Viewing the beautifully modest work of Hanover, Germany–based photographer Franziska Kuttler often feels as though we’ve stumbled onto a street scene where the light lines up perfectly to frame the face of a stranger who just so happens to be an effortless model. The truth is that these are all calculations of her eye, which she’s trained to focus on “minimalism and attention to detail,” as she describes. “I’m interested in lines and matching colors, and I like to play with forms and gradients,” she notes. Kuttler’s photographic talent emerged from on-the-job training, YouTube sessions and a lot of trial and error. “After three years at university, I worked for a small backpack brand in Berlin as a creative manager,” she recalls. “If you have a small budget for product photos, it’s pretty nice if there’s someone in your company who can take some photos. So I tried it out, and I couldn’t stop. I decided to quit my job and work [on my own] as a photographer.” Now, Kuttler primarily shoots commercial fashion, editorial, and portrait work while exploring the techniques that fuel her passion for photography. On the side, she also hosts an industry-focused, German-language podcast called Fotofreundinnen. “[It’s] very close to my heart … to pay more attention to female photographers,” she says. “They are often underrepresented and paid less for their jobs. I started this podcast with female photographers talking about their work in different fields of photography to give them a platform.”