What excites us the most over here at Sabukaru is the hunt and discovery of fresh talent, climbing the ladders and shattering the ground around them.

With that being said we sat down with the up and coming fashion photographer Lucas Caqlar and talked about his life, what drove him to pick up a camera and start taking pictures, as well as touching on how he managed to establish himself so quickly in today’s overpopulated fashion scene.

Seemingly popping out of nowhere, Lucas has managed to rapidly land big-name clients over this last year, one quick scroll through his Instagram page and you’ll see some familiar faces pop out at you as well. Whether he was shooting fashion editorials for Interview Germany or capturing OAMCs show backstage during Paris Fashion Week, Lucas has been at the centre stage of what's happening within central European fashion as well as the global stage.

Taking a look at Lucas images, it's easy to see that light and emotions play a very significant role in his work. With only a minor edit, all of his images are very honest and give the viewer a feeling of being a part of the situation.

Lucas, tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Lucas Caqlar, I was born in a city close to Stuttgart but pretty soon moved to Düsseldorf where I was raised. For me, Düsseldorf is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany even though it feels like a bad place for being successful in whatever you want to do. That must be the reason why I moved to Berlin almost a year ago.

How did you get connected to photography and what is your relationship towards it?

For me, school was one of the hardest times back then and I couldn’t really stick to rules and frameworks. You actually can not imagine how often I had to change school and I think that was one of the early happenings where I realized that I am not able to work in fixed structures but need to be responsible for myself. After leaving school pretty early, I tried myself in fashion design for a couple of years but was always impressed by the fashion editorials that crossed my path. At some point, I decided to do a restart and start doing photography because I felt that this was my real destiny.. so here I am now.

My relationship to photography is kinda simple but still has a deeper meaning for myself. For me, photography is a medium that helps me to communicate my feelings, perceptions and awareness to the world. Capturing the moment at the right moment, only photography helps me to work off.

In times where everyone can be a photographer by owning a camera and running an Instagram Account, how do you make the difference?

To be honest, I don’t want to judge that. Anyone can do whatever he or she wants, which is good cause this is the only way to differentiate yourself. However, I just want to do what I feel... this is the reason why you can recognize my pictures, they have my heart and my soul.

What are today’s challenges in being a freelance photographer?

I think a lot of things will change during the next few years, you can really feel the noise in today’s world... Nobody really knows where the fast life is taking us. It feels like we are not ready yet to do the next big step, at least that's what I’ve recognized in today's Art, Fashion and Photography scene. But that is going to happen very soon, no matter what you say. It’s going to be very exciting and new, trust me.

Completely stepping away from the classic fashion photography, you are also shooting a lot of portraits as well as moody images that gives the viewer insights in your emotional life. One of your latest Series „EL AY“ that you shared with us is about your first time in America. Can you tell us a bit more about this project?

I spent eight very exciting days in Los Angeles a while ago and for me, that time was very intense. Each photo is the outcome from a different emotion, whether it was fear, luck or sadness. All of those images stand alone but also work perfectly together as a compilation that showcases my perceptions and describes how I experienced Los Angeles. Having such a short and acute time in a city like Los Angeles, you feel so many different ways in such a short timeframe that I can not even put into words, i can only capture them in my photos, i find that these day it’s the best way for me to express myself as I don’t like to speak much anyway.

However, I am really happy for that experience and I can’t wait to go back to Los Angeles again.

How would you describe your work in three words?

Intimacy

Desire

Holistic

Even though you are such a quiet guy, you created an amazing network in your adopted city Berlin, in such a short time. What does the city mean to you and how do you motivate yourself to focus on our constant outcome?

That's a tricky question that I often ask myself. Most of my time in Berlin, I used to work on my projects and goals. The city offers so much space and silence to learn about myself pretty well. I try to stay away from that „Berlin“ that comes to mind when you think about the city. It would just distract me from who I am and what I am doing.

Berlin is not really a pretty city and it does not really inspire me, but the city is honest and straight into your face, it gives me the reality check I need to feel myself. One day, I am going back to Düsseldorf and then, lets see what happens.

About the author

Based in Berlin, Nico Baulig is working in the fashion industry for a while now, mainly focusing on communications and brand management. Besides the day to day work life, he is doing a lot of analogue photography and runs a young and independent brand and community together with friends from his hometown.

Instagram: @probablynotnico

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