FELIX HOCK

What takes more courage? Taking a photo of a photographer, or standing in front of the camera as a photographer? Because that’s the situation here! Andrej Russkovskij lensed by Felix Hock.

“The photoshoot I did with Felix in June 2025 turned out to be a real turning point: not just in my photography journey, but in the way I see myself as a gay man, as a queer man.

It all started at a friend’s birthday party, during one of those conversations that flips your self-image upside down. I’ve always thought of myself as the “cutesy, smiley, slightly clumsy” type, kind of like the Baby Spice of the group, or the boy-next-door energy at best. But my friends laughed and told me, “That’s not actually how people see you.” According to them, I come across as confident, flirtatious, sexy even: the opposite of the baby-faced character I thought I was playing all along.

That realization left me questioning: how long has this been the case? When did this shift happen? And right around that time, Felix reached out about doing a shoot in Berlin. Perfect timing.

Felix is known for photographing queer men in their own homes, often intimate and raw, sometimes nude. Normally, when I’m in front of a camera, I slip into my familiar role: dreamy, a bit moody, a touch melancholic. But this time I wanted something different. If people saw me as flirtatious and cheeky, why not try it on for size?
We built a mood board that leaned into the provocative, a touch of seventies soft porn, playful but still stylish. And during the shoot, even though the images look bold, the vibe was pure joy. Felix has a way of making you feel completely comfortable: professional, relaxed, and game for exploration.

For me, it was liberating. I discovered how much fun it can be to step into this new version of myself, to explore and embrace a flirty, confident, upfront energy I never thought I had.” – Andrej