about

Monika Ottehenning is a queer photographer, artist and writer based in Los Angeles, California.

Growing up primarily in the suburban forests of Cary, North Carolina, Monika received her first camera from her father at age 12. Through highschool years, she documented teen life, live music, parties, styled photoshoots of her friends, and the various fashion projects she pursued with her twin sister. After being raised in a Mormon community by convert parents, she decided to move west for school and continue her interests in art and fashion while attending BYU. She began establishing her relationship to Los Angeles during the summers in college, eventually receiving a B.F.A in Photography from Brigham Young University in Utah. In 2016, she officially discontinued her involvement with the Mormon church and moved near the city.

Today, her work seeks to celebrate freedom from religious, sexual shame and illustrate an embrace of the body in sensual play. She is inspired by the nature of love, relationships, and life in its infinite cycles. Her roots in Germany, Honduras, and Mormonism greatly influence the passion behind her personal documentations and relationships to places.

With nearly a decade of commercial photography experience, her practice exists to make a more liberated, supportive world for everyone involved in the labor of creation. Monika brings artists together to direct imagery that is rich in color, humanity, and play.

To contact and learn more about her fashion, portraiture and branding services, click below!