In 2018, when Jan Schölzel was on the Malaysian archipelago of Langkawi, some days were so humid, he found it difficult to leave his accommodation. “It was the hottest, most humid place I’ve ever been,” says Schölzel, who currently lives in Hanover, Germany. “This must have been one of the cooler days, because we went to visit a waterfall.”
After fish head soup for lunch – a local delicacy – he spent some time in the water before heading to use a nearby bathroom. This image, taken on an iPhone SE, was shot facing the entrance.
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It was the year before, while living in Mexico City, that Schölzel had fallen in love with phone photography. “It was so much fun to discover a city while taking pictures of it. With a simple iPhone photo app, you can’t set aperture, ISO or shutter speed, so finding great colours and a good perspective, as well as beautiful structures and nice compositions, is key. All of those limitations help your creativity to develop.”
Schölzel declines to divulge whether there’s any implied message or meaning to the beckoning open door. “It’s a great example of how we can all find beauty in everyday life – and even in unpleasant places like bathrooms,” he says. “I hope others will be inspired to take some photos of what they feel is beautiful, too.”