“It’s more practical to shoot myself because I’m always available.”

Nothing is ever quite as it seems in David Uzochukwu’s photography. His subjects—often Uzochukwu himself—are captured balled up in never-ending bed linen, floating on rivers made of clouds or melting into lush landscapes. Through elaborate production and post-production, the 19-year-old creates hypnotic images that ache with strange emotion: The faces he photographs appear wrought by unnamed pains and joys.

A self-taught photographer, Uzochukwu began shooting at age 10, when he discovered his mother’s point-and-shoot camera. He took photos (and posted online) relentlessly until he got his break a few years later when he did his first editorial shoot at the age of 14. Now based in Vienna, Uzochukwu continues to shoot while working toward a degree in philosophy. The setting fee...