Nico mixes a lifelong love of cars with a deep sense of nostalgia. After rediscovering his grandad’s 1958 Zeiss Ikon film camera, he fell in love with capturing cars as more than machines — they’re adventure, emotion, and history. Inspired by old racing footage and the timeless feel of film, he creates images that look like they’ve slipped out of another era, keeping a family legacy alive one frame at a time.
Age (or age range): 24
Where you live and/or where are you from?
I live in Winchester, UK but originally from Switzerland.
What is your earliest memory with a camera?
My earliest memory with a camera came from my childhood. This was in the early 00’s, I remember my parents had a Polaroid camera and my grandad had one of these early digicams. My first experience taking pictures was probably with my dad’s first iPhone, I’m pretty sure he had a first generation one! I only started photography properly a couple of years ago however, when I found my grandad’s old film camera, a 1958 Zeiss Ikon Contaflex IV.
What drew you to photographing cars?
I have been a big petrolhead since I was a child, again thanks to my grandad, who was a chauffeur and I used to ride along with him in the back of his 1990 Lincoln Town Car, which was quite a sight in Switzerland! Photographing cars therefore came pretty naturally to me, it gave me the chance to explore my love for cars in a creative way.
What do cars represent to you beyond the machine itself?
Cars always represented a sense of adventure to me. The endless memories you can make on a roadtrip and exploring places you’d never normally get to see. Plus, going on a sunset drive is like therapy.
What’s your process when planning a shoot?
It does depend on what exactly I’m shooting and I normally have a rough idea of what I want to do but I often just go with the flow. At a racetrack I love to go around the paddocks to capture the behind the scenes like mechanics working on the cars or drivers getting ready. Some of my favourite shots are when you can really feel the emotions through the image, like before a race start for example.
Is there a photographer, artist or genre that influences your photography and why?
I do get inspired by a lot of people, the film and automotive photography community have some incredible talents! But I think I get inspired the most by old racing footage and period photographs.
Have you ever tried alternative development methods or film stocks for a specific creative effect?
I always try to use film stocks that bring out nostalgic effects. For example at Goodwood Revival this September, I used Ilford Delta 3200 to get extra grain and the images had this really vintage feel to them. When it comes to developing methods, I get mine developed at the lab but it is something I’d like to experiment with in the future.
What’s your go-to film camera for shooting and what would be your dream film camera to shoot with?
My go-to film camera is and will always be my grandad’s Zeiss Ikon Contaflex IV and I’d even consider it my dream camera just because of the sentimental value. The camera was first bought by my grand-uncle in 1958 actually, who then gifted it to my grandad a few years later. It was then passed down to my dad, who took it with him on his travels with my mum in the late 80’s and 90’s. Now it’s my turn to take this camera on many adventures and eventually I’d like to pass it down to my future children as well.
How do you stay inspired when creativity feels low or stagnant?
I like to focus on the simple things when I don’t feel too inspired and really slow down the process. When I’m out shooting, I like to fall into a rhythm and not think too much, I think that’s when my creativity is the highest.
Which car have you been waiting to shoot and have yet to encounter?
I have definitely been very fortunate to attend some of the best motorsport events in the world where I was able to see and shoot some incredible cars. Just at Goodwood Revival this September, I was able to shoot the 4 winning cars of Jim Clark’s incredible 1965 season where he won the Indy 500 along with the F1, F2 and Tasman Series championships. One car I’m yet to come across though would be a Ferrari 330 P4, that would be an absolute dream!
Have you ever completely messed up a roll? What happened and what did you learn from it?
I came close but I think I always had at least one picture I was happy with. A memorable one was when I went on a very last minute trip to Spa Classic and the only roll I had left was an Ilford FP4 Plus. Unfortunately ISO 125 doesn’t work well with the very dark and rainy Ardennes region where Spa-Francorchamps is located so most shots were underexposed, especially with some races running into the night. Since then I always try to stock a small variety of different film stocks in case I’m doing a spontaneous shoot. But the most important thing I’ve learned from this is that it doesn’t really matter what gear you have as long as you enjoy yourself and try make it work!
What’s your favorite season or time of year for shooting cars, and what makes it special?
Can I say all of them? I think I really enjoy specific things from each season so it’s difficult for me to choose one. What I’d like to do at some point in winter however, is to do a shoot with a classic in the snow. I think that would make for some incredible pictures so that’s definitely on my bucket list
What’s the best advice you’ve received about photography — and who gave it to you?
At the Goodwood Members Meeting earlier this year, I had the chance to briefly meet Keith Sutton, who was Ayrton’s Senna personal photographer and shot over 700 Grand Prix over his career. He started out shooting at Formula 3 races just for fun until he met Senna and was able to follow him on his way to Formula 1. His advice to me was to always remember that we’re already living the dream doing this as a hobby and that incredible opportunities will come eventually!
Is there anything that you'd like to promote? I.e. Your business website and what you do, other social channels, or projects you wanna promote?
I’m currently building my first website to have my portfolio and all my projects in one place. I’ll announce it once it is finished on my Instagram!
