{"id":35885,"date":"2026-06-21T07:26:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T05:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/?p=35885"},"modified":"2026-07-21T06:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T04:36:15","slug":"photo-trip-st-petersburg-eight-models-one-robbery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/photo-trip-st-petersburg-eight-models-one-robbery\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTO SHOOT TRIP TO ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 EIGHT MODELS, ONE ROBBERY"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Photo shoot trip to St. Petersburg, September. Eight models, one robbery. <\/strong><\/h2><\/h2><\/span>
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Arrival<\/h3>\n
St. Petersburg is beautiful, but the city doesn’t go out of its way to please you. I wasn’t afraid, but I did feel a sense of respect. Maybe it was the language, or maybe it was that feeling of never quite knowing where you stand. <\/p>\n
The “Family Inn”<\/h3>\n
We stayed at a small, nice \u201cfamily-run guesthouse\u201d that had about 1,700 rooms. The hallways looked like airports, the walls were thin, and it was constantly noisy. The hotel food wasn\u2019t great, but the food in town was consistently very good. <\/p>\n
Daily Rhythm<\/h3>\n
We had breakfast in the morning, and then we took an Uber to the studio. The drivers often dropped us off 500 to 600 meters before the location. With Cyrillic signs and no sense of direction, you honestly feel lost in moments like that, but somehow we found our way every time. <\/p>\n
The Studios<\/h3>\n
We worked exclusively in studios\u2014but anyone who thinks \u201cstudio\u201d means white walls and studio lights is mistaken. The locations in St. Petersburg were lofts<\/a>. High ceilings, historic architecture, lots of character. And above all: natural light. Large windows, often facing north or east, providing that soft light you just can\u2019t buy. <\/p>\n
I prefer working with available light rather than artificial light<\/a> anyway\u2014not out of convenience, but because it\u2019s more authentic. In these spaces, that wasn\u2019t a compromise. It was the only right choice. The light worked in my favor. <\/p>\n
More about Available Light Photography: PetaPixel \u2014 Photography 101: Using Available Light<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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$\"\u201cIntense\u201d$ <\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Working in pairs<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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There were just the two of us, and we tried not to influence each other. When my friend was taking photos in the studio, I\u2019d knock, wait for the go-ahead, and stay outside until he was done. When it was my turn, he\u2019d stand somewhere else, and so would the model. In the evening, we looked at the results and We envied each other. That’s exactly how it should be. <\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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Three hours, break, change<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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A photo shoot trip isn’t a vacation. In the morning, we worked with two models and shot for about three hours. After that, we took a short lunch break, changed locations in the afternoon, and met some new people. Then we shot for another three hours. There was no stopwatch, but we quickly fell into a rhythm.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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She, who spoke only Russian<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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One of the models spoke only Russian. There was no need to explain much because she set a relentless pace. She would stand there, glance briefly, ask, \u201c\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0434\u0430\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0435?\u201d\u2014\u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d\u2014and immediately move into the next pose. I\u2019ve rarely photographed so quickly\u2014and rarely enjoyed it so much. That energy filled the entire room. One of the models spoke only Russian. There was no need to explain much because she set a relentless pace. She\u2019d stand there, glance briefly, ask, \u201c\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0434\u0430\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0435?\u201d\u2014 \u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d\u2014and was already moving into the next pose. I\u2019ve rarely photographed so quickly, and rarely enjoyed it so much. That energy filled the entire room. One of the models spoke only Russian. There was no need to explain much because she set a relentless pace. She\u2019d stand there, glance briefly, ask, \u201c\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0434\u0430\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0435?\u201d\u2014\u201cWhat\u2019s next?\u201d\u2014and immediately move into the next pose. I\u2019ve rarely photographed so quickly, and rarely enjoyed it so much. That energy filled the entire room.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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The “Schumacher” driver<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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We just called one Uber driver \u201cSchumacher.\u201d He drove just under 100 kilometers per hour in town, took curves as if they were slalom gates, and smiled friendly the whole time. I held on tight and wondered if everyone drives like that here or if we were just lucky.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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The Food<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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One evening in particular stands out: We wanted to have steak with two models. At this restaurant, every waiter and waitress looked like a model and sang between courses. It seemed absurd, but it was good\u2014both in terms of the food and as a moment in itself. <\/p>\n<\/div>
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The Robbery<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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On the last day, we still had some time left, so we went to see a church. I left my gear at the hotel, but he didn\u2019t. On the street, a man approached us and offered us a hat\u2014one of those with flaps that fold down over the ears. Meanwhile, someone was trying to open my boyfriend\u2019s camera backpack. He turned around and struck out. Suddenly, five men were standing there. It all happened quickly, loudly, and senselessly. In the end, a lens was missing\u2014nothing else. At that moment, it dawned on me that these men had nothing to lose. <\/p>\n
Still, the good things remain. First and foremost, I think of the women who were friendly, engaging, and easygoing. I think of the food, the evenings after the shoot, and the model who spoke only Russian but understood everything anyway. St. Petersburg didn\u2019t exactly welcome me with open arms, but it was a full week. Eight models, lots of photos, and a few bruises. It was real, and that\u2019s why I went there. <\/p>\n<\/div>
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What Remains<\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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The photos from this photo shoot<\/strong> are available as limited-edition fine art prints right here. Not at poster stores. Not on Amazon. Only here, and only while the edition is still available.<\/p>\n<\/div>
SIGNED. FRAMED. ICONIC.<\/strong>\nFramed, autographed, edition of 199 \u2014 available for four weeks, then gone.\n\ud83d\udc49 View the series<\/a><\/p>\n
Collector's Edition<\/strong>\n Individual works, strictly limited, with certificate of authenticity.\n \ud83d\udc49 To the Collector's Edition<\/a><\/p>\n
The Book & An Other Book<\/strong>\n336 pages, 29\u00d736 cm \u2014 not a \u201cbest of,\u201d but a cross-section.\n\ud83d\udc49 View the book bundle<\/a><\/p>\n
Nude calendar<\/strong>\n Two versions, large format, hand-signed, limited edition.\n \ud83d\udc49 View the calendars<\/a><\/p>\n
Nude Photography<\/strong>\nHow I work, where the photos come from.\n\ud83d\udc49 About Nude Photography<\/a><\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd17 Sign up for the newsletter now \u2014 new releases & early access<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17627,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[227],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35885"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36686,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35885\/revisions\/36686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/martin-wieland-arts.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}