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.
A walk from S Sonnenallee to U Kottbusser Tor in Berlin: Memories and discoveries
My old neighbourhood under new light: A walk from S Sonnenallee to U Kottbusser Tor in Berlin brings up memories and discoveries. Read more on the changes as well as sustainable fashion, barbers and second-hand clothes in Neukölln. Berlin memories I love Berlin! It was a huge adventure to move […]
We love Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the northeastern part of the country it is often overlooked – at least by Germans on our race to the Western coast. I was lucky enough to get myself a Grunn (Groninger) who moved to Drenthe as a kid: We love […]
Heligoland: An island recovery
My first visit to a Frisian island since I was a kid (affinity to islands and sea: Inselfieber). After more than a month of being land-locked in the Netherlands and Germany, we were very much looking forward to an island recovery on Heligoland. Deep-sea island Before we got invited to […]
Sich treiben lassen oder zwei Wasserratten in den Bergen
Ihr geht auch noch in eurem Urlaub tauchen, war die verdutzte Nachfrage anderer Gäste auf Lembeh, einer kleinen Insel im Nordosten Sulawesis (Indonesien), wo wir uns für sieben Tage mit unserer Kameraausrüstung austoben konnten. Nachdem wir den Luxus genießen, unserer Leidenschaft fast tagtäglich nachzugehen und die Stunden, die wir unter […]
Website: Restart to connect and protect
This is the official restart of our website to live up to a part of our life mission: Connect and protect to transform the world (About us). The time is now Two and a half years of absence are coming to an end today. The main reason for not being […]
Islands in the sky
The only way to explore the water world of Komodo Nationalpark: boat! But it’s more than just a way to travel. We enjoy the view of the islands in the sky before diving into the endless ocean and the sparkling sun on the water when getting back up after another […]
With happy regards from Komodo
A week ago raining season started in Labuan Bajo. Even though the land in all the Eastern parts of Indonesia badly needed the rain, it does have its downsides. Not only are the clouds blocking our precious sun, but it creates quite some runoff that together with rubbish is being […]
Selamat tahun baru!
Happy ending and off to a good start. Nevertheless, we don’t know where 2016 is taking us. Therefore we keep our eyes open and follow our hearts: „Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll be there“. Enjoy the soundtrack (Incubus: Drive) and see you hopefully somewhere at some point in this year (Where […]
End of the year
End of the year. And what a fantastic end it is: Mantas and dragons. We love Komodo!