documenting them through my own photographic perception.