My photography evolves around composition, artistic subjects, and creative storytelling. Let's call it it personal view with a particular focus and multifaceted perspectives on life. - Nicola Jaeger
I am delighted to see how far I have come already and how much more there is to learn and explore. Curiosity and creativity are two of my core values and driving forces. I am enthusiastic, after all, we are on a mission.
* Running for best German Photographer of the Year 2019
* Winning picture (jury) May 2020 in Tauchen
* Overall winner of the competition “Capture Statia’s Beauty” as well as the People's Choice Award in 2022
Work for others
We are currently creating content for the St Eustatius Tourism Development Foundation, where we combine film, photography, and writing to promote Statia’s beauty, as well as link the work of other organisations and initiatives such as WOW!
As volunteers at St. Eustatius Animal Welfare Foundation, we present our furry friends in the best light to help them find homes.
Over the years, I photographed at conferences, weddings, birthdays, excursions, and tours. On request, I created custom-made invitations and cards for such events.
In 2015, a network of German NGOs based in Berlin hired us to photograph and film stock images and footage. After using the city as our muse, we travelled through Germany to Brussels creating a solid and varied amount photographs (access only for members).
Panglao, Philippines: While living in Alona Beach, I photographed resorts and dive centres (2011-2013). Understandably, their websites changed over the years.
My photography
I love composition, unusual themes or subjects, and, of course, storytelling. Together these aspects form the base of my photography to open hearts and create interest in exploring new horizons – physically or virtually. My photos support my writing and vice versa.
Both are rooted in the desire to create awareness for the beauty and weirdness of our (natural) world, introducing species and their habitats as well as destinations, piquing interest in diving and the protection of fragile ecosystems, highlighting connections within these systems as well as to human behaviour and other stressors. We form nature, yet we are part of it.
Travel, nature, and wildlife photos are integrated into the English as well as the German blog (see entries listed at the bottom of the page). Underwater photography is a special passion requiring combined skills. I started to set up collections featuring photography on land as well as underwater which I add to from time to time:
Background: My love-affair with photography
Photography fascinated me already early on in life. I loved the old black and white photos of my parents and oldest brother and got my first camera when I was nine years old. I mainly remember running after butterflies and harassing my family. Together with my best teenage friend, I explored the possibilities to stage and present ourselves in a different light. However, we didn't even think of sharing the results with others! I joined the photography club in school and learnt how to use a SLR and how to develop pictures in a dark room. Pretty motivated I bought my first SLR camera, an Olympus - second-hand, of course. National geographic and other magazines as well as travel and nature documentaries on TV created a longing to see the world and bring stories home. Travelling and working abroad opened up new horizons and stay one of my inspirations until today, but was also separated me from my love affair for a while (more in My long way to underwater photography).
Only when I had finished my studies and worked at the NGO with the beautiful name WEED (World Economy, Ecology and Development e. V.) I started to take some classes at the Photo Centrum in Berlin Kreuzberg. It felt so good to get back in touch with that part of me and highly motivated I bought my first DSLR camera (Pentax KR1) and managed to integrate some photography into my following NGO work and simply enjoyed playing around and discovering the possibilities of digital photography for myself.
When I started diving in the tropics in 2011 it felt like a whole new universe or maybe another dimension revealed itself (My long way to underwater photography). I followed my heart and used photography to illustrate the stories I was sending home to let family and friends see what our lives looked like on land. To take them with us into our underwater realm I luckily could share Yoeri's beautiful clips.
My photography with focus on composition and creative storytelling is also embedded in other parts of the website.
Selection of blog entries
in English as well as in German featuring picture galleries from around the world.
Im Bann der Jahreszeiten: Raus, wenn du kannst
Raus, wenn du kannst, hat uns in doppelter Hinsicht durch diesen Winter getragen. Im Bann der Jahreszeiten diente es uns als vage Hoffnung auf eine wohligere Zukunft, doch wichtiger war sicher die nähere Umgebung zu erkunden, damit wir während dieses Wartens nicht durchgedreht sind. Jedenfalls noch nicht. Immer mal wieder […]
Richtig Stimmung unter dem Gefrierpunkt
Gerade liegen die Temperaturen zwar eindeutig über Null, doch der Sturm und Regen lässt unsere Stimmung in ungeahnte Tiefen sinken. Irgendwie schafft es das nasse Regenwetter sogar, dass sich alles kälter anfühlt als mit Eis und Schnee. Vor vier Wochen sah die Welt noch ganz anders aus. Da war richtig […]
Unter Schutz stellen
Auch wenn uns in Wakatobi nach Komodo die geliebten Mantas fehlten und Haie zu seltenen Gästen wurden, denken wir weiterhin voller Liebe und Dankbarkeit an die Vielfalt und das Leben an den Riffen. Korallenriffe sind komplexe Ökosysteme, die wir nicht nur um ihrer selbst Willen unter Schutz stellen sollten. Neben […]
Momentaufnahmen an Land und unter Wasser
Zu Beginn war ich skeptisch, ob ich überhaupt eine Kamera haben wollte. Momentaufnahmen an Land waren schön und gut, aber unter Wasser erschien mir die Kamera, durchaus eine Belastung zu sein. Das Tauchen an sich war so aufregend, es gab so viel zu lernen und zu entdecken. Doch bald stieg […]
Squids: Upside down and fast backwards
Squids can swim upside down and fast backwards to get away from it all. These cephalopods range from pygmy squids of 10-16 millimetres to giant squids of more than 10 meters. As a member of the „Savvy softies: Octopus, cuttlefish and squid“ they are highly intelligent invertebrates. Upside down Squid […]
Frogfish: The odd one out
Frogfish, a.k.a. anglerfish, are part of the weird and wide group of ambush predators (They got the look). Somehow frogfishes stand out turning them into the all-time favourites of divers and underwater photographers. Some call them ugly, we find them fascinating for many reasons. Frogfish: The odd one out, having brought the […]
Stonefish: Venomous touch
Another ambush predator is the infamous stonefish because of its venomous touch. The venom of the stonefish is the strongest not only of all the ambush predators, but of all fish, and a sting, depending on the amount of venom entering the victim, can be fatal also for humans. Ambush […]
Entwicklung in Zeit und Raum: Trauern mit Fotografie
Der Tod gehört zum Leben. Wir alle wissen das, schaffen es aber immer wieder, diese Tatsache meisterhaft zu verdrängen, bis es einen Menschen trifft, den wir lieben. Ich fühlte mich anschließend lange verloren in Zeit und Raum, abgetrennt von mir selbst und meiner Entwicklung. Doch das Leben bleibt nicht plötzlich […]
Ambon scorpionfish: A shaggy Elvis
Just like Elvis, only with “hair” towards both sides of the head. That’s one of the pictures that comes to my mind looking at an ambon scorpionfish (Pteroidichthys amboinensi). Unlike Elvis, the information that can be found online on this beautiful species is rather slim though. Shaggy style to blend […]