I was born and raised in East Berlin in the 80s and 90s. I spent many years working in the corporate world, building a career and living a fairly different life from the one I have today.

A few years ago, I decided to follow my love (!) and my passion for photography and moved to London. What started as a move to a new country eventually became a complete change of direction: I left my corporate career behind and became a full-time photographer.

I think I’m only now starting to realise what a big change that actually was.

A new country, a different language, a different mentality. Going from being an employee to being self-employed. From corporate business to a creative career. And doing all of that when I’m not 25 anymore.

It’s a lot.

But it was absolutely worth it, and I have never regretted the decision.

My biggest passion within photography has always been street photography. I love walking through a city and paying attention to what most people simply walk past. A strange interaction, an unexpected expression, an unusual combination of people, light and surroundings - small situations that exist for only a few seconds and then disappear.

For me, photography is a way of noticing those moments and keeping them from being lost in the hectic pace of everyday life.

That way of looking at the world also influences my commercial and portrait work. I’m interested in people as they really are, in the small details and genuine moments that give an image its character.

Gottichelli Photography is the result of combining that passion with everything I’ve learned along the way - from my years in the corporate world to starting over in a new country and building something of my own.

It’s a different life from the one I had before.

And I wouldn’t change it.

Ben