BEHIND THE LENS

Hi, I’m Mod Schwalbe, a British filmmaker and photographer. Most of my work centers around capturing life, whether through portraits, documentary and narrative film, music,family and weddings. I moved to New York nearly ten years ago, and now live in Brooklyn with my wife and daughter.

Photography has always felt like frozen frames to me — slices of life captured in motion. My first real experience of its power was during the countless visits I made to my grandparents’ home as a child, flipping through images that documented the lives of their twelve children (yes, twelve!). What moved me then — and still inspires me now — was the raw authenticity of those moments. They weren’t posed or perfected; they were unfiltered snapshots of life, full of the joy, chaos, and struggles of childhood and adolescence.

Those photographs still feel alive to me, bursting with emotion and the lived experience of growing up. To me, this is the true essence of photography: capturing people as they are — in all their honest, unguarded feeling — rather than the polished, filtered version we’re so often encouraged to present.

What I love most about documentary photography is creating an environment where people feel at ease. Where the camera doesn’t bring self-consciousness about body image or perfection, but instead fades into the background — allowing people to simply live their day, fully present.

Because this is how life deserves to be remembered: with soul, presence, and authenticity. These are the moments that will truly matter 100 years from now — and capturing them is my greatest joy.