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PICTORIAL STORY GHOST BUSTERS February 12, 2021 PICTORIAL STORY Photographs by Mary Crnkovic Pilas Story by Karin Svadlenak Gomez SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link From Sydney to the vibrant culture of Zagreb, Croatia, Mary Crnkovic Pilas has long been inspired by the beauty of photography. Based in Zagreb since 1992, this street and documentary photographer is most renowned for her stunning black and white images. But for this special feature, Mary shares something a little different, a unique insight into the Croatian carnival tradition of bell ringers through her vivid and colourful photography. During the January carnival period, villagers shod in heavy boots, shaggy costumes and rather "unconventional" hats march through the countryside of Kastav and coastal Rijeka in Northern Croatia: the bell ringers (Zvončari in Croatian). They are an awesome lot to behold, and they make a lot of noise! Imagine heavy brass bells for "tails" or around your waist, jumping around and shouting at full volume - well, you can imagine that this would wake you up - or, as the case may be, chase away the ghosts of winter. This tradition is considered an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. The custom dates to Slavic pagan days and remains a cherished tradition in this region. The primary task of bell ringers is to scare away the evil winter spirits and to invite in a new spring. Bell ringer groups usually consist of 10 to 20 members but can be much larger on weekends and festive days. The costumes vary from region to region. In the Rijeka area, the standard costume includes white trousers, a striped shirt, and a sheepskin throw. Bell ringers from the western Kastav region wear hats covered with paper flowers instead of animal masks. Yet others are covered in a floor length covering of colourful paper ribbons. Only the Halubian bellringers wear large "wild thing" masks instead of hats. This was previously the most common form of head covering for bellringer groups, but during the Italian occupation they were prohibited. Regardless of the costume variant, all of them carry brass bells, but they may ring them differently. Their route through the villages of their area can sometimes be up to twenty kilometres long. Some of these groups move around in a procession from village to village in a swaggering motion and bump each other's hips while moving, a very strenuous way of moving forward, requiring some level of skill and strength. Others run fast from house to house jumping and making their costumes jiggle. Costumes vary widely from village to village, with extraordinary headgear and shaggy fur, or flowing paper ribbons. What they usually have in common is either one large bell or belts of bells around their waist. As a highlight of their visit to each village, ringers arrive in the centre, where they begin forming a circle and bounce around, ringing fiercely. After that they are usually approached by the residents of the village and offered some refreshments, before moving on to the next village. The processions culminate on Shrove Monday and Tuesday, marking the end of carnival season and the beginning of Lent. On the last day of the carnival period a puppet called Pust is "put on trial" for all misdeeds on the past year. The unfortunate puppet is then sentenced to death by fire or hanging. Music and dance often accompany the festivities. The wearing of masks, with which humans celebrate fertility rites, drive away evil spirits and mark the passage of winter into spring is a fixture of many civilizations and can be found in all parts of the world. The social significance is the relationship and cohesion of villages in which the ritual takes place, showing mutual support for each other. The custom also involves the preparation of special meals, and the maintenance of ancient handcrafts, such as making mask and bells. Elements of folk theatre and differences in ethnicity are reflected in the varying costumes. © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas © Mary Crnkovic Pilas This custom is being kept alive by local communities, who attach great meaning to it. Young and old alike value the tradition, and the young learn bell ringing skills from older bellringers. So now you know, where the wild things are; in Croatia... view Mary's portfolio Read an interview with Mary >>> Read the story "BROKEN HEART" by Mary >>> Website >>> Instagram >>> Sources used in story - Video | bell ringer procession Matulji Region Page about the bell-ringers festival UNESCO page about the intangible cultural heritage of Croatian bell ringing Wikipedia | Zvončari 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 >>> 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. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye.

I am a Swedish photographer based in Stockholm. Street photography, for me, is an art of observation and a photographic statement about the human condition. Out on the streets I look for the moments that can be extraordinary, humorous or absurd in the every day life. In my profession, I have been a press photographer for Swedish newspapers and magazines for more than 40 years, which also has been an advantage for me as a street photographer. LASSE PERSSON I am a Swedish photographer based in Stockholm. Street photography, for me, is an art of observation and a photographic statement about the human condition. Out on the streets I look for the moments that can be extraordinary, humorous or absurd in the every day life. In my profession, I have been a press photographer for Swedish newspapers and magazines for more than 40 years, which also has been an advantage for me as a street photographer. LOCATION Stockholm SWEDEN CAMERA/S Nikon D3500 @LASSE_PERSSON_SWEDEN FEATURES // Candid Observations

REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE Camille J. Wheeler is a photographer from Texas, who documents Austin's streets, with a particular focus on its homeless community. REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE February 26, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Camille J. Wheeler INTERVIEW Karin Svadlenak Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Camille J. Wheeler is originally from farm country in the South Plains of Texas. It was her mother, a teacher in journalism and English, who taught her the tools of writing and editing. It was only later, after having been a reporter, feature writer and page designer, among other editorial tasks in the newspaper industry, that Camille fell in love with photography. Now living in Austin, Texas, Camille started traversing the city with a camera, finding her path forward as a photojournalist, often documenting the homeless, but also more generally life in the streets. Her photography is always respectful, and she engages directly with her photographic subjects, often creating long term relationships and documenting the people she meets over time. “My path to the homeless community began by observing the segregated populations in Austin — people who are segregated by disability/non-disability, people who are segregated by race, and people who are segregated by economic and housing status. The highest compliment I have received from members of the homeless community is that I represent the people.” IN CONVERSATION WITH CAMILLE J. WHEELER THE PICTORIAL LIST: Camille please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography and in photojournalism? CAMILLE J. WHEELER: I was born in Lubbock, on the South Plains of Texas, where I grew up in a farming and ranching family. My mother was my high school English and journalism teacher at the tiny country school I attended, and she gave me the tools I needed for my future as a writer and an editor. I worked for 21 years in the newspaper industry, including with the Austin American-Statesman, but I never picked up a camera on the job. I wore many hats, including that of reporter, feature writer, page designer, and assigning/project editor, and I spent countless hours in the photo lab looking through a loop and selecting images for stories. I loved hanging out with photographers — I just didn’t know that I was one myself. I have lived in Austin for nearly three decades now. My background here also includes an associate editor tenure with a magazine, where I continued to build relationships with photographers and occasionally held a camera myself. In April 2014, I borrowed a camera to document a mixed-ability dance performance in downtown Austin in which my spouse, Donna, participated. It was a thrilling experience, and on that day, I realized I was a photographer. I bought my own camera and started traversing the city, finding my path forward as a photojournalist and connecting the most with those who experience discrimination and who don’t fit into the conventional norms of society. TPL: You report a lot about the homeless community in Austin. How did this come about? What drives you? CJW: My path to the homeless community began by observing the segregated populations in Austin — people who are segregated by disability/non-disability, people who are segregated by race, and people who are segregated by economic and housing status. In 2014, I started photographing the world of mixed-ability dance — improvisational work that empowers people of all abilities to embrace dancing in their own unique way. I also began documenting Black Lives Matter protests and exploring the historic African-American and Latino neighborhoods of East Austin. Each new experience put me a step closer to the heart of the homeless population, in downtown Austin. In February 2016, I took my first portraits of people in this community. I began interviewing and reporting, gathering threads of stories. Conversations came without filters. I found that incredibly refreshing. When people realized I meant what I said, that I wanted to sit and listen, they opened up and started talking. So what drives me, even more so now, is this unbridled desire to tell the stories of the beautiful and complicated souls I meet on the streets. And doing so with the combined tools of my camera, notepad, and voice recorder? That’s pure magic. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? CJW: I draw inspiration from so many photographers and artists. To name two, I greatly admire portrait photographer Robert Bergman, who shoots with available light, and Khalik Allah, a New York–based photographer and filmmaker who shoots film at night in Harlem, also utilizing the light already present. My favorite artist is James Turrell: a revolutionary light installation artist whose work is light, interacting with individuals in precisely made spaces that isolate the light and allow people to form relationships with it as a physical presence. 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? CJW: I normally am shy. But when I gather my photo gear and head downtown, I become transformed. People on Sixth Street tell me I constantly smile. That I exude good energy. I sometimes find this hard to believe, knowing that I can brood and circle the drain with the best of them, but I enjoy wonderful interactions on almost every outing. Because I smile so much, people smile back. Because I’ve gotten to know so many people, I often find myself surrounded by folks who just want to talk and catch up. From the start, I vowed to document people with dignity and respect - to avoid stealth shooting. To be transparent. I think people know this about me and respect me. It’s funny. Every so often, I feel the urge to honor classic street photography - to take candid shots in the tradition of such greats as Vivian Maier, Helen Levitt, and Garry Winogrand. But almost every time I try, I fail. I’ll see a fascinating character on the other side of the street and say dang it, I have to go meet this person. And so it goes. The highest compliment I have received from members of the homeless community is that I represent the people. For sure, I have had negative reactions, and I have been scared on a few occasions. If someone gets upset with me, I try to quickly read the situation. Often, that means simply walking away, which I have learned is a form of respect. People have a right to their privacy and their space. TPL: 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? CJW: I rarely have a concept of what I want to shoot other than I want to capture someone’s essence. My photos are determined by my interactions, which is an unpredictable strategy, to say the least. But for me, it works. When I meet someone, or reconnect with someone, the process starts naturally with conversation. Then, as we grow comfortable with each other, and with permission, I start taking photos, sometimes moving in so close that the lens is maybe one or two inches from the person’s eyes. This requires great trust, from both of us. Conversations came without filters. I found that incredibly refreshing. When people realized I meant what I said, that I wanted to sit and listen, they opened up and started talking. 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? CJW: For about two years now, I’ve shot with a Fuji X-T3 and a 23mm f1.4 lens, which seems to be near perfect for street photography. It’s a super sharp lens that’s just wide enough to capture extra background and context. I used to shoot exclusively with a Sony 50mm lens, and I’m thinking of adding the Fuji equivalent to my bag. It’s how I learned to shoot street portraits — it forced me to get physically close to people. I occasionally shoot with a zoom lens, but I prefer fixed lenses for portrait work. TPL: What are some of your goals as a photographer/photojournalist? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? CJW: In five years, I’d dearly love to be in the middle of a book project about the messy and authentic relationships I have built with people on the streets. Specifically, I am inspired by the work of the late documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark. She returned again and again to the same subjects, establishing trust and building intimate relationships with homeless youth in a project that ultimately produced Streetwise, a 1984 documentary film and a 1988 book by the same name. In that similar vein, I want to chronicle people as I have known them through the years, documenting the chapters of their lives. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? CJW: Upon invitation, I recently submitted hundreds of my images of the homeless population to the Austin History Center for the creation of a photographs catalog. I am honored to be working with the AHC. It is deeply important to me to record the histories and the lives of those experiencing homelessness in Austin. I am excited about adding to this catalog and involving the members of the homeless community in the process. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… CJW: I love all things outdoors - hiking, biking, and planning my next getaway to the Big Bend region in far West Texas. I love wildlife and nature, and that, of course, involves photography! I also love music and indie films and poring over the collection of art and photography books that Donna and I continue to stack up to impossibly tall heights in our small home. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. 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.

DIFFERENT TANGENTS Jennie Blythe is a photographer passionate about travel and about observing life. To her, curiosity and no judgement is the key. DIFFERENT TANGENTS September 21, 2020 INTERVIEW Photography by Jennie Blythe Interview by Karin Svadlenak Gomez Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Jennie Blythe is a photographer passionate about travel and about observing life, wherever that may be and in whichever photographic genre it happens to be. She doesn't like to categorise herself to just one style or genre as she describes this would limit her photography that she wants to make. Such a beautiful depth of emotion and strength is evoked through through her photography. To Jennie, curiosity is the key and making sure that the eye through the lens never judges. “Photography is as strong an interest as travel now: it really resonates with me. You get to visually explore your surroundings wherever you are, it's creative and it's technical. It's also anthropology - being curious about people really helps, and the lens never judges.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JENNIE BLYTHE THE PICTORIAL LIST: Jennie please tell us about yourself. When did you start getting interested in photography? JB: I went on a fantastic trip to Cambodia in 2002 and, when I returned, I was rather disappointed with the photos from my point and shoot film camera - so I got my first SLR and went on a developing course. My interest lapsed over the years, partly due to the cost of analogue photography but then a couple of years ago I started travelling more frequently again and really wanted to record these travels photographically. This segued into other styles of photography, too, such as documentary, street and portrait. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? JB: Almost anywhere. Before lockdown, I didn't think I was inspired by street photography. I did it because it's accessible, because I have a wide group of peers and because it sharpens your reflexes. Lockdown showed me how much I take from the genre and how much I enjoy it. Dylan Thomas once wrote that, "My mind jumps from thought to thought like a wombat", and mine's like that (though without his genius or way with words). In the past I have been inspired by novels, by cookbooks, by Instagram. In terms of documentary work, I'm influenced by social affairs as I see them. I'm keen to do projects on the elderly, on race and immigration, on the social aftermath of war. I've started researching Ebola and am becoming more deeply engaged with environmental issues. My mind flies off on tangents and dives deeply into them. I like that about myself, and photography supports it. TPL: Is there anything you want to express through your photography? And what are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? JB: A photograph has to be interesting in some way, even if just to me. My interests are very varied and my photography reflects that; I don't like to stick to one genre slavishly. But overall I find people and humanity fascinating. While there are always 'bad apples' in every society, I truly believe that most people are good-hearted and want the same things in life: health, wealth, the best for their children. I'm lucky to have travelled widely and to have experienced the warmth and hospitality of all sorts of races, religions and nations. TPL: Has your style of photography changed since you first started? JB: Yes! I am a much better photographer now. In part this is due to different equipment - the right lenses can make such a huge difference to the pictures you make. And you learn by experience. I also like to explore different media. Sometimes I shoot with film, or mess around with 'film soup' (soaking exposed film in a variety of substances before developing). The results then influence the way I take other shots. TPL: Where is your favourite place(s) to photograph? JB: In London, I love shooting in Camden or Brixton. Around the world, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were amazing to make photographs in, as was Uzbekistan. I love exploring the Balkan states, too, and South-East Asia is a joy, especially Myanmar. But if you can't find something to occupy and entertain in every location you go to, you're probably not doing it right! My mind flies off on tangents and dives deeply into them. I like that about myself, and photography supports it. TPL: How does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? What would you say to someone wanting to start out in your genre of photography? JB: It does make a big difference. Buying my first specialist lens was a revelation (a 'nifty 50'), in terms of the results that I got. For digital photography, I usually use a Fuji XT-3. It's a great camera for street photography, and quite light and weather sealed for travelling around. My go-to lens is a Fuji 18-135mm. Though the images are slightly less sharp than when using a prime, it offers me a huge amount of flexibility when travelling. I don't want to carry around and change a huge number of lenses. For portrait photography I prefer my old Canon 600D. I have a gorgeous 85mm lens that creates beautiful shots. But in my opinion, no amount of equipment can make you a cracking photographer. A well composed image is a well composed image, whether or not you have the latest gear. I know lots of photographers who are technically excellent, real gear heads - but their shots are a bit dull. So my advice would be just get out there and worry less about being technically perfect. Make the shots that make you smile. TPL: Do you prefer to shoot alone or with company? JB: It depends what mood I am in that day! On the whole though, I like to shoot with other people. Partly because I'm usually fairly sociable and partly because the rapport can create great results with your subjects. There is sometimes more trust from them - you are less of a lone weirdo taking photos on the street and more part of a project! TPL: Do you have any favourite artists you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? JB: There are a number of photographers, that I admire: Boogie, Tony Ray-Jones, Tim Walker, Don McCullin, Vivian Maier. I am a big fan of shooting on location with local photographic guides, too. They speak the language, know the terrain and the light, the people...I learnt a lot from visiting Romanian villages with Vlad Dumitrescu, and understanding how he engages with the local community. In Jerusalem I had a great day shooting with @simon_beni_ - he has a completely different style and my confidence in approaching people for shots really improved. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? JB: I'd like to follow up on more of my documentary projects and see how my photography evolves. Eventually I can see myself working in situ more, in different regions and countries. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on? JB: I'm thinking about a number of projects at the moment, more from a documentary point of view. - The elderly in society, and how this changes with race - "Gypsies" - the last acceptable frontier of racism - The Yugoslavs - portraits of a former nation TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... JB: Did I say that I like to travel?! I also like hanging out with my family, walking, cooking & eating, seeing friends, reading, googling random facts on the Internet." PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. 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 THE YOKE OF AFGHAN WOMEN “Afghan women are like sleeping lions, when awoken, they can play a wonderful role in any social revolution.” - MEENA (1956-1987) March 8, 2023 PICTORIAL STORY photography PAOLA FERRAROTTI story PAOLA FERRAROTTI SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link On Tuesday, December 20, 2022, Afghan women had no idea that on that day what they had feared since the return of the Taliban to power on the August 15, 2021, would happen: the total expulsion of women from higher education. Female students who turned up for their university classes on the December 20, 2022, found that they were strictly forbidden to enter their university. An order of the Minister of Education had been issued and obliged public and private universities to ban women from entering with immediate effect. This ban on female students in universities completed the expulsion of women from educational opportunities. Earlier, in October 2022, the Taliban had already banned teenage girls from studying and closed their high schools. As I write, Afghan women from the age of 12, the approximate age of puberty, are deprived of their right to education with no hope that this will change in the short term. Following this ban "until further notice" on women's access to university in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan exile and non-Afghans, including public voices, activists and journalists launched a global call to raise their voices against this atrocity. Speaking out outside Afghanistan in defence of the women and girls who are victims of the Taliban regime is essential to draw attention to what is happening. Being the voice of the oppressed women inside the country who tirelessly continue their underground struggle is an obligation for all those who wish and fight for a world where peace, justice, equality and freedom prevail. From a family with a four-generation history of active political participation in my home country and my maternal grandmother being one of the first two female councillors in my hometown, I grew up in a household where political and social issues were part of everyday life. Being part of a society, I strongly believe that we must be committed to it and, at a higher level, being part of humanity, what happens somewhere in the world should always concern us. When peace, justice, freedom, equality are threatened somewhere, however remote, we must speak out loud. Fighting for and defending human rights and, in particular, women's rights, involves showing indignation when they are threatened or violated and raising our voices. We have an obligation as human beings not to close our eyes to unjust situations that affect individual human beings. The feeling of compassion in the face of the suffering of others makes us turn the suffering of others into our own suffering and the consequence of this is to commit ourselves, as far as possible, to changing this situation. On January 14, 2023, a global protest for the rights of Afghan women took place. 57 cities across 23 countries took to the streets in a global movement in defence of women's rights in Afghanistan. I took the photos presented here at the protest that took place on that day in Frankfurt am Main in Germany. On that day, the continuous rain that poured down on the city accompanying the people who had taken to the streets was the silent cry of Afghan women in the face of the unspeakable violence and discrimination they face on a daily basis. SIGNIFICANT ATTEMPTS TO LIBERATE WOMEN FROM THE YOKE OF PATRIARCHY IN AFGHAN HISTORY Afghanistan, with a population of almost 40 million, just under half of whom are women, has a history of achievements and setbacks in the struggle for women's rights. This is a country divided into numerous ethnicities and tribes, with an immense weight of patriarchal traditions that result in the silencing and isolation of women. Coupled with the lack of education, especially in rural areas where most Afghans live, and the deeply conservative and rigorous practice of Islam, this has been the greatest obstacle to the advancement and recognition of women's rights. However, throughout history there have been attempts to achieve equality for women. In the 1920s, Soraya Tarzi, was a royal consort ahead of her time, a tireless fighter for women's rights. She was a pioneering woman of history, a true revolutionary and a progressive who, among many other achievements, championed women's education and more social rights in a country of ancestral customs and ultra-conservative morals. Together with her husband, King Amanullah, she had a grand vision for her country. The couple campaigned for girls' education, but also against compulsory veiling and polygamy. In 1921, the law of forced and child marriage was abolished, and restrictions were placed on polygamy, a common practice in Afghanistan at the time. Queen Soraya opened the first primary school for girls in Kabul in 1921, as well as the first women's hospital in 1924. The first women's magazine called Women's Guide was founded, as well as the women's organisation Anjuman-i Himayat-i-Niswan , which promoted women's welfare and had an office where women could report abuse by their husbands, brothers and fathers. In 1926, at the celebration of Afghan Independence Day, Queen Soraya went so far as to say publicly: “Do you think, however, that our nation from the outset needs only men to serve it? Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation and Islam. From their examples we must learn that we must all contribute toward the development of our nation and that this cannot be done without being equipped with knowledge. So, we should all attempt to acquire as much knowledge as possible, in order that we may render our services to society in the manner of the women of early Islam”. However, modernisation efforts through the implementation of social and cultural reforms in a relatively short period of time clashed with the traditional and conservative society. Conservative groups in the country considered the reforms to be contrary to Afghanistan's religious and traditional customs. And so, in 1928, after a European tour in which the kings sought references to promote social and cultural reforms in their country, they were confronted with a visceral reaction in the most conservative sectors of the country, who had long been watching the new ideas as a flagrant betrayal of culture, religion and women's honour . Eventually the king and queen were forced to abdicate in the face of impending civil war, and with it came a global rollback of the rights that women had been winning. After a few years of instability, Mohammed Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan, came to power. Between 1933 and 1973 he launched a big campaign to modernise the country. In 1964, he pushed through a new constitution that set the parameters of a modern democracy. Gradually, women gained certain freedoms. The wearing of the veil was liberalised. Women's right to vote was established. At the same time, women were allowed access to schools and universities and to virtually all jobs. Several women even won cabinet posts. Zahir Shah also founded Kabul University and sought to modernise the country's infrastructure. However, the country was, at its core, divided. The transformation of the cities had not reached deep into Afghanistan and tribal disputes were becoming more pronounced. And once again the modernisation of the country came under scrutiny from conservatives, who continued their attacks on women's participation in the social and political sphere. In 1973, a military coup overthrew the monarchy and installed the Republic of Afghanistan, and five years later, in 1978, the communist-inspired Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was established. In 1979, in support of the communist government, the Soviet Union invaded the country, leading to a civil war between the pro-Soviet government and Islamist guerrillas. From 1973 onwards, the Modernisation Project of successive governments, which sought to portray a forward-looking image, allowed for an apparent increase in women's rights. But this increase was focused on the big cities, while the villages continued to be governed by tribal practices. It is important to note that the interpretations of Islam - represented by the struggle between conservatives and reformists, which intensified during the Soviet invasion, also highlighted the deep growing divisions within Islam in the country and their visions of women's roles. In this context, in 1977, Meena Keshwar Kama, a young social activist, who had been involved in organising and educating women from an early age, launched the country's first movement for women's rights. She founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan , RAWA. This organisation aimed to give a voice to the dispossessed and silenced women. Its goals: the restoration of democracy, equality for men and women, social justice, and the separation of religion from the affairs of the state. In 1979, Meena launched a campaign against the Russian forces and their regime, and organised numerous processions and meetings to mobilise public opinion. In 1981, she launched the feminist magazine Payam-e-Zan ( Woman's Message ) that constantly exposed the criminal nature of fundamentalist groups. Her active social work and effective advocacy against the views of the fundamentalists and the regime provoked the wrath of the Russians and the fundamentalist forces alike and she was assassinated in 1987. But Meena had already planted the seeds of an Afghan women's rights movement based on the power of knowledge. Today, her firm conviction lives on with RAWA that, despite the darkness of illiteracy, the ignorance of fundamentalism, and corruption, eventually half of the population will wake up and cross the road to freedom, democracy and women's rights. THE FIRST ISLAMIC EMIRATE AND THE COMPLETE LOSS OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, has been at the centre of the Central Asian nation's recent history since its formation in 1994, in an unstable context following the Soviet Union's invasion. At the time, Afghanistan had just emerged from the 1979-1989 Soviet invasion and was fragmented among several warlords fighting each other for influence. The Taliban came from several mujahideen, a series of warlords with a strong religious character who fought vehemently against the Soviets and managed to gain a foothold in this nation in a short period of time thanks to their promise to end corruption and their orthodoxy with Islam. Their power grew so much and so fast that on September 26, 1996, they took Kabul, the capital, creating for the first time the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a theocratic regime that soon gained international attention for its methods of repression and rule over those Afghans who refused to follow the imposed dogmas. The severe punishments, ranging from whippings to amputations to collective stoning, and the treatment of Afghan women, who were completely subjugated and lost almost all their rights, provoked a strong international condemnation. Islamic fundamentalists imposed Sharia law, imposing a reign of terror, with countless human rights violations, especially against women. Women were placed under de facto house arrest. They were forbidden to work, could not associate with men other than their husbands or fathers and could not be seen in public. They had to go out in a full burqa, and always with a man. They were also forbidden to study or work and were even forbidden to be examined by a doctor. Women even had to tint the windows of their homes so that they could not be seen from the outside. The Taliban also imposed severe punishments on all women who broke any of the rules to which they were subjected. Thus, those who were found guilty of adultery were stoned, those who wore painted nails lost their fingers and those who showed interest in studying were beaten. Despite the risks, many women in Kabul and elsewhere protested. Many set up secret girls' schools or secret literary circles. Risking beatings and worse, many brave women continued the struggle for equality by educating girls. However, many activists, fearing assassination and violence, had to leave the country and continue their activism in neighbouring countries. Those who decided to stay confronted the Taliban and there are accounts of clashes with the vice and virtue police, with women carrying copies of the Koran and asking the Taliban to show them where the verse forbidding women to leave the house or instructing them to wear the burqa was. In short, the reign of terror imposed by the first Taliban government totally marginalised women but could not keep them all completely silent. After the attacks in New York and Washington by Taliban-backed Al-Qaeda militants in September 2001, Afghanistan was again invaded, this time by NATO, led by US and British forces in the so-called 'Operation Enduring Freedom', as part of the US government's war on terror . The objectives of this operation were to capture Osama bin Laden, destroy the terrorist group Al-Qaeda and overthrow the Taliban regime. On women's rights, this led to an improvement. The 2004 constitution made it mandatory to reserve more than 20% of seats in parliament for women, a law banning violence against women was established in 2009, and in the following years many of the fundamentalist impositions of the dark years of 1996-2001 were lifted, especially in the big cities. However, while laws are important, the Afghan reality is complex, and while the impositions of the years of terror were removed from the big cities, the social reality in areas far from the big cities remained the same as in years past. The US-led intervention removed political and legal barriers for women and allowed them to return to public spaces, but changing cultural norms across the country is a longer process that requires a grassroots movement. The Afghan society is made up of a set of ethnic groups that are very traditionalist, conservative and deeply rigorous in terms of the practice of Islam. Two decades were not enough to wipe out the Taliban, and Islamic fundamentalists continued to control parts of Afghanistan. Finally, in August 2021, with the end of the international military presence, the Taliban returned to power. THE RETURN OF THE TALIBAN Now that the Taliban have returned to power, the years of women's access to standard human rights are gone, again. Since the August 15, 2021, the day the Taliban entered Kabul and took control of the country, violations of women's human rights have continued to increase. Despite initially promising that women would be able to exercise their rights within the confines of Sharia, Islamic law - which includes the right to work and study - the Taliban have systematically excluded women from public life. Women and girls have been ordered to stop using parks, gyms and public toilets. They have been banned from education and workplaces and further restricted in their freedom of movement. In addition, all local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been ordered to prevent their female employees from coming to work, leading many aid agencies to suspend their operations, unable to reach many needy families without the support of female staff. © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti © Paola Ferrarotti It is uncertain what the Taliban regime will do next. Afghan women affected by Taliban bans on work and education fear for their future. A strong women's movement in Afghanistan operates underground and will not be silenced. Their resistance is heroic and historic. Their goal is to have their rights respected, to choose how they want to behave or dress. These brave Afghan women need, today more than ever, the unconditional support of the international community in their struggle. On this International Women's Day, our thoughts are with them, and with all women who struggle for equal treatment. Because women's rights are human rights. view Paola's portfolio Read Paola's story "German Voices Crying Out for Freedom" >>> Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. For a total list of sources - contact photographer. read more stories >>> 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. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye.

What I see is what you get. MARIËTTE AERNOUDTS What I see is what you get. LOCATION Raamsdonksveer, NETHERLANDS CAMERA/S Canon 5D Mark III and Fuji X-T3 WEBSITE https://www.marietteaernoudts.nl @MARIETTEAERNOUDTS FEATURES // Breaks From Reality

PICTORIAL STORY THE APPLEBY HORSE FAIR Each June, the Appleby Horse Fair gathers Traveller communities in a place where history lives and tradition moves. David Gilbert Wright captures a layered story — of heritage passed down, identity expressed, and youth stepping into their own. January 27, 2023 PICTORIAL STORY photography DAVID GILBERT WRIGHT story DAVID GILBERT WRIGHT SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Deep in the heart of the County once called Westmorland, near to the Lake District lies the small town of Appleby, nestled on the side of a valley straddling the River Eden. The Settle to Carlisle railway runs through this town, being one of the stops on it on what is known as the most scenic railway journey in England. Appleby has become known for the horse fair that first came into being in 1685. It is the biggest horse fair of its kind attracting thousands of people. So, what actually happens at the fair? Travellers, Gipsy and Roma come from across the British Isles in the week preceding, a fair that is usually held in June. They travelled to Appleby using both motorised and horse drawn vehicles. Horses and ponies of all kinds, sizes and breeds arrive at the town to be exhibited, shown off and sold. The traveller community pitch up their bow-tops, motorhomes and mobile caravans in up to severn fields outside of the town boundary. They have been doing this now for centuries and as such, it has become a time when they meet and renew friendships, acquaintances and business bonds. I first became aware of the Appleby horse fair in the early 1980s quite by chance and in a totally different context. I was travelling India engaged in a different photographic project. I arrived in the desert town Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. It was the home of the Pushchair Camel Fair. It was here that a local told me of the horse fair in England. Many years passed before I got around to photographing it. I had seen other photographers’ pictures of the fair. They concentrated on the show parts like The Flash , which is where those selling their horses ride them at speed up and down the hill into the town. Another well photographed scene is the horses being ridden around the River Eden. I realised that one aspect of the fair seemed to be relatively under photographed. It was the actual trading aspect. This involved getting the horses ready by washing and grooming and then doing the deal. It all takes place way out of town in the quiet roads and farm tracks near Gallows Hill and the Long Marton crossroads. Here you can find, if you are lucky, groups of mainly men sizing up the horses, haggling and eventually sealing the deals. Listening in to one deal, I heard the man suggest a horse was past it in order to keep the price down, while the other argued that it was capable of pulling a trap at speed. Each tried to position the price until a compromise was reached. Bluff and bravado were key and eventually they would spit on their palms and seal the deal with a handshake. (I was witnessing something that had not changed for centuries). Traveller, Gypsy and Romany people have for a long time been heavily involved with horses. They take them seriously and care for them greatly. However, these people have traditionally been regarded with suspicion when they arrive in a town or village. Why is that? Humanity has moved through a number of phases from its origins as hunter-gatherers. The advent of arable farming brought a need to settle and enclose the land to protect the crops. As production increased so did the need to trade surpluses. Settlements grew into market towns and the enclosure of more and more land put pressure on those still moving their livestock to give up that lifestyle. It is easy to see how the communities would regard such people as 'other' or outsiders. To protect their own way of life, settled people started to invent stories about the travellers as untrustworthy. Crimes were attributed wrongly to them. Even in recent times, we were told "Don't trust a tinker!" My grandparents were collectively grouping anyone who seemed to fit the bill of living in a caravan and moving around the country. The business of buying and selling horses was the province of men. Caring for the horses, exercising them and learning the ropes are what the young boys do prior to their rite of passage. Becoming a man to these families involves many things but one thing that is apparent is that horsemanship is in the blood. This can be seen during the fair as boys and girls come and go along the country lanes, riding the horses. Look closer and you realise that most ride bareback with just a pair of reins. And the speed! What is it about the young? They seem to love speed. Galloping along with the wind in their faces, they are natural riders. Another thing you cannot help noticing is the boys sport very smart, hairstyles. Shaved around the back and sides and long on top, neatly combed and greased back. As they ride past or stand holding their horses they chat to each other, unaware of the way girls are looking at them. The fair is not just a place where people renew friendships and trade horses. It is where the emerging adolescents begin their journey into relationships and adulthood. Teenager boys would brag about how fast their horses were in the way that teenagers in our wider society talked about their cars. Teenage girls, who were just coming of age would be dressed so glamorously you might be mistaken thinking that you were at a prestigious fashion show. Their aim, I was told was “to get the attention of the of the lads” and they certainly did that! © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright © David Gilbert Wright Pressure has been on the authorities to curtail or even end the Horse Fair. However, the reasons put forward are dubious. The Police have stated that given the size of the fair with up to 10,000 visitors, the level of crime is extremely low with only 7 arrests in 2021, mostly for drunkenness. Only 29 tonnes of litter was left in 2021, much from the small businesses and all was cleared at no expense the ratepayers. Indeed, many local businesses benefit from the fair. It would be wrong to stop the Appleby Horse Fair for unsubstantiated reasons. It seems to be more a case of prejudice than actually evidence. view David's portfolio Read more of David's projects - "Disappearing Ireland" >>> "Activists For Change" >>> Read an interview with David >>> Website >>> Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> 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. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye.

My lifelong interest in photography has really sparked into a passion in the last couple of years.  Changes in my life caused me to have more of an emotional connection with the world around me, and I started to notice the changing urban landscape, and how the ordinary and mundane can be quite extraordinary. I quickly upgraded from a smartphone to a camera, and then a better camera (which I take with me everywhere, just in case!).  I am really drawn to shooting at night, particularly urban landscapes with a cinematic atmosphere, but I am nowhere near where I want to be yet. It's a constant process of experimenting and trying to improve, and searching for that elusive shot. JULES CARR Out of gallery My lifelong interest in photography has really sparked into a passion in the last couple of years. Changes in my life caused me to have more of an emotional connection with the world around me, and I started to notice the changing urban landscape, and how the ordinary and mundane can be quite extraordinary. I quickly upgraded from a smartphone to a camera, and then a better camera (which I take with me everywhere, just in case!). I am really drawn to shooting at night, particularly urban landscapes with a cinematic atmosphere, but I am nowhere near where I want to be yet. It's a constant process of experimenting and trying to improve, and searching for that elusive shot. LOCATION Surrey ENGLAND CAMERA/S Sony a7ii WEBSITE http://www.julescarrphotography.com @JULESC_PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // After Dark Out of gallery

I am a Filipino expatriate currently living in Singapore. I have been only photographing for a few months. I still consider myself as a beginner in this journey. I shoot light and shadows, so most my photos are dominated by black, black and mostly black. MICHAEL CAPULONG I am a Filipino expatriate currently living in Singapore. I have been only photographing for a few months. I still consider myself as a beginner in this journey. I shoot light and shadows, so most my photos are dominated by black, black and mostly black. LOCATION SINGAPORE CAMERA/S Sony A6400/A6000 @AVERAGEBALD FEATURES // Contrast to Darkness

STREET PRACTICE What started out as buying a camera for the birth of his son, Leroy Fong soon found himself photographing the streets on his travels. STREET PRACTICE April 8, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Leroy Fong INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Leroy Fong is a Singaporean street photographer with a unique eye for capturing life as it happens. Through his lens, he captures the beauty of everyday life in the streets of Singapore and other cities he has traveled to. His photographs are characterized by an aesthetic that is both mellow and inviting, bringing the viewer into a world of dusty street signs and everyday people simply going about their lives. Starting out simply as a hobby to document his newborn son, Leroy soon grew passionate about photography, recognizing the unique way it allowed him to capture moments of life that could be easily forgotten. Leroy is a street photographer whose work is deeply rooted in capturing the essence of local living. Through his images, viewers can experience the texture and character of Singaporean streets and the people who inhabit them. His photographs are a testament to his unique skill and creative vision that bridges the gap between art and everyday life. “I started with photography in 2001 when my son was born and I borrowed a digital camera from a friend to document my son's birth and next three months.” IN CONVERSATION WITH LEROY FONG THE PICTORIAL LIST: Where do you find your inspiration Leroy? LEROY FONG: My inspiration comes from magazines and Instagram. TPL: Has your style of photographing changed since you first started? LF: I think so definitely, because of the introduction of smartphones with their improved capabilities. TPL: Who are your favourite artists/photographers? LF: Fan Ho and Vivian Maier TPL: Where is your favourite place/s to photograph? LF: Taiwan and Japan Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it. - Lao Tzu TPL: What characteristics do you think you need to become a good street photographer? LF: Impulsiveness but yet patience too. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the artistic world before photography? LF: Never before! TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? LF: I don't use much sophisticated equipment. Whatever is available to capture that moment is most important to me. TPL: "If I wasn't photographing what would I be doing?... LF: Forex and Futures Trading." PORTFOLIO INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. 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.

I am a documentary photographer. Born in 1993 in the village of Pokrovo-Prigorodnoye, Tambov Oblast, I have been living in Moscow since 2015. My personal projects are focused on social inequality and inclusivity topic. ANASTASIYA PENTYUKHINA I am a documentary photographer. Born in 1993 in the village of Pokrovo-Prigorodnoye, Tambov Oblast, I have been living in Moscow since 2015. My personal projects are focused on social inequality and inclusivity topic. LOCATION Moscow RUSSIA CAMERA/S Canon 6Dii WEBSITE https://anapent.com/ @ARONSANTAGAR FEATURES // Blindfold Chess

Photography taught me to ask myself which is the reality, where it is and whether it exists. I conflated early the illusion that I take pictures of reality. So, I started studying the frame and my aim was to understand the content. I concluded in endless ascertainments, I tore them inside and some other times outside. In time I realized that everything I allowed to enter in my field of vision was the “signified” of my existence. The composition of a picture is everything that does not appear or exists in the photographer’s soul when she takes a shot. A picture cannot exist if it has nothing to say and the photographer exists because she can communicate pictures. In this point there exists a tiny deception from the picture’s view: “it promises reality” just like it happens in illusive love when “it promises the ideal”. The photographer does not use words, he/she uses the frame for communication. She does not possess reality, not even her own reality but, for sure, she is not contained in what she imprints with the camera. Every shooting resembles a search. The difference is that the photographer dives into the unconscious. YPATIA KORNAROU Photography taught me to ask myself which is the reality, where it is and whether it exists. I conflated early the illusion that I take pictures of reality. So, I started studying the frame and my aim was to understand the content. I concluded in endless ascertainments, I tore them inside and some other times outside. In time I realized that everything I allowed to enter in my field of vision was the “signified” of my existence. The composition of a picture is everything that does not appear or exists in the photographer’s soul when she takes a shot. A picture cannot exist if it has nothing to say and the photographer exists because she can communicate pictures. In this point there exists a tiny deception from the picture’s view: “it promises reality” just like it happens in illusive love when “it promises the ideal”. The photographer does not use words, he/she uses the frame for communication. She does not possess reality, not even her own reality but, for sure, she is not contained in what she imprints with the camera. Every shooting resembles a search. The difference is that the photographer dives into the unconscious. LOCATION Athens GREECE CAMERA/S Nikon D600 WEBSITE https://ypatiakornarou.gr @YPATIA_KORNAROU @PHOTOYPATIA FEATURES // Photography And Reality