For Irene Im Wald (Irene in the Forest) at Journal Gallery in Williamsburg, Juergen Teller photographed the woods around his childhood home near Nuremberg, Germany. Only sometimes including figures, namely his mother Irene and other relatives, Teller detours from the signature cheekiness of his fashion imagery to capture the haunting magic of the German forest that has given rise to so many fairy tales. “Gebrüder Grimm, witches, the big bad wolf—the forest is one hell of a scary place,” he says. “But even as a child I was drawn towards it. It was scary, but the beauty and the peacefulness of it all sucked me in.”

Juergen Teller, Irene Im Wald, Sep 12 – Nov 4, 2012 (opening Sep 12, 6-9 pm), 168 North 1st St, Brooklyn, NY 11211