Photographing Intimacy: Amelie on Trust, Berlin, BDSM and Power
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Updated: 1 hour ago
There’s a version of Berlin that mostly exists in retelling—the myth of endless nights, radical openness, a city where everything is possible and nothing is off-limits.
And then there’s the version you actually live in.
The freedom is real, but so is the responsibility that comes with it. Intimacy may be easier
to access, harder to navigate. Everyone talks about openness, but far fewer understand what it actually demands—of yourself, of other people, of the space between.
Amelie works somewhere in the tension between those two Berlins.
Her images don’t perform in the way you might expect. There’s no forced eroticism, no heavy aesthetic signalling. Instead, they sit in a quieter register—where something is clearly unfolding, emotionally or physically, but never fully explained. You’re left to feel your way through it rather than being told what to see.
Amelie isn’t documenting from a distance. She’s been in front of the camera, inside kink spaces, inside dynamics where trust isn’t implied—it’s the entire structure. That kind of experience shifts your perspective. It strips away the surface.
We spoke about photographing intimacy, the difference between aesthetic and actual power, and why Berlin’s version of freedom asks more of you than people like to admit.
What drew you into it when you started photography?
I was in my early 20s when I started and honestly I was just looking for a hobby. I wanted to create something, something that lasts. I learned everything by myself with YouTube, first taking photos of my friends. When I felt more secure, I asked models on Instagram if I could shoot them. Photography is a great way of showing your inner world, transforming emotions into pictures.
Another aspect was meeting new people. A few of my best friends I met through photography. Last month I took photos of the wedding of my first model ever. I’m grateful for every connection I made like this.
Did you begin with a clear visual language or did it emerge accidentally over time? How would you describe your style today?
One word I am always using to describe my work since the beginning is ‘moody’. Starting with photography, I had no clear visual language, I just knew that I don’t like photos that are too polished. I always wanted people to feel something when they look at my photos. I love melancholy and I feel like a lot of my photos are showing that. Music is also a big inspiration for my photography.
How has the sexual language of your photos developed and taken shape until today?
Everything started with me standing in front of a camera as a model. My ex-partner is a photographer as well, he often took photos of me during our relationship and taught me a lot about photography. I think it was important for me to understand how vulnerability in front of a camera feels, I can connect with my models on another level like that.
On the other hand, I also know how nice and empowering it is to have photos of yourself that you really like. Personally, I’m also interested in kink and BDSM for quite some time, it just didn’t really show in my photos. I was living in a smaller city in Germany (Leipzig), so there wasn’t really a scene for that. That changed in Berlin, especially after attending Klub Verboten events, making connections and finding new friends. You can really see a change in my visual language after moving.
“I think it was important for me to understand how vulnerability in front of a camera feels.”
How much of your shoots are pre-constructed versus negotiated in the room?
It depends a bit on the time available, place and of course the people I’m working with. It’s a bit like with BDSM - some people like to plan out their scenes meticulously, others like to go with the flow. Sometimes I have to shoot very fast because it’s in a public place, sometimes it’s fun to play around and see what happens spontaneously. When shooting in public, I have to admit, I’m often a bit stressed or scared that people call the police. Luckily that never happened, quite the opposite, people are often cute and interested, surprisingly especially the older folks.
“It’s a bit like with BDSM — some people like to plan everything, others like to go with the flow.”
Are you making images you believe in, or images the algorithm rewards? How do you balance that?
Both I’d say. I wouldn’t post or take photos I don’t believe in. In the beginning I definitely took photos that the algorithm rewards. These days barely. I’m not self-employed anymore and have a main job, so I don’t have any pressure to earn money with my photography. That makes me think more freely, I can choose projects that I really like. The algorithm wants us to spend as much time online as possible, but in the end time is the most important thing we have. That’s why I don’t really want to support that anymore.
We should spend more time connecting with people and exploring the world, for example with photography or BDSM and kink. I see a change in a lot of people’s minds about that lately, people are spending more time offline and it’s really nice to see. If I would have more money, I would definitely like to dive more into analogue photography. Something I’d like to tell other photographers: print your art. It’s a completely different feeling and makes you proud about what you created.
“In the end time is the most important thing we have.”
Have you always been interested in kink, sex workers, sexual expression and freedom, or what’s been your personal journey within this?
Very embarrassing - but probably the starting point for many people: ’50 Shades of Grey’. :’) It opened a door of curiosity for me. Of course today I know it’s not representing consensual BDSM in a realistic way at all. Over time through personal experiences, reading a lot into it, trying to understand psychological backgrounds, conversations with like-minded people and meeting others within the community, my understanding became much deeper. I learned how important trust, consent, vulnerability and boundaries are.
“It’s irresponsible to spank or choke someone when you’re high.”
Power dynamics and kink are really important to me personally. I have ADHD and during shibari sessions for example my brain goes completely quiet, which feels absolutely amazing. All these topics appear naturally in my photography, strangely I never took photos of shibari, that’s something I’d definitely like to change.
“I learned how important trust, consent, vulnerability and boundaries are.”
How do you distinguish between aestheticized dominance and actual power exchange?
Aestheticized dominance can be created through styling, poses and visual symbolism.
Actual power exchange is something that exists between the people involved, it’s based on trust, communication and consent.
“Actual power exchange is something that exists between the people involved.”
How do you build consent into a shoot beyond the verbal agreement?
Communication before, during and after the shoot is really important.
We talk about expectations, boundaries and comfort levels beforehand. During the shoot I check in regularly and make sure everyone still feels good about what we’re doing. Breaks are really important in my opinion, to let them check in with themselves, recharge and to drink something. It’s a bit like a BDSM scene itself. Consent is something ongoing, not something that happens only once at the beginning. Aftercare is important too.
“Consent is something ongoing, not something that happens only once at the beginning.”
Berlin has a reputation for sexual and artistic freedom. What’s your view on this, living here?
The reputation exists for a reason. Berlin allows people to explore parts of themselves that might feel harder to express elsewhere. I’m grateful to live here, for all the possibilities and the connections I made. That freedom is incredibly inspiring.
“Boundaries can get blurred very quickly.”
With great power (and freedom) comes great responsibility though. It’s important to acknowledge that unfortunately under the label of “freedom” there is also a lot of abuse happening. Boundaries can get blurred very quickly in spaces around intimacy, sexuality and in party settings. (Kinky) Chemsex is so dangerous in my opinion. If you want to play with power dynamics or impact play you need to be clear-minded. It’s irresponsible to spank or choke someone when you’re high. Some people just pretend to be open and caring, just to take advantage of you. I had to learn that the hard way.
Because of that, I’ve become much more careful about who I work with and who I let into my creative and personal space. Trust takes time, and I think it’s important to really get to know people before creating something vulnerable together.
I love Berlin but it’s so so easy to get lost in it. You have to really take care of yourself and the people around you. Don’t be afraid to have boundaries and communicate them.
“Trust takes time.”
What’s one shortcut you refuse to take?
Losing authenticity for attention or money.
Interview by Amanda Sandström
