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  • IN CONVERSATION WITH FABIO CATANZARO

    THE STREET LAMP Fabio Catanzaro focuses on the street lamp, predominant in the viewpoint, where its aesthetics outweighs its utility. THE STREET LAMP January 20, 2023 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Fabio Catanzaro INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Helping to keep the streets safe, the street lamps' presence usually goes unnoticed by many. Those tall metal constructions illuminate at night and watch over the landscape during the day. In his project THE STREET LAMP, Fabio Catanzaro focuses on the street lamp, predominant in the viewpoint, where its aesthetics outweighs its utility. And in the concept of the landscape, they are part of it, they are fully embedded in any urban context. Fabio is a photographer born and raised in Venice, Italy. His artistic research is developed within the context of minimalism and urban details, borrowing his motifs from everyday life, transforming them into compositional frames of beauty and inspiration. We had the pleasure to interview Fabio where we talk to him about his photography journey so far. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - LEONARDO DA VINCI IN CONVERSATION WITH FABIO CATANZARO THE PICTORIAL LIST: Welcome to The List Fabio! What would you say first drew you to photography? FABIO CATANZARO: I do my work mainly in and around Venice. I would look over the fashion images in the magazines and on websites. I used to look through magazines, not really interested in the articles but the pictures. TPL: How would you describe your photography, and what would you say you are always trying to achieve artistically? FC: I like to describe my approach and work as an attempt to compose aesthetically beautiful photographs. Photography opened up my eyes to the beauty of the world around me. My approach to photography began a long time ago during my travels and the only thing I've since discovered is that I have an insatiable inquisitive and observational mindset to things and subjects. TPL: What inspired the concept for your project THE STREET LAMP? How did you approach producing the series? Is it an ongoing project? FC: I realised I had a large collection of street lamp pictures of any shape and size...so why not make it a project?! TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to create? FC: While many artists and photographers can teach me, my vision is determined by my own inner drive to observe and capture the world in front of me, as it is. The pictures are the squares to really see what a thing looks like. their details, their shapes. I have always tried to see the beauty in everyday things. TPL: What is the most rewarding part of being a photographer for you? What are some challenges that you have faced as a photographer? FC: It’s all about the chance to capture unique moments and images. I have a great opportunity to take a fine look at the world around me. TPL: Is it impossible for you not to be constantly on the lookout for a moment to be captured? FC: Yes it is possible. That moment is when I sleep. Actually no, even in dreams I have something to capture. 🙂 My vision is determined by my own inner drive to observe and capture the world in front of me, as it is. TPL: How do you educate yourself to grow in your photography? FC: Practice and looking at paintings, photographs in the books, at the museums, art and photo exhibitions. You have to constantly train your eye to see. As you gain experience, you may see more in the same scene, than you saw the first time. TPL: How do you manage a work and photography balance? FC: By focusing on one task at a time, be it editing, emails or returning phone calls. One thing at time is the key. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? FC: Franco Fontana is my favourite photographer. The reason is mainly that he never dwells too much on the technical side of making pictures, but always digs deep into emotions, feelings, and learning how to see things. 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? What is on your wishlist? FC: I remember it was a Polaroid at the age of 10. At the moment I use a Canon EOS550 with these two lenses – 75-300 mm and 18-200mm. No I don't think the equipment plays a part in achieving your vision, I think that a camera is just a device. It’s a well-trained eye that makes the photo unique. On my wishlist there is professional mirrorless. 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? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? FC: One of the projects that I would like to work on is making an album cover for a music artist and publishing my own book. This last one is in the process. So much has changed in just one year, it's hard to predict five. I like to keep my goals simple and real, I expect I’ll be into some genre of photography I haven’t tried yet like commercials or movies. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… FC: I do a lot of non-photography based activities that I find just as satisfying as photography. I’ll mention the most common: I read books, I spend time working through different activities such as fitness and staying healthy." 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.

  • JOHN GELLINGS

    I grew up in New Jersey, USA and New York City. I have currently been living in Santiago, Chile for the past three years. I have been photographing off and on since the age of 17. I graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University, New Jersey) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography in 1998. I pride myself in the ability to find emotional resonance in the ordinary. I prefer photography that is intentionally vague with a mysterious tone of ambiguity that leaves room for a wide-ranging interpretation. I am just not concerned with conventional narrative other than in the simple way in which the city looks at the time I am photographing it and I how I perceive it photographically. Still, my photography is about my personal connection to the place, even if from an outsider’s perspective. For me, the outsider’s perspective is an advantage. I do not have any nostalgia for how the place should look or be due to a childhood, personal or political connection. I do not yearn for the good old days or stress over things I cannot control. I do not photograph a place based on what I wished it to be. The present in its most banal form has enough magic for me. "Quiet NYC" in the "City That Never Sleeps" this series is about quiet moments of everyday life in the streets of NYC. JOHN GELLINGS I grew up in New Jersey, USA and New York City. I have currently been living in Santiago, Chile for the past three years. I have been photographing off and on since the age of 17. I graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts (Rutgers University, New Jersey) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography in 1998. I pride myself in the ability to find emotional resonance in the ordinary. I prefer photography that is intentionally vague with a mysterious tone of ambiguity that leaves room for a wide-ranging interpretation. I am just not concerned with conventional narrative other than in the simple way in which the city looks at the time I am photographing it and I how I perceive it photographically. Still, my photography is about my personal connection to the place, even if from an outsider’s perspective. For me, the outsider’s perspective is an advantage. I do not have any nostalgia for how the place should look or be due to a childhood, personal or political connection. I do not yearn for the good old days or stress over things I cannot control. I do not photograph a place based on what I wished it to be. The present in its most banal form has enough magic for me. "Quiet NYC" in the "City That Never Sleeps" this series is about quiet moments of everyday life in the streets of NYC. LOCATION Santiago CHILE CAMERA/S Fujifilm X-T1, Fujifilm X-T2, Fujifilm X-Pro2, Nikon Df, Sony A7R WEBSITE http://www.johngellings.com @JOHNGELLINGS0 FEATURES // Quiet NYC

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH MARA

    HER WONDERLAND Mara is an artist that truly speaks to the emotion of film noir. Through her unique style and sound, Mara captures the moody, dark and dramatic atmosphere that is so well-known and loved. HER WONDERLAND February 10, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Mara INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE The streets are alive with stories and secrets, but few can express them as artistically as Mara. Her unique style of street photography captures the poetic beauty of the city, imbuing it with the mesmerizing atmosphere of film noir cinematography. With her masterful use of contrast and lighting, Mara is able to create an alluring, emotive environment through her photographs - a place where even in the darkness, something beautiful and captivating lies in wait. Her photographs are a window into a world where the depths of the shadows and the highlights of the day meet, coming together to form a tangible, dynamic story within every frame. From the gritty grain of the film to Mara’s use of depth of field, every single photograph is an experience in its own right - one that is both mysterious and captivating. Join us as we take a closer look at Mara’s distinctive style of street photography and discover how her captivating images tell their own captivating stories. “The girl who not exist, from the heart to the mind to the eyes to the click...and is her wonderland.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MARA THE PICTORIAL LIST: When did you first become interested in photography, Mara? MARA: I was 10 years old. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? M: By my emotions at that instance. TPL: Since you began taking photographs, has your style evolved? M: I have no style. TPL: Who are your favourite artists? M: Vivian Maier, Josef Koudelka, Hirohiko Araki, Ferdinando Scianna, Letizia Battaglia, Roger Ballen but the inspiration is born by life and emotions around us. TPL: Where is your favourite place to shoot? M: On the road, in the sky... where everything is (im)possible Quotes are a plus...pictures speak by their own light. My quotes are mine and depends by the emotions I feel in that instance. Who watch the picture, is free to feel different emotions. TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone just starting out? M: What I think is important are the emotions...a tool is just a tool. TPL: What characteristics do you think you need to become a photographer? Do you have any advice for someone starting out? M: Everybody should express themselves in some way. For me, it is photography and music. I do not have anything to teach to anyone, as feelings are what grow up inside people. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the arts before photography? M: Yes TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? M: Will see... TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… M: I'm not a photographer...I'm just a dreamer.” 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.

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH DAMIEN GORET

    STREET POETRY French journalist Damien Goret captures the poetry of walkers, rainy days, and the graphic geometry of shadows on sunny days. STREET POETRY March 5, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Damien Goret INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE As a journalist and passionate photographer, Damien Goret has an eye for the seemingly mundane moments that fill our days, from the poetry of a solitary walker to the graphic geometry of light on a sunny day. With his ability to capture deep blacks, pure whites, and all the shadows and highlights in between, Damien Goret's photography breathes life into everyday moments, freezing them in time and reminding us of their beauty. From natural landscapes to cityscapes, each one of his photographs is a unique snapshot of our world. “I think I've always had, more or less, a taste for photography. I love photography for a simple reason. It allowed me to bypass one of my great weaknesses, one of my great regrets: I am a bad draughtsman. I photograph as I would have liked to know how to draw. By projecting scenes, imagining lines. It is thanks to my work as a journalist that I learned to formalize my practice of photography, to be interested in the settings of a camera, to understand its logical workings.” IN CONVERSATION WITH DAMIEN GORET THE PICTORIAL LIST: Damien please tell us about yourself. DAMIEN GORET: I was born in Brest, one of the westernmost cities in France, 43 years ago. After living 10 years of my youth in Africa, I came back to live, settle, work and start a family in the Region of Brest. I now live in a small town 20 kilometres from Brest, called Plouarzel. Beyond Plouarzel, there is nothing but the sea, then the United States. TPL: Do you have a favourite quote, lyric, or saying that especially resonates with you? DG: In terms of photography, I really like this phrase by Ernst Haas: "I am not interested in shooting new things - I am interested to see things new. " I think it sums up very well the photos I want to make today. I am not looking for the spectacular, but in search of what is spectacular about everyday life, and that too often eludes us. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to photograph? DG: I find my inspiration in the other. The other photographer, the other human, the other draughtsman, the other painter, the other director. TPL: Your street photography has this wonderful graphic feel to it. What do you want to express through your photography? And what are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? DG: The street photo as I imagine it is a graphic image, yes. I always come back to these stories of shadows, of lights, two elements that alone draw a landscape, a geometry. I'm not very much inclined towards street portraiture. I really want to reveal things that we see every day without seeing them: the shadow of a lamppost on a wall; the shade of the trees on a sunny façade; a person's silhouette, more than the person himself. Because this is the third element necessary for street photography as I imagine it: it is a photo where the human has its place. I like the idea of the gigantism of cities that engulf men. TPL: What is it that you enjoy about street photography. What happens when you walk the streets with your camera? Explain your technique? Have you ever had a negative encounter? DG: What excites me is the spectacle that everyday life offers. Things I didn't see before. Places that I have traveled to thousands of times are open to me, one day, in a new light. Because that day, I'm probably more open to the world. Because, on that day, I probably did not know that I had passed this place at the same time as yesterday, and because the light of day makes me see things that did not exist the day before. I love this feeling, this feeling that nothing belongs to me, that nothing is fixed, that today will not look like tomorrow. Photography made my life exciting and allowed me to fight against my anguish of the passing of time, my fear of death. When I'm photographing, I'm stopping it, this time. I'm freezing life. It becomes, for a moment, eternal. TPL: What is it like photographing on the streets of France? Do you have any favourite spots in France and outside of France to go shoot? DG: I am a fairly sedentary photographer, but I work in a profession that leads me to move around a lot. It's a real chance, to spot places, geometries. I never go out without a camera. I live and work in relatively small cities, where I am obliged to be on the lookout. I mean: I guess doing street photography is maybe easier in Paris, London or New York. Photography made my life exciting and allowed me to fight against my anguish of the passing of time, my fear of death. TPL: What has been the best advice you have ever received in photography? DG: I think one of the mantras of the wonderful photographer Sean Tucker opened my mind to photography, and especially to street photography, which I now practice 90% of my time: "Embrace your shadows". There is nothing more beautiful than the shadows that come to cut out the lights and shape them. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? DG: Clearly, Fan Ho shook me up. Harry Gruyaert too. Among the more contemporary photographers, Sean Tucker inspires me by the elegance of his lines, the quality of his shadows, and the relevance of his eye. On Instagram, where I am a lot, there are also several photographers whose work always makes me think of a tennis player forehand, Tom Schippers, for the loneliness that floods his images; Kentaro Watanabe for his black and white and his sense of graphic design; Ingrid Clauwaert for the vastness of her cities engulfing men; Magali Kermaïdic, whose Brest origins I share but not her talent (laughs); and so many others... 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? DG: I am now working with the camera I dreamed of when I started in street photography: a Ricoh GR (the II, in this case). But when I started, I was photographing with an Olympus EM10 Mark II, which I loved. The Ricoh GR II is as I imagined it: a street photo killer. The nose-down of its optics is superlative, maybe even better than the Nikon D7200 that I own in SLR. Its snap mode is truly amazing, once you understand how it works. I just regret it's great weakness in terms of dust, with a sensor that is very sensitive to it. I've had it 3 months, I take great care, and it already has annoying dust specs on the sensor. This Ricoh GR II allows me to make street images that I couldn't have done as easily with my Olympus, let alone with my SLR. TPL: When you go out, do you 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? DG: I don't have any ideas when I go to photograph. Like I said, I always go out with my camera. When I see something that appeals to me, and if I have time, I stay put in a spot for 5 to 10 minutes and I wait: I wait for the event that I projected in this scene. Thus, I also have time to adjust my shooting, always in manual mode, to preserve my highlights, respect my shadows. Manual mode is important to me: I want to know everything about my photo, I want to master all the settings...except what will happen there! TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? DG: When I “grow up”, I want to photograph like Tom Schippers 😉! I told him that on Instagram. I always look at his photos and regret not knowing or being able to make them! I would like to find the courage to exhibit my photos, but I remain someone quite discreet, who has a hard time feeling legitimate in what he does. There is a lot of shyness, and the impression, often, of being an impostor, of not deserving to see my photos recognized. I still judge them pretty badly, even if I like them. But are they worthy of "staying", of being seen...? I have no pretensions in that regard. To exhibit some of them would nevertheless be something I would like to do. TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… DG: Play a lot of board games with my wife and children. I also ride a lot of road bikes. And when I'm not photographing, I like to look at the world as I would like to photograph it." 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.

  • SILENT BEAUTY

    PICTORIAL STORY 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. February 22, 2026 PICTORIAL STORY PHOTOGRAPHY Tamara Quadrelli STORY Melanie Meggs SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Tamara Quadrelli works from the simple joy of looking. Noticing how light slides across a wall, how a curtain shifts in the breeze, how color holds its own in the afternoon sun. In Silent Beauty , architectural elements become sites of formal inquiry, registering time and use without recourse to narrative or explanation. Corners cut across the frame. Walls open into broad planes of color. Openings appear briefly, then close again. The photographs remain anchored in the visual conditions of the built environment, where architecture, light, and color determine the terms of engagement. Born and raised in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Tamara Quadrelli spent her summers in Tuscany, where color and architectural form function as integral elements of the built environment. Pastel facades and diffused light entered her visual vocabulary through duration rather than encounter. These places were not experienced as exceptional sites but as recurring visual frameworks that shaped how space and surface were perceived. Photography emerged gradually within her practice, first as a mode of urban observation and later as a sustained investigation into the relationship between architecture and color. Over time, this inquiry became increasingly focused. The work shifted away from description toward the articulation of form through framing, exclusion, and chromatic balance. Architecture ceased to operate as setting and instead became material. “I am not interested in celebrated monuments or tourist icons,” Tamara states, “but rather in those fragments of the built environment that we inhabit daily without truly seeing.” This position defines Silent Beauty as a project shaped by proximity rather than discovery. The images are not gathered through pursuit but through return. Locations are revisited, sometimes repeatedly, until light and surface align in a manner that feels resolved. Formally, the project is built through reduction. Tamara isolates architectural elements until they register as planes, edges, and intervals. The compositions resist depth in favor of surface, keeping the viewer’s attention on how light organizes space rather than what lies beyond it. Silent Beauty was developed between 2024 and 2025 across multiple Italian regions, often photographed during early afternoon hours. “In the silence of the afternoon, sunlight draws new shapes and reveals a beauty that makes no sound,” Tamara explains. This temporal choice is deliberate. Midday light produces clear divisions and stable chromatic relationships, allowing architecture to assert its structure without dramatization. Color operates as the project’s primary organizing principle. Pink walls, blue skies, green shutters, and ochre surfaces function as compositional anchors rather than atmospheric effects. Tamara emphasizes that her palettes are “never casual, but the result of patient research and waiting for the right light.” Post-production remains restrained, focused on balance rather than alteration, preserving the specificity of each surface. Her influences include Italian photography of the late twentieth century, abstract painting, and metaphysical space. These references inform the work without directing it. They are evident in her compositional balance and her ease with stillness. Technically, Tamara works with modest equipment, prioritizing portability and discretion. The camera remains responsive rather than assertive, allowing timing and placement to guide each image. The project’s consistency introduces a productive tension. By committing to a narrow visual language, Tamara places pressure on each image to differentiate itself through nuance. Minor shifts in shadow, framing, or alignment become significant. The work holds together because it resists expansion, allowing subtle variation to carry weight. © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli © Tamara Quadrelli What emerges across the series is a quiet confidence in the ordinary. Silent Beauty suggests that architecture does not need to be exceptional to be visually engaging. It invites the viewer to slow down, not to extract meaning, but to enjoy how light and color already structure the world. Shaped by sustained looking, Silent Beauty does not elevate architecture through metaphor or narrative. It keeps familiarity intact while revealing the visual richness embedded within it. For The Pictorial List community, Tamara Quadrelli’s work affirms that photography can be precise without becoming severe, and lyrical without becoming diffuse. The project continues as an open series, guided by curiosity and consistency, trusting color, trusting light, and trusting the viewer to linger. view Tamara Quadrelli’s portfolio 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. 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.

  • FEDERICO QUINTANA

    Born in Italy but grew up with Argentine passport due to my father’s line of work, nowadays I hold both nationalities dearly. I discovered photography in my teens as a way to freeze memories of the things that impressed me most but it quickly became a direct means of communication. The decision to become professional soon followed. I ended up studying journalism and photojournalism at ASU in the US. A couple of years after graduation I had moved to Argentina and worked as staff photographer for Lugares magazine, from newspaper la Nacion, with whom I still collaborate to this day. After moving to Italy in 1999, I started a collaboration with French photo agency SIPA/IMAGE in Paris which lasted several years. During that time I focused mainly in South America but also did work in Central and North America. My work has been featured in BBC Wildlife magazine, Animan Switzerland, Terra in Brazil, La Nacion, LFI recently and others. I focused on editorial, wildlife, documentary, and human interest work mostly and specialised in South America. During that time I also worked on personal projects in the Bolivian Andes documenting salt and tin miners and remote native tribes. I also covered a lot of miles in Patagonia, Northern Argentina and China during the years to follow. Then came a difficult time between the digital and analogue world and a crisis that affected many professionals as well as the agencies, including myself. I kind of lost my way in photography altogether at that time. The digital transition was extremely difficult for me and I stepped away for a while. I started again professionally with digital equipment in 2013. At first covering high speed motorcycle racing and eventually covering 24h Le Mans and a few Superbike World Championship races, until 2015. During the last five years, I’ve been trying to get back to my true photographic nature and approaching again documentary work, as well as preparing new projects. Lately I have been trying to consolidate my prior documentary work done mostly in analogue during the 90's with the more recent work in digital. FEDERICO QUINTANA Born in Italy but grew up with Argentine passport due to my father’s line of work, nowadays I hold both nationalities dearly. I discovered photography in my teens as a way to freeze memories of the things that impressed me most but it quickly became a direct means of communication. The decision to become professional soon followed. I ended up studying journalism and photojournalism at ASU in the US. A couple of years after graduation I had moved to Argentina and worked as staff photographer for Lugares magazine, from newspaper la Nacion, with whom I still collaborate to this day. After moving to Italy in 1999, I started a collaboration with French photo agency SIPA/IMAGE in Paris which lasted several years. During that time I focused mainly in South America but also did work in Central and North America. My work has been featured in BBC Wildlife magazine, Animan Switzerland, Terra in Brazil, La Nacion, LFI recently and others. I focused on editorial, wildlife, documentary, and human interest work mostly and specialised in South America. During that time I also worked on personal projects in the Bolivian Andes documenting salt and tin miners and remote native tribes. I also covered a lot of miles in Patagonia, Northern Argentina and China during the years to follow. Then came a difficult time between the digital and analogue world and a crisis that affected many professionals as well as the agencies, including myself. I kind of lost my way in photography altogether at that time. The digital transition was extremely difficult for me and I stepped away for a while. I started again professionally with digital equipment in 2013. At first covering high speed motorcycle racing and eventually covering 24h Le Mans and a few Superbike World Championship races, until 2015. During the last five years, I’ve been trying to get back to my true photographic nature and approaching again documentary work, as well as preparing new projects. Lately I have been trying to consolidate my prior documentary work done mostly in analogue during the 90's with the more recent work in digital. LOCATION Trieste ITALY CAMERA/S Leica M6, Fuji x-pro2, Fuji X100T, Leica M9-P, Leica MMonochrom, Nikon’s F4, Fm2, F5, F100, D3s, Df current @FEDERICOQUINTANA @FEDERICOQUINTANAPHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // Ghosts of the Andes On Assignment

  • CLAUDIA ORSETTI

    I'm Italian and an architect by training, but as long as I remember I’ve always taken pictures of stuff. I've lived in Switzerland, Tokyo, NYC, and London had been home for 9 years. I recently moved to Amsterdam at the beginning of 2020, and started properly focusing on photography. Photography is the way I know to really show other people how I see things. It's a way of knowing places and people and their stories, but also knowing myself, over and over again, as I realized my focus shifts and mutates with time. What interests me are things next to what is considered to be photographed, the obvious things, the imprecise moments without expectations, the reality where you think there is nothing to see. I’m naturally attracted by contradictions and those usually become the centre of my work. In 2015, I’ve been part of a duo exhibition at Shipton Street Gallery, in London. In 2016 I’ve organized an exhibition called “For the Time Being”, focused around vacant, empty or abandoned spaces. The exhibition itself it was held in a vacant shop and the connected apartment of the former owner in King’s Cross, London, for Geddes Gallery. On that occasion I also self-published a book with the same title. In 2017, I put up my last exhibition in a London cafe called “So Far”, travel photography from around the world. In 2020, I’ve self-published a new book, called Ordinary Intimacy, which is now at Cloud Gallery, in Amsterdam. I’m currently working on a more bespoke and handmade version of it, to turn it into an artist book. My photos are regularly published by digital platforms and magazine like LifeFramer, LensCulture, FocalZine, Just Life Mag, Estudio Visuales, The Smart View, Layers Magazine and many others. I’ve recently been featured in a piece called The Urban by Photo Meet and Northern Narratives, and few upcoming stories about to be published by Korper Mag, Then There Was Us and Mache’ Digital. CLAUDIA ORSETTI I'm Italian and an architect by training, but as long as I remember I’ve always taken pictures of stuff. I've lived in Switzerland, Tokyo, NYC, and London had been home for 9 years. I recently moved to Amsterdam at the beginning of 2020, and started properly focusing on photography. Photography is the way I know to really show other people how I see things. It's a way of knowing places and people and their stories, but also knowing myself, over and over again, as I realized my focus shifts and mutates with time. What interests me are things next to what is considered to be photographed, the obvious things, the imprecise moments without expectations, the reality where you think there is nothing to see. I’m naturally attracted by contradictions and those usually become the centre of my work. In 2015, I’ve been part of a duo exhibition at Shipton Street Gallery, in London. In 2016 I’ve organized an exhibition called “For the Time Being”, focused around vacant, empty or abandoned spaces. The exhibition itself it was held in a vacant shop and the connected apartment of the former owner in King’s Cross, London, for Geddes Gallery. On that occasion I also self-published a book with the same title. In 2017, I put up my last exhibition in a London cafe called “So Far”, travel photography from around the world. In 2020, I’ve self-published a new book, called Ordinary Intimacy, which is now at Cloud Gallery, in Amsterdam. I’m currently working on a more bespoke and handmade version of it, to turn it into an artist book. My photos are regularly published by digital platforms and magazine like LifeFramer, LensCulture, FocalZine, Just Life Mag, Estudio Visuales, The Smart View, Layers Magazine and many others. I’ve recently been featured in a piece called The Urban by Photo Meet and Northern Narratives, and few upcoming stories about to be published by Korper Mag, Then There Was Us and Mache’ Digital. LOCATION Amsterdam NETHERLANDS CAMERA/S Canon 6D or 5D mark iii @CLAUDIA_ORSETTI_PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // Informal Realities Ordinary Intimacy

  • COMEDIANS

    BOOK COMEDIANS March 4, 2022 BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY Steve Best TEXT Karin Svadlenak SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Steve Best is a comedian and a photographer, combining both these passions into a fascinating career. He is also a twin. "My twin brother is ten minutes older than me. Time, I'm told, for my mum to have a cup of tea in-between deliveries," says Steve. Growing up in Surrey in England, Steve now lives and works in London with his wife, son and daughter. Steve has been on the British comedy circuit since 1992 and in that time he has been lucky enough to work with and make friends with a lot of comedians. He is welcome in any green room, camera and all. "So me having a camera doesn’t make me a photographer to them, but just a comedian with a camera," Steve explains. He has an extraordinary talent to capture those rare moments that tell a compelling story with sensitivity, realism and humour. This ten year project has been close to Steve's heart and he has previously published two books 'Comedy Snapshot' and 'Joker Face' with over 1000 comedian portraits. Steve has just released his third book COMEDIANS, a high end coffee table book, and Steve shares with The Pictorial List some of those selected shots. "I've been documenting my scene, the comedy scene, backstage and on stage, the highs and the lows, the camaraderie and the competition, the loneliness and the isolation, and the outright joy of being a stand-up comedian." COMEDIANS is a limited first edition beautiful fine art photographic documentation of the United Kingdom comedy circuit. Pages: 240 pages Size: 230mm x 300mm portrait Pages: 170 gsm silk stock Cover: HardBack All copies signed by Steve. You can buy the book on his website - www.stevebest.com We also had the pleasure of talking to Steve to find out more about his new book, himself, his comedy, and his photography. READ INTERVIEW CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

  • DAVID GILBERT WRIGHT

    Four decades of being a photographer inevitably results in the development of both a way of seeing and a way of telling. When I first set out as a photographer, I realised that although a photograph should ‘speak’ for itself, a story always brought it to life. Now, here I am forty years later, writing about my photographs and about photography as one of the most powerful ways of communicating. DAVID GILBERT WRIGHT Four decades of being a photographer inevitably results in the development of both a way of seeing and a way of telling. When I first set out as a photographer, I realised that although a photograph should ‘speak’ for itself, a story always brought it to life. Now, here I am forty years later, writing about my photographs and about photography as one of the most powerful ways of communicating. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Pentax KX, Nikon F2 WEBSITE http://www.davidwright.photography @DAVIDGILBERTWRIGHT FEATURES // Disappearing Ireland Activists For Change The Storyteller The Appleby Horse Fair

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH JAY HSU

    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. 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. September 21, 2025 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Jay Hsu INTERVIEW Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE This interview offers an opportunity to explore the quiet power of diptychs through the work of Taiwanese photographer and educator Jay Hsu. Known for his poetic and contemplative approach to photography, Jay has developed a distinctive voice that reveals itself in the thoughtful pairing of images. His diptychs do not simply mirror or contrast, they create a dialogue. The elements within each frame take on life and meaning, working together to form a complex narrative. Beyond the surface, deeper themes of ideology, emotion, and memory emerge, enriching the story told by the images. Through careful pairing and subtle connections in shape, tone, and feeling, he creates visual relationships that reveal themselves slowly and invite thoughtful reflection. Jay’s journey into photography began as a deeply personal exploration, a way to find calm and meaning amid life’s challenges. “Photography was a medium for my own inner exploration,” he writes, “a pause, a lifesaving deep breath.” But after the birth of his daughter and a deepening of his Christian faith, his creative path shifted. “The very essence of my photography moved from self-exploration to a connection with people. This connection is one of goodness and light, even in a world that can feel broken and disappointing.” Over time, this philosophy expanded beyond image making into a broader mission rooted in education and community. As project leader of Shining Hope, a photography-based learning program for children in rural Taiwan, Jay now helps young people “see with intention and express their experiences with honesty and care.” His work as a mentor is deeply linked to his personal creative vision, and he lives, in his own words, “to publish, explore, and educate, to provide freedom and bring influence to children in rural and underprivileged communities.” At the heart of his work lies the diptych, a visual form Jay calls “the perfect medium to illustrate relationships.” What once began as a symbolic pairing of objects has become a more intuitive and graceful language. “I later discovered a new, delightful, and clever way to create by subtly linking and extending lines, shapes, and colors. This method allows for a seamless flow, mirroring the journey of life, from chaos to peace, from poverty to abundance, from darkness to light.” In this conversation, Jay Hsu shares how this way of seeing became central to his practice, how diptychs allow him to explore emotional and visual continuity, and how photography continues to shape his understanding of beauty, resilience, and hope. His story is quiet and clear, and grounded in the belief that “even when things fall apart, we can still maintain goodness, hold onto our childlike innocence, and embrace a bright and hopeful future.” “At present, my works are almost always drawn from past photographs, reconnected in new ways. Of course, each moment of shooting carries its own emotions. But when two photos, each with its own mood, are placed together, a new flow of emotions emerges — something shaped by time and continuity — becoming the emotion of the present moment.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JAY HSU TPL: Your journey into photography began as a personal exploration as a kind of pause or life-saving deep breath, as you’ve described it. Can you share more about that time in your life? What were you seeking, and what did the act of making images begin to offer you that words or other forms of expression could not? JAYE: I became a Christian in 2006. Before that, in my twenties, I was in a stage of exploring my interests, ambitions, self-growth, and self-worth. At that time, I was sentimental, quiet, melancholic, yet also full of pride. With the money I earned from part-time jobs, I bought my first digital camera, a Canon IXUS100, and took pictures everywhere—inside my room, on the streets, in the mountains, and by the sea. I think there were many complicated thoughts within me then. Besides writing, I discovered that photographs, like short poems, could carry many thoughts and emotions, even states of being that words could not fully describe. Photography became an open space, a refuge, a temporary deep breath. It might not have solved my problems, but it allowed me to store away my restlessness, melancholy, and turmoil for a while, giving my life some breathing room so I could move forward to the next stage. TPL: You’ve moved across many genres, including documentary, street, wedding, landscape, and conceptual photography. How did those varied experiences inform the way you now see, compose, and tell stories? Were there moments when those different practices overlapped or challenged each other in unexpected ways? JAY: I’m someone who enjoys being different and who also enjoys learning. When I first started photography, I studied all kinds of techniques and tried various styles. Later, when I felt stuck in terms of form, I began to explore the essence and meaning of photography itself. Now, at 48, I’m grateful for every stage of learning. None of it was wasted — they all became nourishment for my life. Technical skills and equipment are secondary. What mattered most was how learning across genres and theories taught me to observe and reflect on life, and to express it through my preferred creative approach. Sometimes documentary overlapped with wedding photography, conceptual photography intertwined with street shots, or the essence of photography merged with sequencing images, or diptychs combined with minimalist negative space. These practices reflect my love of being different and my belief that life is a continuous, exciting journey forward. TPL: At some point, your personal exploration shifted into something more focused on community, especially after becoming a father and a Christian. How did that transformation take shape, and in what ways has it deepened your sense of purpose as a photographer? JAY: I believe my Christian faith was the main reason for this transformation. Throughout life, people keep asking: Who am I? What am I pursuing? Why am I alive? Where will I go after death? These questions about the self-found their answers in my faith. Becoming a husband and father also naturally shifted my focus from myself to caring for my wife, daughter, and others. Once my heart was filled with God’s love, I naturally wanted to give and contribute, hoping to make the world a little brighter and kinder. Even if my influence is small, light is made of countless small sparks gathered together. To be one of those sparks already feels wonderful. TPL: Diptychs have become a defining element of your visual language. You’ve spoken about their ability to express relationships, not just between images but between ideas, emotions, and spiritual concepts. What makes this format so powerful for you, and how do you know when two images belong together? In short: it’s fun! I enjoy playful forms of creation. I first learned about diptychs when I took further photography courses, and I thought: Oh, photography can also be presented this way. Since I’ve always loved duplication, re-creation, and collage, this format of pairing two images to express an idea suited me perfectly. I truly admire photographers who can capture multiple visual elements and relationships in a single frame — the dialogue between objects or symbols. But I knew I didn’t always have the time to wait for a “decisive moment,” nor the instinctive “photographic eye” for it. So instead, I leaned into my own strengths and preferred ways of expression. There’s no need to be like everyone else — I can still communicate what I want in my own way. As for knowing when two images belong together, it depends on my life experience, my present state of being, and the worldview I want to convey. Often, I’ll first pick one image that moves me deeply in that moment, then close my eyes and imagine which other photo could best express the idea I want to convey. Finally, I’ll look for connections in lines, shapes, or colors from my existing archive. Sometimes inspiration strikes unexpectedly — in the shower or while driving — because I already know my own photo collection well. (That said, I often revise my diptychs. The next day, I might find another image that pairs even better, and I’ll replace it.) TPL: You mention that you moved from illustrating symbols and object relationships to linking elements like lines, shapes, and colors with transitions that feel playful and intuitive. Can you take us into that shift in your visual thinking? How did you begin seeing these connections, and how do they inform your sequencing? JAY: Simply put, I wanted my work to be more accessible — to be seen and understood by a wider audience. Academic art can often feel difficult for the general public to grasp without training in visual language or photography theory. My motivation wasn’t fame or personal gain, but rather to use my work to convey goodness and spark resonance — to let people know that even in the darkest times, they can still shine. But for that message to be heard, the work must first be seen — it must catch people’s eyes in the flood of images on social media. To create that visual pause, the work needed to stand out in a unique way. By coincidence, I encountered the works of photographer Joakim Moller, and they left me with a sense of ‘visual lingering’ (a form of persistence of vision that lingers in one’s perception). I was struck by how masterfully he could join two photographs together, creating a profound aesthetic shock for the eye while also carrying layers of meaning. That encounter inspired me to try it myself, and in doing so I discovered a genuine interest and passion, with the work also receiving considerable resonance from viewers. This formal shift didn’t change my sequencing process too much. The core concept of the work still comes first. What changed is that finding two images that link well is more challenging than presenting a single photo—but at the same time, it’s much more fun. TPL: Your work carries a strong emotional undercurrent that holds both light and melancholy. How do belief, memory, and emotional resonance shape the narratives you build within a pair of images? Do you seek out particular moods when shooting, or do they emerge during the editing process? JAY: When it comes to belief, memory, and emotional resonance, to be honest, I can’t precisely explain how they interact, connect, and build a story — after all, these things have already been internalized within my heart and soul. But I am grateful for the moments of melancholy and pain, because they refined my life and now contrast or echo with the light I experience today. It’s precisely because of those experiences that my work has depth and carries stories. At present, my works are almost always drawn from past photographs, reconnected in new ways. Of course, each moment of shooting carries its own emotions. But when two photos, each with its own mood, are placed together, a new flow of emotions emerges — something shaped by time and continuity — becoming the emotion of the present moment. Even if my influence is small, light is made of countless small sparks gathered together. To be one of those sparks already feels wonderful. TPL: You’ve described your images as a movement from chaos to peace, from darkness to light. That is both a visual and philosophical journey. How do you hold space for both beauty and brokenness in your work, and what does it mean to you to create within that tension? JAY: Acceptance. I think it’s about accepting the beautiful parts of myself, but also the broken ones. Through creating, it becomes not only a reflection on my own life but also a way of sharing my life perspective and philosophy with others — perhaps with those who are also going through brokenness, or those who are stepping into beautiful seasons of life. Pain can be overcome, and the nourishment pain gives will eventually nurture love and light. Even if the light is small, it can still drive away darkness and make the darkness tremble. TPL: Your diptychs invite viewers to slow down and observe carefully. There is a quiet clarity in your compositions, but also a sense of layers waiting to be uncovered. How do you balance visual simplicity with conceptual depth? What does it mean to you for a photo to speak beyond what is seen? JAY: Practice — continuous practice — and looking at many good photographs. Just like writing, everything begins with imitation. Then, as you add your own life experiences and philosophy, those once-imitated words or images gradually take on your own style and creativity. Balancing visual simplicity with conceptual depth is something I only came to understand after studying courses in visual language, photographic art, and the essence of photography. It’s about learning how to arrange, how to suggest meaning through metaphor. Of course, creating diptychs as collages — finding visual balance and playfulness — is not so difficult. But deciding which two photos to choose, and what meaning emerges when they are paired — that is where the real subtlety and significance lie. When I succeed in making a work that speaks beyond what is seen, it means my life has depth, and I am ready to share with others a message of beauty that is mine yet also belongs to them. TPL: Your role as project leader for SHINING HOPE marks a significant shift in your career, from personal creator to educator and mentor. What inspired you to formalize this work, and how has your approach to teaching photography evolved since your early days volunteering for Children Eye? JAY: It’s a long story, but to put it simply — the answer is calling. This sense of calling comes from my Christian faith, and it arose after I truly came to know myself and understand my self-worth. It grew alongside my daughter’s growth. The photos I took of her touched many people’s hearts, and I realized for the first time that photographs can have real impact. Later, I traveled with World Vision Taiwan to Uganda and documented children in the slums. That experience deepened my conviction that children’s education and companionship are crucial — because children are the foundation and hope of the future. So, I made a decisive choice to resign from my church job, move my family to the countryside (to be closer to rural communities), and take on the photography program that was about to be discontinued, stepping into the role of project leader. Transitioning from volunteer to leader meant my teaching became more careful and thorough. I wanted to use photography education not only to teach skills, but also to accompany children, build their confidence, cultivate good character, and help them know and take pride in their hometowns. At that time, Taiwan had very few photography education programs for children, let alone well-developed curricula. So, I referenced international teaching resources (such as Aperture), local art education plans, and children’s picture books that told stories through images. I also pursued further studies in photography and art. After many revisions, I developed the curriculum we have today. It is collaborative and interdisciplinary, designed together with schoolteachers, and integrates art, language, social studies, and science — a holistic, theme-based approach. TPL: You have said that your mission is to provide freedom and bring influence to children in rural communities through visual storytelling. What kind of transformation do you witness in students as they begin to tell their own stories with a camera? Can you share a moment or student that particularly moved you? JAY: Although it looks like we’re teaching photography, in truth it’s more like life education — and so there are countless stories. One that left a deep impression was a girl I’ll call Xiao-Fan. When she was in sixth grade, she confided to a teacher that she had suicidal thoughts. But after learning photography, she shared with her teacher that whenever she felt down, she would pick up her camera and photograph the sky. Watching the constantly changing blue sky lifted her mood. Even after our program at her school ended, she kept photographing the sky. By ninth grade, she held her first solo exhibition at Share & Cultural & Creative Café. Among her works, her favorite piece was called Soft and Fluffy, featuring clouds that looked like cotton candy. In her artist statement, she wrote: “I think everyone needs something soft and fluffy — maybe a stuffed toy, a pillow, or a cat — because soft things can heal the wounds of every person’s heart.” TPL: You have compared your creative process to the feeling of enjoying a child’s drawing, embracing playful, intuitive, and full of surprise. How do you maintain that sense of openness in your own work, especially while also teaching structure and technique to others? JAY: My ability to maintain a sense of playfulness, intuition, and surprise in photography really comes from working in education — leading rural children in photography and creating alongside them. To be precise, it’s more about recovering a childlike way of observing and creating. I’m also very grateful to my own photography teachers, who introduced me to ideas like “there are no standard answers” and “open-ended conclusions.” These ideas fit perfectly into the way I now teach children. While I try to guide them with freedom and playfulness, in truth, they are my teachers. The surprises and inspiration I get from their works are far greater than what I give them. TPL: As you continue to grow both as an artist and an educator, what are the new questions or directions that excite you? Are there creative risks you hope to take, or new communities you want to engage through your work in the years ahead? JAY: I think I want to become more of an educator than an artist. But because the photography education I do is closely tied to art, I must also keep learning and growing in photography myself. In the coming years, aside from exploring new creative methods, I hope to organize a Photography Education Exhibition in Taiwan. This would bring together teams, organizations, and artists working in photography education across the country. Through a large-scale exhibition, people passionate about photography education could learn from each other, and perhaps even create a shared general photography curriculum for Taiwanese children. All of this effort is for the future of Taiwan—to develop more complete, diverse, forward-looking, and large-scale educational approaches. I feel both excited and eager for that day to come. 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.

  • ANNETTE LANG

    As long as I can think, I have been fascinated by observing people in everyday life situations, trying to make sense of their actions and to understand how they relate to their environment. Even as a child I could be dropped off somewhere, offering me a viewpoint on life unfolding under my eyes and then to be picked up hours later. This fascination took me quite naturally into studying anthropology and cultural linguistics. While others thrive on exoticism, it is normalcy and the underlying web of cultural and personal significations that attract me and provide me with a sentiment of happiness. This also influences my photography. Living in Nice - after Paris the most touristic and best known French city - I try to use my camera to witness life behind postcard views and to celebrate the beauty of everyday people in everyday activities. I love catching the moment never coming back, involving a minute but significant detail. I have recently explored the color blue more intensively to reveal another side of the denomination "Cote d'Azur" - "Blue Coast" used for the Nice region. French law is tricky for street photography - you normally need people's authorization to take their picture. Asking permission beforehand would destroy the candid street shot. I tried to build my own ethic framework around this. Never shoot to ridicule, show the picture as often as possible to the people afterwards and propose sharing or deleting. Today, there are many people I know by name in my neighborhood thanks to photography. If somebody feels beautiful thanks to a candid street shot, it feels like artistic accomplishment for me. In order to give back to the society that sustains me, I have often taken family or business photos for the people I met upon their request. This allowed me to explore a halal butchery and a Vegan restaurant, making me feel somehow useful. ANNETTE LANG As long as I can think, I have been fascinated by observing people in everyday life situations, trying to make sense of their actions and to understand how they relate to their environment. Even as a child I could be dropped off somewhere, offering me a viewpoint on life unfolding under my eyes and then to be picked up hours later. This fascination took me quite naturally into studying anthropology and cultural linguistics. While others thrive on exoticism, it is normalcy and the underlying web of cultural and personal significations that attract me and provide me with a sentiment of happiness. This also influences my photography. Living in Nice - after Paris the most touristic and best known French city - I try to use my camera to witness life behind postcard views and to celebrate the beauty of everyday people in everyday activities. I love catching the moment never coming back, involving a minute but significant detail. I have recently explored the color blue more intensively to reveal another side of the denomination "Cote d'Azur" - "Blue Coast" used for the Nice region. French law is tricky for street photography - you normally need people's authorization to take their picture. Asking permission beforehand would destroy the candid street shot. I tried to build my own ethic framework around this. Never shoot to ridicule, show the picture as often as possible to the people afterwards and propose sharing or deleting. Today, there are many people I know by name in my neighborhood thanks to photography. If somebody feels beautiful thanks to a candid street shot, it feels like artistic accomplishment for me. In order to give back to the society that sustains me, I have often taken family or business photos for the people I met upon their request. This allowed me to explore a halal butchery and a Vegan restaurant, making me feel somehow useful. LOCATION Nice FRANCE CAMERA/S Fuji X-T4, Leica Q2 @LUXTASIA FEATURES // My Cape of Good Hope Archaeological Paradoxes

  • IN CONVERSATION WITH LUISA MONTAGNA

    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 >>> 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.

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