Hadise Hussaini: Automotive Portraits in Black and White, Where Machines Become Presence

Hadise Hussaini photographs cars the way portraitists photograph people - with attention to personality, silence, and the small signals that reveal identity. Her images strip away distraction and leave only the essential: shape, light, contrast, and the quiet charisma of a subject that seems to breathe. “I capture cars with souls,” she says, and the statement reads less like a tagline and more like a method.

Born in Tehran, Iran, and now living in Luxembourg, Hussaini presents her work publicly under her name and last name, while her Instagram presence is known as SiyahClassic. The decision to foreground her real name matches the honesty of her approach: minimal, direct, and built on a single clear idea - when color disappears, character becomes visible.

A Journey That Started Early, Then Had to Restart

Hussaini’s relationship with photography began at nine or ten years old, experimenting with her mother’s phone. It was not a structured beginning, and no one pushed her to pursue it seriously. She was simply drawn to the act of seeing. Later, life became unstable. Moving from country to country in search of safety made continuity difficult, and photography could not remain consistent.

Yet what stayed constant was the reason she returned to it. For Hussaini, photography is not only a craft - it is a place. It creates a sense of home, belonging, and peace. And there is a human tenderness at the center of her automotive focus: the moment when owners see her images and smile. That response, she says, is what keeps her going.

The Turning Point: When Color Fell Away

One summer at a car meet, surrounded by music and atmosphere, Hussaini felt deeply dissatisfied with her results. The photographs looked dry. They failed to reflect what she experienced in real life - the beauty, identity, and emotion each car seemed to carry.

Instead of accepting that gap, she experimented. Angles changed. Techniques shifted. Colors were tested. Then came the realization that defined her style: color was distracting the essence. The moment she switched to black and white, everything sharpened. The cars finally spoke for themselves. Personality emerged through form, light, and contrast.

That discovery did not just alter her aesthetic - it clarified her mission. From then on, the work became a practice of reduction: remove what is unnecessary until what remains feels honest.

A Phone as a Studio, Minimal Tools, Maximum Clarity

Hussaini’s practice is deliberately focused. She shoots with an iPhone 16 Pro Max, relying on natural light, high-contrast composition, and close framing. Editing is minimal. The effect is timeless rather than trendy, and the images feel sculpted by restraint.

Her subjects are classic automobiles and cars with distinctive presence - vehicles that carry history, design language, and individuality. But the goal is not documentation. She creates automotive portraits: photographs that suggest temperament. A curve of metal becomes a gesture. A grille becomes an expression. Reflections behave like emotion.

One of the most striking aspects of her work is its accessibility. Hussaini insists that photography is possible with what you already have. A phone is enough. Start where you are. Begin with the tools in your pocket. This belief is not theoretical - it is rooted in lived experience and a self-taught path built through persistence.

Themes: Stillness, Identity, Timelessness

Hussaini’s images are guided by a set of recurring ideas: classic beauty, timelessness, character, stillness, authenticity, emotion, presence, identity. Even for viewers who are not car enthusiasts, the photographs offer a clear entry point. They do not ask you to love cars. They ask you to recognize personality.

Her inspiration is described in quiet terms: intuition, silence, emotions, personal connection with the subject, freedom, the feeling of home, falling in love with the moment. In her world, the strongest images happen when attention becomes calm and exact.

Joining 100 Photos of Europe by Culturale Lab

Hussaini discovered the Culturale Lab publishing project through Instagram advertisements, but she applied for a deeper reason than visibility alone. She describes Culturale Lab as a platform that values authenticity and emerging voices - a meaningful context for an artist who considers this phase “only the beginning” of her journey.

Being published is, for her, a personal milestone and a way to document the start of a serious artistic path. It also brings her work into a broader creative community, offering credibility, connection, and a cross-border presence that feels especially personal. As someone who has moved between countries, the idea of a global publishing project is more than exposure - it is recognition without borders.

What Comes Next

Hussaini is focused on expanding her black-and-white automotive series, photographing more classic and vintage cars, and building a stronger portfolio and visual identity. She aims to participate in exhibitions and further publications, while continuing to refine her voice - not by adding complexity, but by sharpening clarity.

Her closing message is simple and direct, like her work: do not wait for perfection to start. You discover yourself along the way. If you wait for the perfect moment, it will never come. Start now, with what you have.

Instagram: @SiyahClassic

Project: 100 Photos of Europe - Culturale Lab