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HUMAN CONTACT By walking through the streets and observing people's behaviours, Jan Ponnet tries to develop a keen eye for the subtle nuances and rhythms of life on the street, and learns to anticipate and capture these moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. HUMAN CONTACT June 16, 2023 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Jan Ponnet INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Street photography for Jan Ponnet is an exciting form of photography where he can capture the spontaneous moments of everyday life on the street. Born in Antwerp, Belgium and now living 15km from the city in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Jan trained as an engineer and had his own business in the central heating industry. Since his retirement, Jan has picked up the thread of photography full-time again. “My passion for photography lies in the street. It is challenging because it often involves observing and looking for something interesting in an ordinary place. It involves also photographing unknown people in public spaces, without asking their permission. When people say no, it is important to respect their decision and not be intrusive. Although most people say they don't want to be photographed, only an extremely small number confirmed this to me - the vast majority quietly allowed me to do it in a way that says: look at me!” Jan is a street photographer who wants to “look for the snapshots that try to portray a positive mood, a smile, a tender moment or just the image at the right moment.” By walking through the streets and observing people's behaviours, Jan tries to develop a keen eye for the subtle nuances and rhythms of life on the street, and learns to anticipate and capture these moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. “I was about 20 years old when, before the digital age, I watched images appear in the darkroom, in the developing pool. Turning a moment, a flash, into a lasting image grabbed me and I still have that feeling. The play of light and human contact brought me to the streets.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JAN PONNET THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Jan…welcome to The List! Let's start by telling us something about yourself. JAN PONNET: I was born and raised in Antwerp. With an engineering degree and experience in some big companies, I started my own central heating business. When it turned out that none of my children would continue the business, I sold everything. Around age 60, I then found the time to photograph more. Now it is an out-of-control passion. TPL: Could you tell us what growing up in Antwerp has inspired in your work? What special qualities unique to this city influence your street photography and the way you portray your community? JP: Antwerp is one, by Belgian standards, of the bigger cities—a port city with a multicultural and generally accessible population. However, I don't think Antwerp has anything specific photographically. I think I can photograph in any city. you just have to look, see, feel... TPL: What first attracts you in the moment, movement, light, color, or texture? Or do people and their personalities play an important role in how you portray them? JP: When portraying a city, I first look for a suitable background. Then I just wait for someone to pass by. Like love at first sight, I pick out someone who I think will do well. After a brief introduction, most of my actors are willing to be portrayed. So far, I have rarely been wrong. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to create? JP: Outside exhibitions and books, there is so much to follow on the internet these days to broaden your horizons. TPL: Does having a spontaneous approach to your street photography allow for the serendipity at the moment to dictate the frame? JP: Of course, you need some luck to capture a decisive moment. But I believe in the fact that this is also a matter of practice. The more practice, the more you see, and feel the moment coming to dive into the scene. With many people, I have a nice chat before or after photographing and that gives me great satisfaction. TPL: What was one of your favorite moments photographing in the street? Where was it? And why? What are some of the challenges that you have faced out photographing on the street? JP: One of those favorite moments are parades, manifestations, processions. These are the favoured circumstances for me to focus not on the subject of the day but on the bystanders. The challenge is not to contravene privacy rules. So always be friendly and accommodating because of privacy states. You cannot get a good expression on demand, you have to shoot this directly. With a little chat afterwards is usually OK. If not, the customer gets his way! But always be friendly and accommodating. TPL: Do you have favorite locations you like to point and shoot, or do you prefer the challenge or inspiration of new locations? JP: I don't feel tied to certain locations. It's always fun to explore new surroundings. The reason why can be very different…look, a smile, clothing, a silhouette, a pose. As long as there is someone around, and preferably with whom we can make contact. TPL: Do you have any favorite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? JP:There are of course the classics, for example, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Fan Ho, and Capa because very frequently I ask myself: was I close enough to it? On social media I follow inspiring photographers such as Alan Schaller, Paul Reid, and Chris Mozyro. TPL: What was the first camera you ever held in your hand, brought to eye, and released a shutter on? What is the camera you use now and your preferred focal length? Is there anything on your wishlist? JP: I started with one of the first Minolta reflex cameras. I'm not going to be flippant about equipment and whine about its unimportance. Currently, I walk around with a Leica 10M, simple, small, and handy. When I want to dive into the scene and frame it into a fascinating environment, I take a 28mm. Portraits I do on the street usually with a 50mm TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your photography goals for the next 3-5 years? JP: I do walk around with some ideas. In recent years, I've been staying in different cities for several months. The best way to be immersed in the city and its population. So follow me. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... JP: I like traveling and visiting cultural places and museums. My passion naturally involves a lot of walking, which I hope is good for my health…haha. In the evening I like to play Bridge the card game.” PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> UNBECOMING Kalliope Amorphous reflects on self-portraiture and feminine representation, revealing a practice shaped by transformation, instinct and the possibilities that emerge when likeness begins to shift. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

PICTORIAL STORY OFF SEASON June 11, 2021 PICTORIAL STORY Photography and story by Fanny Genoux Introduction by Melanie Meggs SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link As we look out onto the calming blue of the Mediterranean Sea, one can’t help but be mesmerized by its beauty. It is a landscape that has been captured in countless photographs over the years, but French photographer Fanny Genoux has found a way to approach it with a unique perspective. Her deep interest in humans and their effects on the environment leads her to discover traces of their presence in cities, material, color, and constructions. Fanny’s photographs sublimate reality by revealing unexpected poetry. In her current project Off Season , she focuses on the quiet but evanescent concrete beaches of Nice from an aerial view. Her lens brings to light geometry, silhouettes, shadows, and traces that were previously unseen to the casual onlooker. In her work, she captures the subtle nuances that are often overlooked. Fanny’s passion for photography is evident in her work. She has a special eye for capturing the atmosphere of the places she visits and a deep understanding of how humans interact with their environment. By taking us on a journey through her photographs, Fanny Genoux invites us to take a closer look at the beauty of these often-overlooked places and explore the relationships between humans and their environment. I’ve always liked watching from above, looking over. The high angle shot, flattens the perspectives and gives the impression of a world in miniature. An elaborate graphic arrangement is something I try to achieve in my photographs. While taking a walk, I quite naturally try and gain height in order to watch what’s going on below. The Promenade des Anglais overlooking the beaches offers an interesting viewpoint. The city of Nice is famous for its shingle beaches that stretch for several miles from the old town in the East to the airport in the West. The Promenade des Anglais runs alongside and overlooks these beaches; this walk got its name from the English who chose the Baie des Anges as their favourite winter holiday resort in the nineteenth century. They loved the winter balminess of the Riviera which Nice residents still enjoy. Summer’s heat is sweltering, and the city is swamped: as vast as the beaches may be, no shingle is left to be seen. Nice residents make themselves scarce. Yet when the high season ends, the Promenade empties of strollers and so do the beaches. The private beaches’ structures are dismantled leaving behind empty, bleak sections of exposed concrete and the regulars may take over to enjoy spring or autumn’s balmy sun, and the gentle light. Nice’s Eastern beaches, la Paillole, les bains Militaires, la Réserve and Coco-Beach, are very popular among the residents. They’ve been going there to bathe for ages. Spending time there is an ancient local tradition. These beaches are part of the local heritage, and the regulars meet there all year round. On one’s own or with others, to sunbathe, read, drink a coffee, have a bite, or even play the piano! From one season to the next, recognizing their bathing suit or their towel, I’ve been able to watch the same people set up there. These photos tell the story of a part of the local and discreet history, nowhere near the French Riviera’s clichés. During several off-seasons (from October to April), I’ve been especially observing two interesting spots. One is located at the far end of the Promenade, right before Rauba Capeu (a small headland whose name means Hat Snatcher ) where the Castel’s private beach is settled during the high season; once it’s dismantled, the large concrete slabs left there are much appreciated by the inhabitants of Nice. The other 'beach'; is situated just before the port, under the embankment, where the now underwater Paillole beach used to be. Large blocks of concrete support the embankment on which the regulars never get tired to stretch out. I enjoy watching from above these persons going about their business on these concrete beaches. The framing shows them isolated against a concrete background. The light is overwhelming, ever-present. In their swimsuits, they stand out against these backgrounds that change from grey to ochre according to the light. Or do they disappear in this background? There’s a dual contrast: between the bright and saturated colours of the persons and the concrete’s colour on the one hand; and between this grey, rough, hard background and the almost naked bodies’ frailty on the other hand. © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux © Fanny Genoux The reading of these photographs cannot be straightforward, it is equivocal. On watching it, one may get confused before understanding what they’re watching: are we facing a wall? Are the persons following on from the background? Do they take over this background or are they engulfed by it? view Fanny's portfolio Read an interview with Fanny >>> Website >> > Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> TRANSPARENT Memory, grief and the family archive converge in William Josephs Radford’s work, questioning how photographs shape what we remember and what remains after someone is gone. KOLKATA MONSOON For more than a decade, Abir Choudhury has spent the rains outdoors in Kolkata, photographing what four months of water does to the city he grew up in. THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival.

PICTORIAL STORY KOLKATA MONSOON For more than a decade, Abir Choudhury has spent the rains outdoors in Kolkata, photographing what four months of water does to the city he grew up in. September 13, 2026 PICTORIAL STORY PHOTOGRAPHY Abir Choudhury WORDS Abir Choudhury and Melanie Meggs SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Before the rain arrives, Kolkata has already begun to change. “For me, the arrival of the monsoon in Kolkata is something I can almost feel before the rain actually begins. The light changes first. The sky becomes darker and softer, the air feels heavier, and there is a particular stillness in the streets, as if the city is waiting for something to happen.” Abir Choudhury, who has been reading these signals for years, puts on his shoes and goes out. Then the petrichor arrives, the one that comes when rain meets ground that has been dry for weeks. Then thunder at a distance he cannot place, wind through the trees, the first drops of water pound the rooftops before they explode on the street. Shopkeepers pull down their covers. Umbrellas open. Traffic adjusts. Within minutes, a street he has walked a thousand times becomes unfamiliar, it has transformed. He does not go out with a picture in mind. “I often don't know exactly what photograph I am looking for,” he says. “I simply know that something is about to change, so I stay outside and observe.” Abir Choudhury is a documentary photographer based in Kolkata, the city he calls home and where he first picked up a camera in 2012. His work has travelled further than he expected, to the Siena International Photo Award and to the Indian Photo Festival, which named him Photographer of the Year in the street category in 2022. But the body of work he keeps returning to is the one that returns with the monsoon each year. Kolkata Monsoon did not begin as a project. It began as individual photographs, made because the rain was changing the city from its familiar shape. Buildings dissolved into mist. Traffic slowed. People moved differently, routes changed, and everything took longer. He photographed what caught his attention without yet knowing these separate moments would eventually belong to one another. Abir began to notice his photographs accumulating into something larger than the moments they recorded. Waterlogged streets, reflections, crowded shelters, moments of waiting. “That was when I decided to approach it as a sustained project rather than a collection of separate photographs,” he says. He would go back to the same streets, across the same weeks, year after year, and watch what the monsoon season did to them. The change that mattered most was in the subject. “Instead of trying to document the rain itself, I became interested in how people experience and adapt to the monsoon.” The weather became the setting rather than the story. Rain resurfaces the city. The ground stops taking light in and begins holding it, and for a few weeks Kolkata has a floor that answers back. “Puddles become mirrors,” he says. Colours saturate, then mute. Headlights and streetlights diffuse. Drops, mist and umbrellas build layers in the frame that he does not have to arrange. Movement is everywhere, people running, wheels through standing water, churning the water, and he chooses each time whether to freeze the movement or allow it to unfold. Standing still is central to his method. He finds a place that holds the possibility of a photograph, a reflection or a break in the cloud, and waits for someone to enter the space he has chosen. Sometimes for several minutes. Sometimes the photograph remains just out of reach. “I cannot control what will happen, but I can position myself, observe carefully, and be ready when the moment arrives.” The rain arrives across Kolkata everywhere at once. What the monsoon demands is another matter, and years of walking into it have settled that knowledge into the work without ever making it the subject. “I don't think the monsoon is experienced equally across Kolkata,” he says. The same rainfall, he explains, “can mean very different things depending on where you live, what kind of work you do, and how secure your living conditions are.” In neighbourhoods with poor drainage, water comes into homes and ruins what it touches. For vendors and rickshaw pullers and people paid by the day, a flooded street is a day of earnings gone. A short walk away, the identical rain is a delayed commute. “The physical distance between these experiences can sometimes be surprisingly small, yet the consequences are very different.” Difficulty is in the work without being what the work is made of. He knows how easily a season collapses into one feeling, and how generous rain is to whichever feeling a photographer chooses. “I try not to romanticise these conditions,” he says. Children play in the rain. Two strangers end up under one umbrella. Friends laugh their way across a crossing they cannot avoid. Families gather in whatever shelter is nearest. “A person struggling through floodwater can also laugh, play, help someone else, or find a moment of happiness. Those emotions are equally truthful.” He is firm about it. “I also wanted to avoid turning the people I photograph into symbols of suffering.” A single photograph can become a verdict, whatever the person holding the camera intended. A series has more room for contradiction, which may be the real reason Abir keeps going back. The season itself has begun to feel less reliable to him. Rain that comes late. Rain that arrives all at once and transforms a street within the hour. “I am careful not to claim that every change I have observed is directly caused by climate change,” he says, though walking the city in this season for so long has made him attentive to how quickly heavy rain finds the weak points in it. “These are not abstract environmental issues when you are walking through the streets and witnessing their consequences directly.” That has slowly widened what the project is for. It has become a record of how Kolkata and the people in it meet an environment they can no longer predict. “The monsoon is never exactly the same, and neither is the city,” he says. “By photographing it over time, I am documenting a changing Kolkata as much as I am documenting the rain.” He has no illusions about scale. A city of this size cannot be photographed and a season cannot be summarised. “I can preserve fragments," he says, and seems content with that. Streets change. Buildings come down. People move away. What he wants is for someone, years from now, to look at these photographs and know what it was like to walk through Kolkata in the monsoon season. Not only the water. The people in it, and the life continuing. There is one sentence he offers almost in passing that describes the whole undertaking. “Water has taught me to look twice.” © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury © Abir Choudhury Kolkata Monsoon is ultimately about return. Abir Choudhury goes back because the rain changes the terms of the city each year. Streets become crossings, routines shift, work slows, and people adapt. The photographs hold those changes without trying to explain them. They record difficulty beside pleasure and disruption beside familiarity, without reducing the monsoon season to one experience. Over time, the project has become about more than weather. It also reflects a growing awareness of climate change, environmental uncertainty, and the consequences carried into everyday life. It asks us to look twice, to see more, and to understand what changing conditions mean for the people living through them. Each monsoon gives Abir another chance to see what has altered, what remains, and what can still be found in the ordinary movement of the city. The rain returns, but never to exactly the same Kolkata, and Abir returns with it. view Abir Choudhury's portfolio instagram The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List. read more stories >>> TRANSPARENT Memory, grief and the family archive converge in William Josephs Radford’s work, questioning how photographs shape what we remember and what remains after someone is gone. KOLKATA MONSOON For more than a decade, Abir Choudhury has spent the rains outdoors in Kolkata, photographing what four months of water does to the city he grew up in. THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival.

NEW YORK PARADISE LOST: BUSHWICK ERA DISCO Meryl Meisler's street photographs are her own unique American story where the disparate worlds of Bushwick and disco collided from 1973. NEW YORK PARADISE LOST: BUSHWICK ERA DISCO June 28, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Meryl Meisler INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE It was a time of vivid nightlife, with its electric beats and the infectious laughter of those out to enjoy themselves. But during the day, it was a very different story. Bushwick in the 1980s was a neighbourhood marred by crime, addiction and the ravages of AIDS. But one woman had the courage and vision to document both sides of this story; to tell the tale of a city torn apart by a tumultuous time in history. New York street photographer Meryl Meisler's exhibition, New York PARADISE LOST: Bushwick Era Disco, chronicles the hedonistic nightlife scene of the late 1970s and pairs it with poignant images of those who lived through it – all through the gaze of her lens. Meryl’s remarkable journey began in 1975 when she returned to her hometown of New York City with a camera in one hand and a dream in the other. Inspired by photographers such as Diane Arbus and Jacques Henri Lartigue, as well as her own father and grandfather, Meryl studied with Lisette Model, and began to capture her city on film. By day she worked as a freelance illustrator, but by night she frequented and photographed the iconic discos of New York City. As a 1978 C.E.T.A. (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) Artist grant recipient, Meryl created a portfolio of photographs that explored her Jewish identity for the American Jewish Congress. Then she embarked on a three-decade career as an New York City Public School Art Teacher, while still managing to capture moments of beauty in what some considered an ugly city. Now, after retiring from teaching in 2010, Meryl has released a collection of her previously unseen work – love letters captured through her lens – which were kept secret for decades. In this interview we will be speaking to Meryl about her first steps into photography, her time as a school teacher, her inspirations, and working and living during this challenging period of Covid-19. For behind every photograph is a story, and Meryl’s journey is one that needs to be heard. “I got my first camera, 'The Adventurer' as a 7th birthday present from my parents Sunny and Jack. Dad, a printer by trade, was a terrific photographer. Grandpa Murray Meisler, a machinist, always had a camera and light meter on him. It didn't matter if you ever saw the photographs, the action of photography (like singing to oneself) was essential and satisfying in itself. As a 7-year-old, I photographed my family, friends, and trips. Those have been my life subjects. When I took my first photography class in 1973, I didn't have a flash while enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I walked around the streets of Madison, taking my first rolls of B/W film. When I moved to NYC in 1975, my camera came with me everywhere. If I saw something interesting on the street on my way to where I was going, I'd pause to photograph it. In retrospect, I didn't go to photograph. I photographed where I was going.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MERYL MEISLER THE PICTORIAL LIST: Meryl, it is such a great honor to have you featured. How did you get into the disco scene in New York in the 1970s, which must have been quite a contrast to your daytime job as a school teacher? MERYL MEISLER: In 1977, I was taking a class about making a photo book at The New School. The instructor, Bob Adelman, told me about the upcoming “COYOTE Hookers Masquerade Ball” on Valentine’s Day at the Copacabana. I put on my Girl Scout uniform, brought a camera and flash, and talked my way into the wild party. It was my first big extravaganza disco event. I loved it. On a bus returning from Mardi Gras in LA, in 1977, I met Judi Jupiter. We became friends and hit all the hottest clubs together. In 1979, I became an NYC Public School Art Teacher. That cut my nightlife back a lot. I never went out on school nights, but there were still weekends. TPL: Tell us a bit about Bushwick, what is it's background, it's demographics then and now, how has it changed from the time you took those photos? MM: Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of Brooklyn, bordering Queens. It was a Dutch Settlement purchased from the Canarsie Indians in 1638. For a short introduction to Bushwick’s history and current community, I suggest starting with the Community Board 4 (representing Bushwick) on the NYC.gov site. When I arrived in December 1981 to be a teacher in Bushwick, it was a tough, difficult time - socially and economically in NYC and this neighborhood. There were many burnt-out buildings and garbage-strewn lots. Flash forward four decades, the buildings are occupied, lots of new construction and most of the lots are cleaned up. Bushwick is a hub of new music, art, fashion, literature, nightlife, and creative thinking. However, many bemoan the gentrification of neighborhoods like Bushwick. There is nostalgia and sorrow for what is lost in the process of change. TPL: How do you find your inspiration to keep photographing? MM: Photography is something I enjoy doing and am challenged by at the same time. It lifts my spirits and makes me feel more attuned to everyday experiences of life. In my opinion, it is vital to find a community of supportive people who have similar passions or interests. For example, I’ve been a long-time member of Professional Women Photographers. Artists communities give one another advice, share, and make opportunities to exhibit, provide critical feedback and become role models to keep on and going forth, whether or not you get timely recognition. © Meryl Meisler, Spring Snowstorm Through Classroom Window, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, Shirtless Man Wearing Hood and Jeans, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, Tasty Pretzel Bakeries, 1983 © Meryl Meisler, Two Standing Next to Sort of Palm Tree, 1977 © Meryl Meisler, Grace Jones in Hallway with Judi Jupiter and Others at Farfalle's Opening Night, 1978 © Meryl Meisler, Anklet Socks and Heels, 1978 © Meryl Meisler, School Cafeteria Middle Finger, 1990 © Meryl Meisler, Nose Ring, Earring, Mustache and Hickey, 1991 © Meryl Meisler, Potassa Potassa de la Fayette Poised on Grand Piano, 1977 © Meryl Meisler, Two Women on Floor Next to Judi Jupiter During the Prom Party, 1978 TPL: With the pandemic over the past year and a half, it has been tough on many artists. How have you been feeling through this time, both personally and as a photographer. Do you have any advice as an artist to get through these tough times? MM: Health and well-being come first. If you are going through temporary or long-term difficulties, seek professional help. I am fortunate to be in a long-term relationship and was not isolated. Emotionally, it was very challenging. To help maintain a sense of safety and balance during quarantine, I set up a routine with zoom - therapy, movement class, spiritual community, and social activism. Working on this book and exhibits, and building a darkroom, helped me stay physical and mentally healthy and grounded. TPL: What photographers made the most impact on you at the beginning of your photography journey? MM: As a child, I looked up to my dad's photographs of family events before and during my lifetime. The 1972 Diane Arbus retrospective at MoMA captivated and inspired me. The following year I enrolled in an introduction to photography class while in grad school at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. When professor Cavalliere Ketchum showed the playful childhood photographs on the streets of Paris by Jacques Henri Lartigue, I decided to photograph my friends and family on my visits home to Long Island. Walker Evans encouraged me to capture subway riders. Margaret Bourke White made me more conscientious of juxtapositions. Brassaï inspired me to capture the nightlife I was living. Roman Vishniac heightened my awareness that life as we know it can be taken away, cease to exist. Lisette Model's snapshot aesthetic and encouragement when I studied with her kept me photographing from the heart and gut. Helen Levitt whispered in my ear as I documented children playing on the street. Photography is something I enjoy doing and am challenged by at the same time. It lifts my spirits and makes me feel more attuned to everyday experiences of life. TPL: Where has been your most favourite place to photograph? MM: New York City is my “magic city.” Every time I set foot in NYC, its energy recharges me. The variety of people, food, arts, architecture, old and new, young and forever young, wise souls and inquiring minds, longtime residents and recent arrivals, history in the making, bright sunlight, the mysteries of the night - they all enchant me. TPL: What happens when you go out with your camera? Do people respond positively to you, or do you sometimes get negative reactions? If yes, how do you handle it? MM: Most of my street photographs are not candid. Then and now, I usually ask the subjects verbally or with non-verbal cues if I may take their photograph. People usually gave their permission. Pre-covid, in the heights of the pandemic, and now - if a person replies no, I respect their wish not to be photographed. It is no big deal. I am very selective about who and what I photograph and often tell the person what sparked my interest. TPL: When you take pictures, do you usually have a concept in mind of what you want to photograph, or do you let the images just 'come to you', or is it both? MM: Unless on an assignment, I don’t have a preconceived concept of what I will photograph. Of course, if I am going to a specific event, for example, a drag performance, I want to photograph the performers. I photograph things that look so familiar; they might seem like a Norman Rockwell painting reenactment. I photograph things I’ve never seen before. I’m drawn to the ordinary and extraordinary. © Meryl Meisler, Girls Braid, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, 3 Menudo Fans, 1983 © Meryl Meisler, Five Fashionable Rejects (With Judi Jupiter), 1978 © Meryl Meisler, La Farfalle Man Wearing Turban,1978 © Meryl Meisler, Andy Warhol Smiling With Eyes Closed (Between his Friend and Judi Jupiter),1977 © Meryl Meisler, Family Picnic, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, Fix Bike Flat, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, Palmetto Cars and Bus, 1985 © Meryl Meisler, Four on Deck at Star Wars Party, 1977 © Meryl Meisler, GG Bamum Mens Room, 1978 © Meryl Meisler, Back Doorway at COYOTES Hookers Masquerade Ball, 1978 © Meryl Meisler, Two Queens at the COYOTE Hookers Ball, 1977 © Meryl Meisler, Student Interviews Police Officers, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, Three Is 291 Grads Posing Near Cars, 1982 © Meryl Meisler, Studio 54 Spoon Man in Moon, 1977 TPL: Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What camera do you use? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? MM: In the 1970s, I used a Norita Graflex - 120 SLR medium format, Vivitar flash, and TriX 400 film. If the Norita Graflex was in repair, I used a Minolta SRT101 loaded with color slide film (preferably Kodachrome 64). When I started teaching in Bushwick in the 1980s, it felt risky to carry an expensive camera. So, I bought an early point-and-shoot pocket camera (I think it was a Canon Sure Shot) and used color slide 35mm film. I have used a variety of cameras over the decades - analog and digital. When the Norita Graflex became “arthritic”- no longer worked in the cold area, I bought a Pentax 6x7. It’s a bit too heavy for me to carry around. Two years ago, I found someone who could repair the Norita - so I am back to using it and found another used one as a backup. I prefer a wide-angle lens, the equivalent of a 35mm lens in 35mm photography. The medium format wide angle equivalent is 55mm. Currently, my “carry around” is a Fujifilm X100. Ironically, with the Fuji autofocus - too many of my images are out of focus. I prefer a split image focusing system. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist or photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? MM: My immediate goals, after the exhibits, release and events related to New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco are: Work on a monograph that EYESHOT will publish. It will be an overview of my street photography from 1973-2021. In October 2021, I'm scheduled for my first solo exhibit in Europe at Fotogalerie Friedrichshain in Berlin. Another book of the 1970s and 1980s never released photographs of hot spots across the USA that I've had on the backburner urges to be realised. There are thirty-six years of my insider's point of view photographing NYC schools that yearn to be edited, made into a book, and exhibited. In addition to continuing to dig through my vast archives, I plan to create a new series of self-portraits and continue carrying my camera along to familiar places and new adventures. From time to time, I get messages from people who find themselves, their family, or friends in my 1980s Bushwick photos. I've toyed with the idea of photographing those people now long enough. I might begin doing it. Where would I hope to see myself in five years? A solo museum exhibit would be divine. Most importantly, I hope to be alive and well and going forth. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… MM: I like to spend quality time with my life partner Patricia, close family, and friends. I enjoy dining at home or out, catching up with life, laughing and making new memories together. Live musical theatre is my entertainment of choice - I look forward to Broadway & Off-Broadway reopening and traveling more. I can’t carry a tune but like belting it out with the crowd at a piano bar. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> UNBECOMING Kalliope Amorphous reflects on self-portraiture and feminine representation, revealing a practice shaped by transformation, instinct and the possibilities that emerge when likeness begins to shift. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

As a self-taught street photographer, leaning towards social documentary and storytelling, I believe the camera is an instrument of self-expression and a way to question the world. My interest in photography started in 2019, when I came across the work and writings of Henri Cartier-Bresson. His humanist vision and poetic geometry resonated with my professional architecture background and lead me into other old masters like André Kertész and Robert Frank. I photograph to detach myself from the objective reality of the world. My photographs are black and white, but not the ideas I portray. They are metaphors of themes that haunt me when the camera is down: displacement, alienation, solitude, but also the whimsical, bizarre and unexpected moments of ordinary life. ANDRÉ LOBÃO As a self-taught street photographer, leaning towards social documentary and storytelling, I believe the camera is an instrument of self-expression and a way to question the world. My interest in photography started in 2019, when I came across the work and writings of Henri Cartier-Bresson. His humanist vision and poetic geometry resonated with my professional architecture background and lead me into other old masters like André Kertész and Robert Frank. I photograph to detach myself from the objective reality of the world. My photographs are black and white, but not the ideas I portray. They are metaphors of themes that haunt me when the camera is down: displacement, alienation, solitude, but also the whimsical, bizarre and unexpected moments of ordinary life. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Olympus E-M10 Mark II WEBSITE http://www.andrelobao.com/ @ANDREFLOBAO FEATURES // The Unpredictable

ON THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO As the fog rolls in off the bay, photographer Stephen Laszlo may be found walking the streets in his beloved San Francisco with Leica in hand and a sharp eye out for slices of life. ON THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO January 13, 2023 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Stephen Laszlo NTERVIEW Bill Lacey Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE As the fog rolls in off the bay, muting the sunlight and dampening the contrast, photographer Stephen Laszlo may be found walking the streets in his beloved San Francisco with Leica in hand and a sharp eye out for slices of life. His photography is at once recognizable, setting itself apart from the many who embrace street photography but don’t quite match style with vision. There is thought in what’s visible in the frame - and what isn’t. There is story in what is exposed - and what is underexposed. His photographs pull you in, and you find yourself asking questions, waiting for answers, and wanting more. Be it an expression, a doorway, a pair of hands, a pass-by, or a lone reader… the street and its subjects are elevated to fine art in the work of this master photographer. Stephen’s passion is the black and white image, captured by the rangefinder-style digital camera and cultivated in the software darkroom. Schooled in the use of traditional film and darkroom techniques, his approach has evolved as developments in both digital sensors and darkroom techniques within Lightroom allow him to capture and adjust tonalities to match his vision. As a dedicated Leica Monochrom and Q2 Monochrom user, he explores the potential of the familiar, finding stories in the place he calls home. His eyes see what the tourists miss. With his more than twenty years of experience shooting in the city where Tony Bennett left his heart, Stephen Laszlo’s fine art photography beautifully captures the dark and grittiness of the street and the people who live and work in San Francisco “above the blue and windy sea”. “A lot of my work is local to where I live. You may have to walk around to find a good backdrop for a few hours, but because you’re forced to look beyond the weeds, you find incredible opportunities. When you look at my work, you cannot tell it’s been shot on a residential street, surrounded by row houses painted in pastel colors and occupied by families. I’ve been able to take what most tourists would say are the most beautiful areas of San Francisco and transitioned it into a dark and gritty place. Full of emotion.” IN CONVERSATION WITH STEPHEN LASZLO THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Stephen...welcome to The List! Please tell us about yourself. What would you say first drew you to photography? STEPHEN LASZLO: I was born in Washington D.C. in the 70s, my mother worked in the White House and my father owned an art store. They were both graduates of The Art Institute of Philadelphia but neither pursued careers in art. My grandparents were also artists, but they pursued careers as business owners. I grew up around pragmatic thinkers who were also artists in their private lives. I was literally surrounded by art growing up. My parents had their art around the house and so did my grandparents, they were also art collectors, there was art everywhere. They even had a large studio in their home filled with so many art supplies. If you wanted to learn clay modeling, you could. If you want to learn how to paint, grab some canvas and oil paint. There was always artistic freedom around me, and it was impossible not to be influenced by it. Around 3 years old, I started drawing on everything, and I mean everything. Including the piano, all 88 keys. My father wasn’t too happy about it. I eventually formed control over what I was drawing, and I got heavily into automobiles. Which led into a passion for automotive design. My goal was to go to Rhode Island School of Design, but right before graduating high school, I changed my mind and ended up going to film school in New York City at the School of Visual Arts where I majored in screenwriting. Even so I was always immersing myself in all art mediums, going to film school led into a decent career working in the motion picture industry in Los Angeles. After a decade and a bit exhausted, I was looking for a change, and that led into a tech career here in San Francisco. Today I’m a product leader in the eCommerce space. And I absolutely love what I do. The products and experiences I create touch millions of people around the world. And that’s very rewarding. But much like my parents and grandparents, I’m an artist in my private life. And photography is my beloved art medium. TPL: How would you describe your photography, and what would you say you are always trying to achieve artistically? SL: I’d like to describe my street photograph as fine art street photography. And I honestly didn’t make this transition until a few years ago. Prior to the transition I did a lot of traditional street work that was more on the lines of reportage. I didn’t do a ton of post processing either. Today, there are really powerful post processing applications, and it wasn’t until I delved into Lightroom where I found an output that feels like what I want to portray as a B&W photographer. And that’s a purified emotion that’s propped by the symmetry of the backdrop. The subject’s trapped in a box, a frame that won’t allow it to escape the edges. A deep despondency that’s driven by the light that casts upon the subject. I want those who look at my photos to feel a convincing emotion that primes questioning the image itself. I’ve never seen one of my photos for the first time, so I have no idea how they may emotionally engage a viewer or what they think when they look at my work. I want my work to be emotional. And I hope it is in one form or another. TPL: Most of your street photography takes place in the city of San Francisco. What is it about that city that separates it from others? SL: San Francisco can be a tough place for street work. A city like New York, provides a huge amount of street coverage and diversity. You can shoot a million different ways. A treasure-trove of subject matter too. There’s absolutely no shortage of anything in New York City. Here, in San Francisco, it’s more challenging to find locations. There’s plenty of diversity and interesting things happening on the street to capture, but downtown is small, and you can exhaust it quickly. This forces you to find locations in the neighborhoods surrounding downtown and they are generally uninteresting. Because of this though, it has serendipitously forced me to be cleverer. I didn’t really have any other choice, I needed to make it work. I live in the Richmond District, just a few blocks from the ocean in a neighborhood called Sutro Heights. A lot of my work is local to where I live. You may have to walk around to find a good backdrop for a few hours, but because you’re forced to look beyond the weeds, you find incredible opportunities. When you look at my work, you cannot tell it’s been shot on a residential street, surrounded by row houses painted in pastel colors and occupied by families. I’ve been able to take what most tourists would say are the most beautiful areas of San Francisco and transitioned it into a dark and gritty place. Full of emotion. TPL: What elements are you looking for on the street that make you click the shutter? SL: It’s all about the light and time of day. I only shoot on foggy, overcast days. It’s why most of my work is done over the summer. Because that’s when it is foggiest. It’s a natural diffuser for B&W photography. And if you put all the ingredients together, I can translate what I’m trying to emotionally convey in my work overall. TPL: Do you have a philosophy about street photography? In other words, do you shoot on the move, or do you find a location and wait for a choice moment? SL: It wasn’t until the past few years that I felt I reached the point of knowing exactly how I want to express myself artistically through my photography. I will always love shooting street, but instead of how I used to approach it, which was more on the lines of reportage, it’s now shifted into a fine art form, and I consider my work as fine art street photography. In the past, I wouldn’t plan my day, I would get hooked on the ‘could happen’ frame-of-mind instead of a ‘what could I make happen’ frame-of-mind. Shooting from the hip per se. Today I plan it more than I fall into it. Prior to going out, I have an idea of location and light. And what type of backdrop I’d like to lean on. What makes this ‘what could I make happen’ challenging, is that once you find that backdrop, you must wait and wait to create the controlled moment. And sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn’t. But the better you get at predicting human behavior and movement, and how the subject will meander the street, you can then control it, and you can get your shot. Nothing makes me happier when I invest in that approach and get my shot. TPL: How do you approach post-processing? SL: I use Lightroom for almost all my post processing. For a portion of my work that doesn’t have enough of the elements I’ve mentioned earlier, I usually approach those in a more traditional darkroom way. But for the work where all the elements come together, I remove 90% of the exposure. Since I’m already capturing with a lower exposure, reducing it more allows me to work from the inside out. After mapping out in my head what I want to expose and what I’d like to keep unexposed, I begin a very painstaking process of dodging the subject forward and then burning in areas that I’d like to stand back. This process allows me to control how the subject becomes center stage. And with this approach I can also control the original lighting and push it where it counts. I’m developing them to look like they were done on a set. With lights and a stage. Turning off all the lights and using stage lights to cast upon the subject. Isolating the subject onto the stage, to tell the story. And this is how I approach my work today, and it somewhat helps fulfill all that passion around filmmaking which I don’t do a lot anymore. The subject’s trapped in a box, a frame that won’t allow it to escape the edges. A deep despondency that’s driven by the light that casts upon the subject. TPL: Most of your Instagram work is in B&W, but your website also features color work. What influences your choice to shoot in either? SL: A B&W photographer is what I want to be known as. And B&W is a passion. I cannot really see the world in color when I’m trying to express myself as an artist. Although color is a great medium, I only do color when I don’t have much to do or I’m just not feeling the B&W work I might be doing at the time. It’s much like writer’s block. When that happens, you become dry. Sometimes I go out and I’m just not communicating through B&W. And it can get very frustrating. When this happens, and I’m in a dry spell, I shoot color. Unfortunately, I sold all my cameras that could produce color so now if things aren’t working out in B&W, I just simply take a break from photography and focus on other projects I have going on. TPL: You still shoot film occasionally. What motivates you to do so? SL: I was doing both film and digital for a while, but film is very hard to do now. Getting film stock is difficult, they discontinued my beloved Neopan, and renting a darkroom is a thing of the past. The reason why I was still shooting film was because digital just wasn’t there yet. I could never accept early digital as anything near what film could do. It was around 2012 when digital really started looking like film, and I sold off all my film equipment. I was really into portrait work at that time and had a wonderful Hasselblad CM 500 with an 80mm lens. Absolutely loved that camera before selling it to an art student. I remember the day I sold it, and when I met the buyer and placed the camera in his hands, he looked at me with such sincerity and said, “What a beautiful thing this is.” That’s when I knew that the same passion I had about that camera, was now passed onto him. I haven’t used film since that day. TPL: What was the first camera you ever held in your hand, brought to eye, and released a shutter on? What is the camera you use now and your preferred focal length? Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? Is there anything on your wishlist? The very first camera was a Nikon FM2 with a 50mm lens. I remember looking through the viewfinder and finding an isolation that belonged to me. It was profound. It was very different from the other types of art mediums I would embroil myself in. Canvas, paper, clay, all these mediums were worked on in an open space. Although you could control what was in front of you, you could not control what was around you. With a camera, looking through that viewfinder, it belongs to you and only you. And you get to control everything inside that frame. Although I’ve owned all sorts of cameras over the years, from peel-apart instant film to medium format, from custom made kits to Hasselblad’s, my favorite camera to use is the rangefinder. In the digital world they’re rangefinder-style cameras, but nonetheless, the compactness and feel of a rangefinder is my go-to. When I was shooting film, I used a Leica M6 and an R6.2. But when digital came about Leica really struggled to compete and output a good digital image. When I made my initial transition to digital, it was all Nikon. And I really appreciated how Nikon and Canon led that transition and drove the technology. It wasn’t until the Leica M10 that I picked up a Leica again. Leica finally got it right. And I haven’t looked back since. Although I went through a few M10s, I ended up getting a Monochrom and that also includes a Q2 Monochrom. My favorite focal lengths are 35mm and 28mm on full frame. I find these 2 lengths ideal for street work and 35mm is what you’d typically use for street in general. The 28mm, fixed on the Leica Q2M, allows for error in street work. A 35mm lens on a full frame sensor can restrict a little bit especially if you don’t have enough room to frame, it’s just not enough space to work with sometimes. The 28mm as my back up, helps me get around some of those tight challenges especially on the street and how I frame my work. TPL: Do you have any favorite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? SL: Paul Strand was without a doubt the most influential photographer that still influences my work today. It wasn’t so much for the subject matter as it was his framing and tonality. I absolutely love the tonality and emotion in his work. It always feels like it’s raining and that’s how I feel as an artist. My artistic side is very different from my pragmatic side. My favorite Paul Strand photo is Wall Street, 1915. That photo was the first Paul Strand photo I saw when I was younger and it’s what influenced my initial desire to shoot B&W and how I wanted my images to look and be processed. It’s the symmetry and dark verticals that promote my work and you’ll find this element as a backbone in most of my work. TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? Are there any plans for an exhibition? Book? What are some of your photography goals? SL: I’ve been doing a series on San Francisco, Chinatown for some time now. I’d like to publish that work when it’s ready. It’s been a side project that I’ve been doing for the past 10-years. My goal with that work is to capture the transition that’s been happening in Chinatown but through my lens, this includes how gentrification is slowly eroding the most important cultural foundations we have here in our American cities today, especially San Francisco, but doing it with my signature. The old ways are dying and the young ways are leaving Chinatown. And the developers are moving in. It’s shameful and I want to make sure I preserve it and one day my work there can be a part of a collection which reminds everyone what Chinatown is and was. I would love to have an exhibition or book one day. I feel I’m getting closer, but I will need to work a little harder to get there. It’s not always about the subject or the impact of the emotion either. It’s also the technical approach and mastering each aspect of photography from the camera itself to the darkroom techniques used through modern digital applications. It needs to be the entire package for me, and I want to feel confident enough around all aspects of the medium, not just the final output. I want to be a true master at what I do in photography. And be remembered. TPL:“When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… SL: I have a lot of hobbies and so many that at times I stress myself out for no reason at all. I cannot get enough of everything around me. I love life more than life loves me. And if I’m not doing photography, then I’m tackling a new script. If writing isn’t something I feel like doing, then I’m drawing future automobiles. I also have a 13-year-old son who’s everything and making him proud is my overall goal. I want to leave him something meaningful." PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> UNBECOMING Kalliope Amorphous reflects on self-portraiture and feminine representation, revealing a practice shaped by transformation, instinct and the possibilities that emerge when likeness begins to shift. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

SOHO SMALL HOURS Laine Mullally placed herself in the midst of moments rich in emotion as she wandered around in Soho at night. SOHO SMALL HOURS December 16, 2022 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Laine Mullally INTERVIEW Karin Svadlenak Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Laine Mullally is, one might say, a small town girl, having been born in rural Sweden, who has taken to exploring big city streets. She has lived and worked both in London and Stockholm and has travelled extensively. Her wandering streak is accompanied by a keen eye for storytelling - both in words and in her photography. It is well worth reading the amusing stories Laine often writes below her images, which tell imagined stories about her photographic subjects. Having been drawn to the arts from a young age, thanks to hours spent with her artistic grandmother, Laine eventually transitioned from drawing to photography. In her professional life, Laine is both a fashion model and a teacher, and her experience of being the photographer's subject has had an impact on how she approaches her candid portraiture, something she has become fascinated by more recently – she does not want to make her subjects feel in any way uncomfortable or to depict them in artificial poses the way fashion models often are. And so prefers to remain at a distance, even as she immerses herself in the emotions of the street life that she observes, and capture the beauty of everyday situations and emotions from a little further away. As diverse as Laine’s photography is, it all has a recognisable aesthetic, a focus on lines and shapes and colours, sometimes a predilection for partial abstraction, and a clear sense of beauty, which is evident in her careful compositions. We have the pleasure of interviewing Laine for The Pictorial List, making new connections to her photography and here she shares with you her passion and inspiration. “Ever since I lived in London during my modelling years when I was young I've loved wandering around in Soho at night. It was not about just snapping people out on the razzle dazzle though, it was about placing myself in the midst of moments rich in emotion, taking in the flow passing by, catching a sound, a motion, a look, a gesture, and capture what mid sentence, mid thought, mid laughter, mid stride, mid whatever looks like and feels like, the everyday - or rather every night - beauty in that.” IN CONVERSATION WITH LAINE MULLALLY THE PICTORIAL LIST: Welcome to The List Laine! Tell us a bit about yourself? LAINE MULLALLY: I was born in a small town in the middle, rural part of Sweden, grew up partly there and partly in Stockholm and moved to London after graduating at the age of 18, then back to Stockholm where I've lived since then. Travelling has been a big part of my life, Europe, Africa, Asia and America, and I spend a lot of time in London where my husband is from, but Stockholm remains my home. TPL: What was it that sparked your initial interest in photography? LM: My grandmother was very artistic, somehow finding the time, while working full time and raising two children, for her various creative outlets, like painting, designing and making clothes and furnishings, and she was probably my first artistic inspiration. I early on had an interest in drawing, mostly portraits, I took art classes at school, and my dad had a Canon AE-1 that I started using when I was in my 20's. Sadly I no longer draw but transitioning into photography has felt a natural development. When I got my first DSLR a few years ago I mainly focused on architecture, then added abstract and ICM, then ventured into street photography and now it seems I have come full circle, having a renewed interest in portraits, albeit candid ones. TPL: You are a woman of many talents. We happen to know that among other occupations, you are also a fashion model yourself. How do you think this experience of being the subject of photography has influenced you as a photographer? LM: I have empathy for my subjects and I don't want to make them feel uncomfortable by taking their photo; that held me back from street photography for a long while but since venturing into this genre I've developed a code for my street photography, for example, I keep a distance (using my 85mm lens on my crop sensor camera I get pretty close from afar), I don't photograph people in vulnerable states or situations and if anybody would say or show that they don't want me to take their photo I would respect that and if they would ask me to delete their image I would instantly do so. A while ago I did a project shooting mannequins, the aim being giving life and a context to that inanimate object, making them a subject, with emotions, dreams, fears and hopes, with a past and a future, not just this thing that you see in the moment, and that is connected to my modelling background. Since I started taking street photos it has been on my mind as to what extent my modelling background influences my aesthetic; what I find beautiful, what draws me in, and recently I went to see an exhibition by a photographer, who, like me, also started out as a fashion model - and she ponders the very same question! One thing we have in common is that we both tend to photograph women more often than men and neither of us have any clear answers as to why. I do think that for me it partly has to do with, like in my mannequin project, wanting to depict women as subjects, not objects, and to add to this I like writing accompanying stories to make the viewer/reader see the photo - and the subject - in a very different way than they would be culturally conditioned to do. I have considered whether I'm not just conforming to the norm, in the sense of adopting the male gaze, detecting female beauty and depicting it, that being the aim of the photo, but, I don't feel that I am. Although, at times it may be interpreted that way; I recall an amusing example where I was photographing a woman standing quite close by and a young man standing behind me suddenly cried out "Legs, legs, I see legs!" and was, if not upset but certainly felt it necessary to question what I was doing! I explained to him that I had noticed this woman, all dressed up but wearing flat sandals, carrying her super high heels in her hand, and I liked the scene, I found this woman's strategy, of conforming to the norm of 'looking good' in excruciatingly uncomfortable heels yet ensuring a comfortable walk home interesting, but the young man just assumed that I was a 'leg woman'! Another way my modelling background has influenced me is that I want to depict beauty that is not posed and edited, like in a fashion or beauty editorial, and not a perfected social media selfie, filters and all; I want to show the everyday beauty in everyday moments; people thinking, talking, laughing, daydreaming, reading, discussing, flirting, hurrying; multi facetted people, leading their everyday lives; this to me is real beauty and I would love for people to see themselves that way too. TPL: Would you like to tell us a bit about your experience of posing for the camera? How do you feel when you are the subject? And how different is that from being ‘the’ photographer? LM: As a model you of course learn about poses, (and let me tell you it HURTS, being all contorted, holding your pose, maybe in heels, maybe baking in the sun or freezing in the wind or snow for hours on end!) finding the light and interpreting the brief. I like to work out back stories for the character that wears the clothes and make-up that I'm wearing for the day so that I can have fun and also convey something real. At best you get to be a part of telling a story, creating images that engage and inspire; that's important as people consume so much media and the images they see affect them deeply. The obvious difference between being the subject and the photographer is that as a model you're not in control, and as a photographer you are, but of course you try to establish a rapport with the photographer and when they're open to your input it becomes more of a collaborative process. You can also adopt poses and expressions between shots that you think will convey something meaningful to you and just maybe the photographer will go - 'Ooh, hold that!' - and maybe think it just 'happened', that it was their idea! ;-) Most of all, I always strive to find ways to be a subject in the photo, not a mere object; I'm a living, breathing, thinking, feeling woman, not a mannequin. TPL: Although you often do some artistic compositions, you also seem quite interested in portraying people candidly, or at least they feature prominently in the series you have shared with us. How do you go about making the candid portraits you have shared? LM: Yes, I do seem to have come full circle and just like when I would draw portraits I look for expressions and scenes that engage; like I mentioned earlier, I want to capture that everyday beauty. People in motion in a city are constantly telling their own story; this fascinates me and I try to capture it. I'm predominantly a fisher, not a hunter, so I find locations that give the vibe I'm looking for and move around spots where the light and framing feel right and then I wait for subjects and scenes. For the portraits I shared with you I used an 85mm lens (which corresponds to 136mm on a full frame camera) so I do get quite up close and personal and when the moments I catch really pique my curiosity or move me then I know that I've got something. Having said all this, I'm still not entirely comfortable with taking strangers' photos so I have started doing little exercises to feel more at ease, more confident in the process, like taking a deep breath, amping up my positivity and bounding up to strangers and striking up a conversation, maybe complimenting them on their outfits; this I've found makes me so much more comfortable with photographing people and I also get comfortable with the area, feel I can move around with ease and snap away with gay abandon! I've found that most people I approach are delighted to have their photo taken and also people I haven't approached approach me and ask me to photograph them. It may not be the kind of photography I'm after but it brings such a positive vibe, which really aids my photography process! TPL: In general regarding your photography, where do you find your inspiration to create? When you take pictures, do you usually have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? Please describe your process. LM: As I am interested in several genres of photography, just about everything I see inspires me to take photos and I usually don't know what I will photograph at any given time. I have a little point and shoot compact with me at all times but if I decide to go for a photo walk and bring my DSLR I generally pick a location as a starting point, see what the light is like and take it from there. Sometimes I use a sun position map app before I go to a location so that I know what light and shadow to expect. I'm a slow starter that needs a bit of a warm up so I look around and see if anything instantly draws my attention, if not I might just take some shots of some pigeons or a reflection or random shots of people or just about anything. If there are a lot of people and I feel awkward about taking portraits I might start playing around with ICM shots and either I'll stick to that, let that guide what other locations I go to or I might start approaching people, like I described above, interact with them to start to get shots and find a flow, move onto candid portraits and scenes. In general I let the images come to me, it doesn't work for me to go out with a mission, I'd most likely go home empty handed. If I'm in London I do mostly focus on candid portraits and street scenes though as there is such an abundance of subjects and scenes at any time of the day; at home in Stockholm I have to work harder, be prepared to switch genres several times during a photo walk so as not to go home empty handed. I also have a 'go to' place there if no other location has worked for me; a large square with a geometrical pattern and interesting lines and always people passing by and so I know that I can get shots of any genre there. I want to show the everyday beauty in everyday moments; people thinking, talking, laughing, daydreaming...multi-facetted people, leading their everyday lives; this to me is real beauty and I would love for people to see themselves that way too. TPL: Some people say a picture is worth more than a thousand words, others prefer to have context to images, and yet others enjoy matching photos with made-up stories. We noticed that you often include amusing little stories as captions under your photos. How do these come to mind? LM: I always wonder who my subjects are and what is really taking place before me and as I don't know, I make it up! I feel responsibility towards my subjects; even if they don't know that they're in a photo I would like them to feel good about it and so I like to make them heroes in my stories; also it is in a way a thank you of sorts for me capturing them without their knowledge or consent. The stories are often silly, jokey in some way, at times surreal, sometimes a bit dark perhaps, but I don't wish a subject to be the brunt of a joke, unless the subject is me, in the modelling shots I post; it's amusing to challenge the stereotype of models as conceited. Besides being silly with my stories I have an ulterior motive; most of the time we don't know what we see when we look at a random person or scene, but we may casually assume, even judge, or, maybe we just don't think anything at all, it's just a passing glance, and I like to play around with our preconceived notions and offer the viewer the opportunity to see something extraordinary, dramatic, heroic, unexpected. I look at the shot, set my mind to blank and go with the first thought or feeling I get and see where it goes. I also have a 'concept bank' where I jot down ideas, thoughts, themes and interesting words and phrases that may come of use in stories and I enjoy the process of reading up on any subjects that I use as part of the stories, delightfully nerdy! TPL: Do you think a picture can ever tell its own story, without being contextualised? For that to be the case, what would the picture have to be like? LM: Oh definitely, but maybe sometimes I can feel that mine may not stand on their own.. That self doubt aside, any picture can stand on its own merit; the photographer takes a photo, offers it to the viewer who then creates the context, could be the context the photographer had in mind or something completely different. I just have a different approach, I choose to contextualise with stories to take the viewer on a journey and expose them to the unexpected. I'm delighted that I often get that kind of feedback, that people say that they see the photo and think one thing and then read the story and think something completely different! TPL: Do you have any favourite artists/photographers? LM: Ooh, I love Vivian Maier's fascinating exploration of the everyday, Martin Parr's quirkiness and social commentary, Cindy Sherman's use of herself to explore identities and Elizaveta Porodina's exquisite, painterly, otherworldly tsunami of the senses. They don't necessarily inspire my photography in the sense of me striving to emulate their style, that's impossible, but I admire their work immensely. There are also a great many photographers on Instagram and Vero whose work I love. TPL: Does gear matter? Is there any particular equipment you need or wish you had to help you achieve your photographic vision? LM: Gear doesn't matter for the story telling aspect of photography; if you have the eye you see a scene, you compose and you capture it, but, I do feel a bit limited by my gear, I would love to be able to achieve better quality images technically. I have a little point and shoot compact, a Canon PowerShot g7 x Mark II, which I like as I can keep it with me at all times but I mostly use my Canon 200D and my favourite lens at the moment, the one I used for this series, is a 85mm Samyang f/1,4 and getting that lens has helped me develop my photography in a new direction, it being very suitable for candid portraits. I recently got a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens, to get the equivalent of 50mm on my crop sensor camera, and I'll see how that will suit me. I think I'll hold off on upgrading my camera though, until I'm more technically savvy with what I've got and also know more about what kinds of photography I want to be doing. Also, when you don't have great gear or aren't very tech savvy or haven't chosen a particular genre or haven't established a very specific style it's quite liberating; there are no rules, no boundaries, no wrongs, no pressure, you just do whatever you feel like and that's quite a lovely place to be! TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? Are there areas of photography you feel like exploring? Tell us what rocks your photographic boat. LM: I have no exciting news; I've just started taking candid portraits and I feel I want to keep exploring that for a while, alongside street and abstract, before starting any new projects. One challenge I have is to calibrate my eye to the subtleness of Sweden and the Swedish; there are fewer people here, which for one thing makes it very tricky to blend in when you take street photographs as you really stick out, standing there with your camera; I just raise my camera and my potential subject instantly clocks me! It's also more homogeneous, the pace is slower and it's more quiet; even on a Friday night all you might come across is a man and his dog! Alright, I may exaggerate a little but I am so enamoured with London and its vibrancy and the diversity and flair of the people that I have a hard time adjusting to and getting fired up about my everyday back home and that's not OK. I recognise that it's me, not Stockholm, that is at fault here though, so I am working on it. I hope for a very snowy winter as I would love to explore that, and really make good use of this long, dark, cold season! Snow is exotic to others but everyday (or at least it used to be) to me but an everyday that I find wonderful; the brightness it brings, the softness, how it muffles everything - and the scenes; a mother of three cursing as she digs out her car, four middle aged men in a spontaneous snowball fight, a gaggle of teenage boys in inappropriate shoes gingerly manoeuvring on the pavement, an old lady sticking her tongue out to catch snowflakes, I just love it and I hope to be able to capture it aplenty this winter! TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… LM: Be out in nature, read, write, do weights at the gym, go to the ballet, a gallery, a concert, the cinema, have a curry, sit on the couch with my husband, open the balcony door and give a squirrel a hazelnut; you know, be an all rounded human being.” PORTFOLIO INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> UNBECOMING Kalliope Amorphous reflects on self-portraiture and feminine representation, revealing a practice shaped by transformation, instinct and the possibilities that emerge when likeness begins to shift. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth. THAT’S HOW IT IS (if it seems to me) February 2, 2025 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Luisa Montagna INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Luisa Montagna’s artistic evolution bridges music, visual communication, and photography. Trained as a professional cellist, she spent years performing in orchestras and chamber ensembles before dedicating herself to visual arts and photography. This transition marked a shift in how Luisa has approached creative expression — from sound to images, from performance to visual storytelling. Initially drawn to documentary reportage, Luisa’s work has evolved toward an evocative approach, where layered and blended images challenge the viewer’s perception of reality. Her latest project, “That's how it is (if it seems to me)”, borrows its title from Luigi Pirandello’s well-known play. In this series, Luisa explores the fluid nature of reality — how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth. Through her photographs, she invites viewers to consider the unknowability of what we accept as real and the value of personal interpretation. In this interview, Luisa Montagna reflects on her artistic progression, the conceptual underpinnings of her recent series, how her visual work continues to engage with broader questions of perception and identity, and her ongoing search for personal and artistic identity. “Very early on I realized that there exist many different ways of seeing and perceiving reality, as many as there are people. This is one of the reasons why human relationships are so complex. I think the relationship with my cello, or my camera is much simpler, even though we often argue. Joking aside, I like to share my own view of reality. I hope my images shift the focus to another possible way of seeing the world, maybe a fantasy, magical, dystopian world, but never a copy of a real world. That’s why That’s how it is (if it seems to me).” IN CONVERSATION WITH LUISA MONTAGNA THE PICTORIAL LIST: Welcome to The Pictorial List, Luisa! Let's start, by talking about photography entering your life at an advanced stage, almost unexpectedly. How did that first experience with a camera shift your creative focus? LUISA: It gives me great pleasure to join this interesting community of The Pictorial List. I started photography when I was no longer very young, somewhat by accident, when my husband gave me one of his cameras. At first, I only photographed when I went on vacation and took very “touristy” pictures. When I began to have back problems, I almost completely abandoned the camera because of the weights I could no longer carry. But after a few years the new mirrorless cameras, much lighter, came out on the market and I immediately bought one. From that day on, I never stop photographing. It is since then that my path as a photographer changed totally, almost suddenly, although I am sure that something matured in me during the period of inactivity. TPL: You began your artistic career as a professional cellist and later transitioned into visual communication and photography. How do you think your background in music influences your photographic work today? LUISA: Very often I have reflected on this topic, and the answer is not simple. Perhaps it influences the “forma mentis” of the classical musician, who studies a lot, always digs deep into the score and looks for artistic inspiration from it. A great peculiarity of art in general is that it moves feelings, emotions, thoughts: the deepest and most personal part of ourselves. I think I have internalized all that, which is now expressed in my photography in a completely natural way. I also find that there is a great affinity between classical music and photography in the development of stories, the first through compositions consisting of multiple tempos that have a theme as a common thread that runs throughout the piece, the second through storytelling that develops the theme according to a rhythm. TPL: You overlap and merge images to create a dreamlike aesthetic. What is your process for deciding which elements to combine, and what are you hoping to evoke? LUISA: I usually use different techniques depending on the type of image I want to achieve. In the series That's how it is (if it seems to me), which is a work-in-progress series, I choose from some of my photos according to my mood at that moment and put them together trying to create an alternative vision of reality. In other series I use a particular technique that gives me a chance to take my dreamy vision in one picture. I really like to make images in the moment, based on what I find interesting and stimulating, it is difficult for me to meditate on individual shots in detail. I can say that I am instinctive in photography. Even the subjects I choose are the result of the moment: I see a situation that I like and I imagine the snapshot. In this sense I think my images are the expression of myself. My hope is to provide starting points for the viewer to experience an emotion, a dream, an escape, an imaginative thinking about an alternative world. TPL: Do you think your work is more about escaping reality, questioning it, or reconstructing it? LUISA: Regarding this topic, let me tell you a little anecdote. When I played, a conductor, who often came to conduct, used to say to me during rehearsals: Luisa, don't dream! Maybe it was his way of telling me to be more careful, but now I can say that the escape from reality is part of me, it is an aspect of my character that is reflected in the way I photograph. TPL: When creating this series, were you influenced by any particular artists, movements, or philosophical ideas? LUISA: I can say no, or maybe it’s yes, but I don’t realize it. For years, I have studied the lives and works of great or unknown photographers, painters, writers, and composers, but I have no idols — only preferences. I believe I have arrived at this way of expressing myself because it has matured within me, and when I look back, I see that I have come a long way. TPL: You describe photography as a path of growth and self-expression. What does “self-expression” mean to you within the visual medium? LUISA: In my opinion, it means having the ability to translate one's inner world into images — a way of being that is the result of one's character and life experiences. TPL: What rewards and challenges have you faced as a photographer starting later in life, and how have they shaped your perspective as an artist? LUISA: I had the good fortune, in quotes, to approach this way of photography just before the pandemic, so during lockdowns I started taking online courses and workshops, and during non-restrictive periods I would practice. The challenges came when I started submitting my projects to national and international competitions and the first satisfactions came. This gave me confidence to continue on my path and I think I will continue to search for myself in photography. It is difficult for me to say whether my beginning at an older age affects the way I photograph, but I think it does. When you photograph, your past, your history comes into play. TPL: Looking ahead, how do you see your artistic voice evolving? Are there any themes, techniques, or approaches you are eager to explore in the future? What are your photography goals and where do you hope to see yourself in the next 3-5 years? LUISA: I am certainly thinking of new themes to develop and new techniques to study. My dream in the closet is to make a book and a solo exhibition, but I don't set myself any time limits. For now, I am participating in group exhibitions, which is important for me to understand the world of art galleries. TPL: What would we find in your camera bag? Is your equipment an integral part of your practice? LUISA: I use a mirrorless and have three lenses, one of which I use a lot right now. With this equipment I'm trying to figure out what is the best result that I get based on the subjects that I identify. I never prepare my shots, so I test at the very moment I shoot. TPL: If you could just choose one photographer or artist to shoot or collaborate with for a day...who would you choose? And why? LUISA: I really love cinema, so certainly a day on the set of a Federico Fellini film. In his films he was able to create dreamy, timeless atmospheres that were a great inspiration to me. Tarkovsky, too, for the universal themes of his films shot with few tools, but with great effectiveness. Now I can only review their great films. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… LUISA: Play my cello. It is my second life partner after my husband.” Thank you, Melanie, for this beautiful interview of yours. It was a good time for me to stop and reflect on my photographic world. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> UNBECOMING Kalliope Amorphous reflects on self-portraiture and feminine representation, revealing a practice shaped by transformation, instinct and the possibilities that emerge when likeness begins to shift. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

PICTORIAL STORY MULTIPLICITY Amy Newton-McConnel opens a window into her daughter’s world, capturing the vivid energy and emotion shaped by ADHD. Each moment reflects how her daughter sees, feels, and moves through the world. May 12, 2023 PICTORIAL STORY photography AMY NEWTON-MCCONNEL story KAREN GHOSTLAW POMARICO SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Amy Newton McConnel is a visual storyteller based in Phoenix, Arizona. She has been highly creative since childhood, engaging and making art in many mediums, giving her the tools to work with different applications of mixed media, expanding her abilities to express her ideas. Amy has always had a camera and an interest in photography. Amy brings to us a unique way of visual storytelling, depicting her critical thinking through In Camera Movement (ICM) photography. ICM photography utilizes techniques where the camera is intentionally moved during the exposure to create painterly and abstract artistic effects. This allows Amy to create abstract art engaging her camera as a tool to define the story she wishes to express. “I am inspired by lines and textures, colors and shapes and create art that inspires emotional response. ICM photography inspires me to see, feel and think differently and interpret my surroundings in a new and unexpected way.” Amy shares her project Multiplicity with us. Amy invites us for an intimate view of her daughter’s world, illuminating and capturing the expressive ambiance her daughter embodies with ADHD. Her family has worked hard to create an environment where their daughter not only feels like she can be herself but has embraced her ADHD and considers it intrinsic to what makes her so special to Amy’s family. “We refer to her ADHD as her ‘Superpower’. We tell her all the time. She embraces it and says that’s what makes her unique. We should all learn a valuable lesson here, just think what she will accomplish with her superpower! We are positive she is already and will continue to make this world a better place.” Amy depicts her daughter’s ADHD through abstraction, allowing for ICM photography to express the characteristics and brilliance of her daughter’s persona that she admires and adores. It is a unique opportunity for us to understand how many outstanding people there are in our communities and in our own families that face challenges daily in a world that can be not very accepting or friendly at times. Amy shares her project with us. “My daughter, my muse, my source of creative inspiration. Small, yet mighty, she is a commanding, colorful and emotional spirit... not to be reckoned with. She embodies innocence, drama, intelligence, complexity and perpetual movement. She has ADHD. In this body of work, Multiplicity , I have attempted to capture the essence of her unlimited energy, psyche, and her soul. Her ADHD mind is an endless racetrack; a provocateur of impulsivity, a superpower of creativity and imagination; a dysregulation of emotions. Patience is not her strong suit - movement is her preferred companion. She exudes energy, expression and explosive emotion. Her movements are super-fast and dramatic. She acts before thinking with no inhibition, no regard for consequence. There is beauty in her mental disorder. Beauty found in the flux of uncontrolled movements and the drama of exaggerated emotions. As a mom of an ADHD child, it is exhausting; a never-ending dialog and wake of disorder and destruction - an envy of unlimited energy and virtuosity. As an artist, my focus is on harnessing her racing brain, her constant changing thoughts and her fleeting emotions and impulsivity. To take that energy and to visualize her transient thoughts and emotions that capture those fleeting moments...because her brain will forget them in just a minute's time. Multiplicity is an in-depth insight into the complexity of the neurodiverse mind. The beauty of impulsivity and hyperactivity. The fluidity, color and emotion of ADHD as it appears and disappears in the blink of an eye. Each image is intended to capture your attention, engage your thoughts and help you contemplate the flow of movement and the intricacy of multiple emotions.” 'Emotional Explosion' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Unconsciousness' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Out Of Control' © Amy Newton McConnel 'High Contrast' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Self Acceptance' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Dioscuri' © Amy Newton McConnel 'In Your Face' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Red Zone' Amy Newton McConnel 'Yin Or Yang' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Royally Confused' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Restless Boredom' © Amy Newton McConnel 'On Edge' © Amy Newton McConnel 'Self-soothing' © Amy Newton McConnel The Pictorial List thanks Amy for her insight and intimate look into her daughter’s unique way of engaging the world. We thank her for a better understanding of how exceptional people with ADHD are, and we should receive their gifts with respect and admiration. Amy has utilized the techniques of ICM photography to capture poetic emotions in time. Some reflect on moments of personal illumination, while others depict the rhythm of the natural world, embracing the uncertainty in a moment, giving the viewer the ability and freedom to allow a spontaneous emotional reaction. To see Amy’s other work and support her projects and photography, please follow her links below. view Amy's portfolio Website >>> Instagram >>> Facebook >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> TRANSPARENT Memory, grief and the family archive converge in William Josephs Radford’s work, questioning how photographs shape what we remember and what remains after someone is gone. KOLKATA MONSOON For more than a decade, Abir Choudhury has spent the rains outdoors in Kolkata, photographing what four months of water does to the city he grew up in. THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival.

PICTORIAL STORY CLAY AND ASHES A story of resilience — where hands shape heritage, and Abdulla Shinose CK captures the quiet tension between past and present. February 9, 2025 PICTORIAL STORY photography ABDULLA SHINOSE CK story ABDULLA SHINOSE CK introduction MELANIE MEGGS SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Abdulla Shinose CK, an emerging documentary filmmaker and photographer with an academic background in history and political science from the University of Delhi, explores the evolving relationship between tradition and modernity in his work. His practice is grounded in cultural heritage, focusing on communities whose way of life is being reshaped by economic and social change. In Clay and Ashes , Abdulla offers a rare look into a craft at an instable position, where survival depends on both adaptation and the preservation of a fragile but enduring cultural legacy. He focuses on Kumhar Gram, a potters’ colony in West Delhi where artisans have shaped clay for generations. This series captures the daily rhythms of a community navigating the pressures of industrialization, environmental regulations, and shifting consumer habits. Each photograph offers a window into the potters’ world revealing both the beauty of their craft and the precarity of its survival. This is Abdulla's story. Tucked away in the busy lanes of West Delhi, Kumhar Gram, or the Potter's Colony, is a living testament to the endurance of tradition in an ever-evolving city. Founded in the 1960s by families migrating from Alwar, this community of over 700 families has maintained its age-old craft of pottery-making, which remains central to their identity and livelihood. As one meanders through the dust-laden paths of Uttam Nagar, the air hums with the rhythmic spinning of potter’s wheels. The colony's narrow lanes are lined with workshops, where every house is both a home and a production site. Piles of clay sit drying in the open, while artisans carefully craft everything from kulhars to decorative idols. The quiet tapping of fired clay resonates from every corner, each beat echoing the legacy of a craft passed down through generations. Yet, despite the labor-intensive art being central to their lives, the potters’ future is uncertain. The rise of mass-produced plastic and metal items has diminished demand for traditional clay products. Moreover, the colony faces scrutiny from environmental authorities for the pollution created by the kiln operations. These challenges, compounded by caste-based marginalization, paint a picture of a community struggling to preserve its cultural heritage while confronting the harsh realities of modern urbanization. However, amidst these challenges, the spirit of the potters endures. Known as Prajapatis, after the Vedic god of creation, their craft is not merely a livelihood but a vital connection to their roots. In their hands, clay becomes more than just material - it becomes a symbol of survival, resistance, and identity. As the community continues to craft their wares, their struggle to preserve both their art and their place in a rapidly changing world carries on, generation after generation. © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK © Abdulla Shinose CK Abdulla Shinose CK’s Clay and Ashes serves as more than just a visual record of Kumhar Gram’s potters — it is a powerful reflection on the delicate balance between tradition and progress. The community stands at a crossroads, fighting to sustain its craft against industrialization, environmental restrictions, and shifting consumer preferences. Their struggle is not just about pottery; it represents a broader metaphor for cultural heritage in an era of relentless modernization. As the wheels continue to spin and hands mold clay into art, the question remains: Can tradition endure in the face of an uncertain future? view Abdulla Shinose CK's portfolio Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> TRANSPARENT Memory, grief and the family archive converge in William Josephs Radford’s work, questioning how photographs shape what we remember and what remains after someone is gone. KOLKATA MONSOON For more than a decade, Abir Choudhury has spent the rains outdoors in Kolkata, photographing what four months of water does to the city he grew up in. THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival.

I love just wandering around with my camera - generally I follow my nose, look up and around and see what catches my eye. I'm always drawn to buildings - especially tall ones - which I photograph in a way that makes them seem very abstract and graphical. Talking of graphical, I would say my photography is very much led by grids - I think about lines and edges within compositions before anything else. Especially when it comes to editing my photos. I nearly always shoot for black and white - that's generally all I share on my Instagram, anyway. There's something about the removal of colour that seems to heighten lines, grids and patterns within images. So it suits my style perfectly. BEN ALLAN I love just wandering around with my camera - generally I follow my nose, look up and around and see what catches my eye. I'm always drawn to buildings - especially tall ones - which I photograph in a way that makes them seem very abstract and graphical. Talking of graphical, I would say my photography is very much led by grids - I think about lines and edges within compositions before anything else. Especially when it comes to editing my photos. I nearly always shoot for black and white - that's generally all I share on my Instagram, anyway. There's something about the removal of colour that seems to heighten lines, grids and patterns within images. So it suits my style perfectly. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Canon 80D @BALLONANDON FEATURES // Gridlines

STRANGERS IN SHANGHAI Cindy Wang loves her city. She uses photography to record her obsession with strangers in her home city Shanghai. STRANGERS IN SHANGHAI September 30, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Cindy Wang INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE As the cacophony of city life hums in the background, Cindy Wang stands still, a camera in hand, waiting for her chance to capture the present moment in all its imperfect glory. Through her lens, she seeks to capture the unique beauty of the people and places that make up the vibrant city of Shanghai, a place that holds a special place in her heart. Growing up, she had fond memories of her grandfather taking photos of her with a film camera, igniting a passion for street photography that has become an integral part of her life. Cindy’s obsession with strangers and their behaviour in and around Shanghai, avoids pursuing perfection, instead choosing to focus on the small moments of life that often go unnoticed. Join us as we take a closer look at Cindy’s incredible journey, and discover why she loves her city so much. “I am from Shanghai and I live and work here. I started drawing when in elementary school and continued to do so. I graduated from art school, majoring in interior design. I am currently designing clothes and accessories for dogs. My grandfather introduced me to photography but it was at university where I took a course in photography and bought my first camera which was a digital Olympus.” IN CONVERSATION WITH CINDY WANG THE PICTORIAL LIST: Cindy, where do you find your inspiration? CINDY WANG: From movies and visiting art galleries worldwide, where I study the artistic geniuses from the past; also from my travels, where I have witnessed not only the most amazing scenery, but humble people going about their daily business. TPL: What do you want to express through your photography? What are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? CW: I want to capture the meaningful 'moment in time' of my subject, with particular attention to using light and shade to its greatest effect. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? CW: Robert Doisneau and Walker Evans have inspired my photography. TPL: Do you prefer to shoot alone or with friends? CW: I prefer to shoot alone so that I can concentrate on what I am trying to achieve without distractions. TPL: Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? CW: My favourite lens to use are 23mm F1.4 and 50mm F2 I look for interesting people in everyday life, perhaps in the streets, at the market, in the harbour, just anywhere, going about their daily business. TPL: Where is your favourite place to photograph? CW: The station, art centres, in the streets, the market, just about anywhere I find an interesting subject. TPL: Has your style of shooting changed since you first started? CW: Yes, my style has changed dramatically...I originally shot buildings and landscapes. But now I look for something out of the ordinary, in the same way that Leonardo da Vinci used to go to the market in Florence to sketch old and interesting people. Just like is crowd scenes in his masterpieces, I look for interesting people in everyday life, perhaps in the streets, at the market, in the harbour, just anywhere, going about their daily business. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? CW: I regularly go down to the harbour in Shanghai and I am building a portfolio of life in Shanghai harbour. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? CW: I am determined to become a professional photographer – I want to be renowned as someone that a client can rely on to produce the best product possible. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... CW: I am fascinated with art and have been all over the world visiting art galleries. I travel a lot, and I’m interested in all other cultures. In my spare time, I read, draw, paint and do calligraphy. I go to the movies and take yoga classes. Other than that, I spend time walking the streets, going to markets etc., wherever I may find interesting people or places to shoot." PORTFOLIO INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> UNBECOMING Kalliope Amorphous reflects on self-portraiture and feminine representation, revealing a practice shaped by transformation, instinct and the possibilities that emerge when likeness begins to shift. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.