Search this site

MILANO ROMANCE Through his photography, Marco Riccardo Flores brings a romantic and stylish view from his beautiful home, the metropolis of Milan. MILANO ROMANCE July 8, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Marco Riccardo Flores INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE The hustle and bustle of the vibrant metropolis of Milan is captured in all its beauty, romance and style by photographer Marco Riccardo Flores. From the daily lives of people to the unique landscapes and artists that inhabit the city, Marco captures it all. Through his lens, you can feel the energy of the city, feel connected to its spirit and explore its many wonders. A visit to Milan is made all the more special through the eyes of this talented photographer and with each image, Marco transports us to a place far away from our own realities. Come and let Marco take you on a journey within the city of Milan. “I am a painter that uses the camera instead of the brushes. I just can’t draw what my mind creates. My visions come and go away too quickly. Only the camera can somehow fix my imagination.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MARCO RICCARDO FLORES TPL: Marco, when did you start getting interested in photography? MRF: Maybe when I was a child, about 12 yrs old. During school trips I have always taken with me a little camera, an analog one. TPL: Who are your favourite artists? MRF: I don’t know. I like beautiful photography, whoever the artist is. For the portraits I think Bob Krieger. I like old style fashion photography. Vivian Maier is an artist I'm interested in quite recently. Reportage photography and wildlife photography are also my favorites sources of inspiration. TPL: Has your style of photographing changed since you first started? MRF: Yes, it is still changing every day. I like to experiment, even if this means to make some mistakes. TPL: Where is your favourite place to photograph? MRF: Hiding among the crowd...'spying' on people. 😉 TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone just starting out? MRF: It is important to have the right equipment at the right moment. Starting with something simple and easy to use can help you improve faster. You should try new gear only when you understand that you are missing something useful. I like to experiment, even if this means to make some mistakes. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the arts before photography? MRF: I’ve been in the show biz for a season now, following musicians and dreaming their lives. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? MRF: I’m working on a project about buskers performing around Milan. I started this work last year but the Corona virus outbreak has stopped me. I hope to resume my work as soon as possible. TPL: "If I wasn't photographing what would I (like to) be doing?... MRF: Riding fast and expensive bikes." PORTFOLIO 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.

VISUAL POETRY Now living in the USA, Zeeshan Khan is a graphic designer who carefully composes his images to create visual poetry. VISUAL POETRY February 5, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Zeeshan Khan INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Photography is a powerful art form, capable of telling stories, inspiring emotion, and creating beauty. For Zeeshan Khan, it is a way of expressing his appreciation for the world around him - a way of capturing moments in time that can be savored and cherished forever. With a passion for black and white photography, Zeeshan has built a portfolio of stunning visuals that transport viewers to a world of shadows, light, and breathtaking architecture. His work is an homage to the power of photography; a love letter written in light and shadow. Join us as we explore the passion of Zeeshan Khan and his ongoing quest to capture life's most precious moments. “I use photography as a way to convey my artistic expression. I am a trained graphic designer as well as a typography nerd. I pay special attention to composition. Try to make sure lines are straight. Geometry has to give this sense of responsibility in a particular image. But above all, a scene has to be contrasty with good representation of light and shadow. I think that is why I cannot see myself as a run and gun street photographer.” IN CONVERSATION WITH ZEESHAN KHAN THE PICTORIAL LIST: Zeeshan please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? ZEESHAN KHAN: I am a child of the eighties born in Karachi, Pakistan into a middle class family. I got exposed to photography at a fairly young age (teenage years I think) when I stumbled across my late grandfather's cameras. None of them actually worked and at the time I did not have the means to get them fixed. However, I pretended to be a photojournalist traveling through the Grand Silk Road photographing natives along the way. It is safe to say that the 'pretend play' experience got embedded in my memory. Since then I've been obsessed with making pictures. In addition to photography I was exposed to great literature, poetry, music, and cinema. My father had a wonderful library which allowed me to consume wonderful books. My teenage years were spent reading and listening to Pink Floyd. Around the age of 18, I moved to the USA with New York City as my new home base. I travelled between Chicago and Toronto to get my art education in graphic design, multimedia, and history. Currently I live and work in Boston as a healthcare technology executive. I am married with two kids. I use photography to express my art and slowly but surely working towards going professional. TPL: Tell us more about your images that you submitted. Could you elaborate more on your black and white stories? What was the concept behind them? ZK: Every image to me is a piece of art. I spend my time studying a scene to make sure there is enough of what I need to create my visual poem. I create my scene around a single subject whether it is a person, object, architecture, and let everything else fall in place. I will look for the right amount of contrast by balancing geometry, light, and shadows. From an ethical standpoint I do my best not to capture anyone or anything in a compromised or embarrassing position. My photography is described as "Visual poetry through photography, streets through the lens of an architecture and poetry lover". I will admit that I have not been great in creating a series of images to represent a single story. Instead I create a single image to tell an entire story. However, lately, I've been dedicating myself to creating a series of photographs to tell a story. I will share most of that work on my personal website and blog. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to photograph? ZK: I find inspiration in my current surroundings, perhaps something I've read that has struck a nerve, a lyric, piece of music, cinematic experience, and more. TPL: Do you have a favourite place to photograph in? ZK: New York City is always my number one spot. But I hope to travel to Iran, Japan, Pakistan, and Turkey to create a series of stories. Besides actual cities I absolutely love photographing around bridges. There is so much interaction happening around a bridge that is prime for photography. 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? ZK: Street photography gives me a sense of freedom. It is me in the universe walking the streets with my camera. I have a fluid technique where I like to create a scene from anything that I have experienced. For e.g. I'll walk under the Manhattan bridge and create a dramatic scene using its shape. Sometimes I'll capture the right light with the backdrop of lower Manhattan or capture a cyclist in silhouette against a deep shadow. I walk the streets almost everyday to capture moments. Yes, I have come across a few negative encounters but never has it ever gotten physical. If someone has found it offensive then I will try to engage them and tell them about my photography. If they still find it offensive then I'll simply delete the image. Street photography gives me a sense of freedom. It is me in the universe walking the streets with my camera. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? ZK: They are ever changing. However, my current two photographers are Fan Ho and Tyler Shields. I know, two very different photographers but I absolutely love their art form. TPL: Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What camera do you use? Describe what you love about your camera/s and what (if you do) dislike about it. Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? ZK: Leica M cameras have inspired my photography in a meaningful way. The M system has allowed me to photograph what I actually see. It is a wonderful system that is simple to use and actually inspires you to photograph. It is obviously different for everyone but I can safely say that it has improved my photography greatly. It becomes an extension of your eye and I carry it everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The only complaint I have about the M system is that I wish the lenses were weather sealed, since I like to shoot in bad weather like rain and snow. Sure, it works great as is but I have to be careful. No, I do not have a preferred focal length. I use a variety of Leica lenses to create my photographs. TPL: When you go out photographing, 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? ZK: It is a bit of both. At times I will go out with a purpose for e.g. capturing skaters at a local skateboard park. And other times I'll just take a walk and let the images come to me. However, I will say that I do not do any kind of dedicated planning. It is very much a free flowing process. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the artistic world before photography? ZK: Yes, I have. I started my career as a graphic designer. I curated a South Asian art magazine with other like minded artists. Other than that it has been mostly career focused where I've designed websites, magazines, and now software products. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? ZK: I want to put all my efforts into photography. And for the past year I've been very much focused. I am beginning to collect a body of work that I hope to publish into books, photo zines, fine art prints, curate both online and in person exhibitions, and perhaps one day get to photograph streets and architecture around Iran. I am working on a few series. I can mention two here for now. A series based around the Lynch Family Skatepark in Boston/Cambridge, and a series with the concept of minimalism in architecture. Both these series will eventually be shared in full on all my social media channels, personal website, Flickr, and instagram. And one of the series will turn into a photo zine. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… ZK: Play guitar, hang out with my family, consume literature, and catch up on foreign TV shows. 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.

CHAD COOMBS I am a multidisciplinary artist working across photography, collage, and painting. My practice examines identity, perception, and the systems that shape human behavior, often focusing on the tension between internal experience and external influence. My work is shaped by process and material. Using analog photography, hand-constructed imagery, direct mark-making, distortion, fragmentation, and recontextualization, I treat each medium as an active participant rather than a neutral tool. Much of my work centers on portraiture, not as representation, but as a site of construction. Figures are often altered, layered, or destabilized, reflecting the competing forces that shape identity, including social systems, cultural expectations, and collective perception. Informed by lived experience, including autism, my practice uses observation and inquiry to engage with structure, behavior, and contradiction. Through this approach, I construct images that invite viewers to question not only what they are seeing, but how and why they see it that way. LOCATION Saskatoon CANADA CAMERA/S sx70 Polaroid Camera WEBSITE https://chadcoombs.ca/ @ITSCHADCOOMBS FEATURES // The Architecture of Consciousness

BLACK AND WHITE WITH A THREAD OF RED Valeria Cunha is fascinated by the street, using it as inspiration to find structure amidst the confusion. Her photography creates intriguing connections and relationships through dynamic compositions that convey emotion. BLACK AND WHITE WITH A THREAD OF RED January 26, 2024 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Valeria Cunha INTERVIEW Karen Ghostlaw Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Valeria Cunha is a vibrant Portuguese photographer that embarked on her adventures in visual storytelling in 2019. Valeria was born on a small Island in the Azores, fueling her wild spirit and igniting her curiosity for the unknown. She was a child with an infinity of imagination. The isolation growing up on the island gave her a true sense of independence, she became a quiet observer of life around her. Valeria has the ability to travel between the world of imagination and reality, between London and Lisbon, between an island and somewhere else in the world. Her images provoke this sense of play, while taunting you to play along. The street captivates Valeria, inspiring her to find order in the chaos, while focusing our attention on details that express emotion. Her photography makes interesting relationships and connections through dynamic compositions. This surreal and conceptual approach brings a bit of mystery to her image, allowing the viewer to participate and draw their own conclusions. Valeria embraces colour as well as black and white, finding purpose and meaning in their applications. “Photography is a different dimension of me, my vessel of expression and creativity, how I feel the moments, the world, life. I like to tell stories, convey emotions, to capture singularity. Hopefully my images are strong enough to unlock feelings, to make the viewer question and dream.” Valeria’s brilliant photography that we share today is a dark and mysterious series exploring black and white photography and the genre of Film Noir. She explores how the French merged urban realism with working class romance, shadowed with politics, producing some of cinema’s most mysterious fatal fantasies. “I was also inspired by the film noir concept, providing and adding a narrative of an intricate plot, a feel of suspense, that something is about to happen, of mysterious and forbidden lovers encounters, with an underlying classic moody darkness. Working this way gives me a purpose and definitely supports the creative process. There are also days that I just go out and try to capture singularity.” IN CONVERSATION WITH VALERIA CUNHA THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Valeria, we are excited about your interview and are looking forward to learning more about you and your inspiring work. Please tell us what draws you to photography? What inspires you about street photography? Valeria: Photography was the means within the art world that I found to express myself outside of my professional life. Most of the time I say I’m a photographer by chance, due to the circumstances of moving to a different country and finding a hobby that would be complementary to the exploration of a new city…but, if I’m honest it was on the back of my mind for several years and I just kept delaying it. I was clearly very visual from a very young age, painting, photography, art in general, and cinema grabbed my attention, aside from the fact that I was also an ardent reader. As a book lover I used to write short stories, but for me the materialisation into an image was missing, photography was the ideal choice to create visual stories, in which the absence of words was irrelevant. Places and people always fascinated me, as a keen observer with a natural curiosity and sensitivity, feeling and documenting a city, a particular moment, capturing the lifestyle, the socioeconomics, was almost irresistible. Street photography was the natural choice when I moved to London. It allowed me to build bridges between my vision and the community, to comprehend the social richness and diversity of London. It was the beginning of a long dialogue between my inner self and the place I was settling in. I fell in love with London, its daily rich intricate stories, the thrill of capturing the tear in the continuum that allows to freeze the singularity. Stereophotography is an exchange between the artist and the places you are at the moment, you capture what the people, the stories, the social context gives you, and then you process it and transform it within who you are, your vision and artistic style. Photography became my happy place, my meditation, it makes me feel alive, vibrant, allows me to connect with where and the people I encounter. TPL: Explain for our readers, your approach to photography, your critical and creative thought process that helps you create your dynamic body of work. Valeria: When I started this journey, I made sure I would learn the rules of composition, study the master's and big references not only in the photography world, but also in art in general, always with the thought that to break the rules, first you have to learn them. I also made the decision that as this would be my way of expression, I didn’t want to follow trends and or limited myself. You see, I don’t believe art can be chained to narrow rules, trends and boxes. Creativity is a wild animal that needs freedom to grow and be unique, and if you are always worried if the capture you are taking falls into what someone decided is a special gender, you are just executing something defined by others. For me experimenting is key and what keeps my passion burning, which means I will always use different methods, without worrying of having a particular style that would be instantly recognisable. I want photography to be a place where I convey how I feel the streets, the cities, the moments, the people. Stereophotography is an interchangeable experience between the artist and the moments you capture and the subjects, so when I do it I bring all that I have, including the mood and emotions of the day, even if they are dark. On the other hand, I like to work on projects or series, it can be a story I create and try to capture images alongside the line of thought, usually it develops and changes along the process. Sometimes I choose a place like the Paris noir series. Initially was to be named as ‘Une nuit à Paris’ but then the concept got a bit broader. I made the decision that these series would be in B&W, with a classic and temporal feel, inspired by Brassai and film noir concepts. something outside my comfort zone. These series portray the way I feel and see Paris, as a once vibrant hub of brilliant minds and artists that would get together to discuss ideas, and new ways of making art. I like the mysterious side of Paris, of places that you go back in time, and its classic look. Working this way gives me a purpose and definitely supports the creative process. There are also days that I just go out and try to capture singularity. TPL: Colour can take one on a journey, what does red mean to you in your work? You saturate the viewer bringing them into the moment. Valeria: My primary body of work is colour. The choice of colour is always part of the composition, setting the mood, the atmosphere, a complement to the story, strengthening and providing depth to the narrative. Red is one of my favorite colours, I’m naturally drawn to strong and saturating hues. Red for me conveys strong emotions and builds character. It's indisputably powerful, it’s full of passion, it’s provocative, full of love, embodies strength, sensuality, but also seeds anger, war, conflict, blood. It’s the opposite of neutral, sweetness, indifference. When I see in red, I’m sculpting the way the viewer reads the image. I'm inviting the viewer to immerse themselves into the deepness of sensations and emotions that red unlocks. Red is to be wrapped up in the emotional whirl and in charge of the capture to reflect the intensity in the moment. I'm also being provocative by driving an emotional response. Red helps to strengthen the subject, empowering the dynamics of the scene. One day I made a mini poll asking my followers if red unlocked positive or negative feelings, interesting enough the answers were 50% 50%. Images in which red is used are most of the times very compelling. TPL: Besides a demanding day job, you curate a number of brilliant hubs and offer your expertise across multiple platforms. Tell us about this work and what you feel it brings to your own photography. How do you find balance? Is balance important to you? Valeria: True, I have my career and professional life, that can be both demanding and absorbent. Photography is the balance, the complement, my other side, a different Valeria. Balance is key to create, you need to find the time and space to let your mind dwell and imagine. I find balance by organizing my time, thinking and planning in advance, otherwise it would be very challenging. Being a curator started with a recommendation from a dear follower to a hub. I was hesitant at first, because to accept it, I had to do a good job and I knew I had to commit and stretch myself to find and promote good work/artists. As a curator I have to do a lot of research, so I'm exposed to an immense variety of styles, and images. I find it fascinating and inspiring to see so many great artists and what they are producing, in a way I learn, because I study the techniques they use, the methodology, angles, etc. It widens my horizons and makes me humble simultaneously. Additionally, it is very inspiring to find so much variety and different approaches to art. TPL: Can you describe the creative process involved with the capturing of your photographs? Where do you find your inspiration? Valeria: I’m a sponge, I absorb a lot, and everything inspires me, music, books, cinema, people, other artists and photographers. I make sure I bring my emotional state to the work, if it’s darker that’s what I will capture, if it’s brighter it will be reflected in the stories. People’s lives inspire me, what’s behind an expression, a subtle gesture, a look, them in a specific place. When I go out, I’m part of the streets, I immerse myself in it, I open up to the energy around me. Some days I’m more sensitive and aware of weird dynamics and momentums, others I create the context and scenario and wait for the right moment to happen. As I said previously, I don’t follow a rigid method, I believe being flexible and adjusting to the circumstances is key to producing work. Sometimes I decide to learn a new technique, for example, double exposure and I go out just to shoot in that mode. I like to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. Most of the time I shoot solo, photography for me is an intimate and personal experience that requires focus, stillness to observe, energy to be sharp and quick. It doesn’t mean I don’t join groups or go out with a fellow photographer that I get along with, usually someone that inspires me. Additionally, I learned to love night photography, darkness and night changes the scenario completely, it’s when all the wildness comes out, where you find the most compelling moments. London is the perfect city to shoot at night, it is so rich and vibrant, everything can happen. TPL: You support a lot of women and their photography, why is this so important to you? If you could achieve one thing for women in photography, what would that be? Valeria: This subject is always very controversial and prone to argumentative discussions, in the sense that in our day's inequality is inexistent, which I’m not totally convinced is reflective of reality and how we experience it. Although I’m very inclusive and don’t believe in segregation or specific spaces for genders, I understand why some women hubs were created. As a woman naturally I’m more sensitive to our struggles, and there are some. Street was initially very male dominated, so we had to find our space, our uniqueness within this gender. Fortunately, we now see a lot of women doing street photography, showing the world through their lens with all their creativity. I believe women brought a different approach and ‘eye’ to the street, where the human subject has a special predominance alongside layering and complexity. However, who is behind the camera, man or woman is irrelevant, there is no specific style for women or men, and there shouldn’t be expectations for a more feminine or masculine look associated with gender. For me the mark or goal would be to achieve a state where this conversation was no longer needed and overall experiences and feelings of inequality were a mere drop in the ocean. I’m a sponge, I absorb a lot, and everything inspires me, music, books, cinema, people, other artists and photographers. TPL: What do you want your photographs to inspire in other people? What is their “takeaway”? What is your takeaway? Valeria: This is a difficult one, because when I shoot I’m not thinking necessarily about the impact or how it’s going to be perceived by others. I would like people to dream, compelling them to make their day a better one. I want to compel people to feel grasping the sole and essence of the moment, fully observing the scene and the city. I wish to make their mind wonder, unlocking emotions so they can fully experience that moment. TPL: Do you find you rely on the serendipitous moment, finding the excitement in not knowing? Or do you have a formula that you can count on that helps your visual storytelling? Valeria: I don’t have a rigid formula, maybe I have a preferred one that unlocks more my creative processes. I feel it develops in a more meaningful and deeper way, having a significant purpose and a link between scenes and subjects. However, I can also be very freestyle grabbing perfect moments as they happen. In both methods there’s always the unknown factor and improvisation, that’s what the streets bring, the unexpected and a less controlled environment. TPL: What other photographers or artists have influenced you, and how? What impact have they made in the way you approach and create your work in photography, or curation, or both? Valeria: I particularly like surrealism across the different artistic genres, whether it’s film, literature, painting and photography. The notion of different realms and realities happening in parallel, not matching real life, unlocks my senses and transports me to completely new dimensions, sometimes even in an uncomfortable way. In terms of photographers, I’ve been buying a considerable number of books and love going to exhibitions whenever I can. I adore the classics, they were pioneers and created the genre, always a great reference to have and they are the usual suspects – Henri Cartier Bresson, Brassai, Vivian Maier, Helen Levitt, Saul Leiter, Alex Webb, on the other hand I like fashion related photographers as well. TPL: What are some of the challenges you have faced as a woman photographer? Were you able to overcome them? What did you learn from them? What advice can you share with other women photographers out there? Valeria: Every journey has ups and downs, challenging moments of self-doubt and if it makes sense to continue, of feeling stuck and breaking through a creative blockage. Sometimes, the hecticness of life does not allow you to focus on your hobbies and passions. In these situations, I give myself time, I take some breaks, focusing on different things to take the pressure off. Photographing at night as a woman can be an interesting experience, sometimes I feel unsafe and that something unpleasant can happen. You just have to be smart about it, find a way of not getting into trouble, keep your senses sharp, choose wisely where to go, deal with the situations in a clever way. Not sure if my personal experience differs a lot from men, I can say I’ve experienced unsolicited and unconstructive feedback and bad behavior. In these situations, I just remove my energy and move on. I also have my boundaries and there’s a clear line that is drawn. I don’t let difficulties, setbacks or obstacles that could demote me and stop me from doing what I like. TPL: What would you like to focus our attention on in the coming months? Are there any short or long term goals or projects we can look forward to? Valeria: I have a couple of projects in view, still in the embryonic phase of defining and designing the idea to advance and start working on it. I’m not ready to reveal the details quite yet because it is too early in its development. These projects will require time, networking and some partnerships that I wasn’t able to progress last year. There's already some clear thought and options on the table, but it will depend on my availability and motivation. I plan to travel more next year to develop traveling and documentary photography. TPL: When you’re not working, curating, and not capturing the world before you through a lens, what would we find Valeria doing? Valeria: You will find Valeria traveling, on gigs, attending performances in the theatre, Opera, Contemporary dance, and always the cinema. I enjoy socialising with my family and friends, enjoying what life has to give. 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.

VISUAL VOCABULARY Documentary and street photographer Vinh Tran, allows his photography to become his vocabulary, allowing the visual to become his words. VISUAL VOCABULARY August 13, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Vinh Tran INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Vinh Tran is a documentary and street photographer currently based in Vietnam. Vinh allows his photography to become his vocabulary, allowing the visual to become his words. Vinh’s first photography approach was in January 2015, when he bought his first film camera – the rangefinder Yashica Electro 35GT. Vinh took a tonne of photographs and he spent most of his money buying and developing films. Shooting film, at the time, was a therapeutic photography practice that helped him cured all of his anxiety. One day, unaware of who she was, Vinh read an article about Vivian Maier, the American street photographer, and was utterly astonished. Her story was so inspirational to Vinh and changed his life, a full 360 degrees since then. For Vinh photography has become part of his daily practice, carrying a camera all the time, taking images of everything and everyone. Photography has become an integral part of his life. “I realised photography has always been there with me during the darkest times of my life. I thought it was just a hobby initially, but it is the only thing that makes me feel happy. I asked myself: “If not now, then when?” IN CONVERSATION WITH VINH TRAN THE PICTORIAL LIST: Vinh please tell us about yourself. What was that moment that sparked your interest to pursue photography? VINH TRAN: I was born and bred in Ha Tinh, a small city on the North Central Coast of Vietnam. Like any other parents in this developing city, my traditional-loving parents used to control my every single move. I was forced to follow their decisions, to study at a certain university, find secure jobs, and then get married. Basically, to live an ordinary live without taking any risk. Most of the young in Vietnam have no choice but to go to universities that our parents think are "more prestigious," which would help us find promising jobs in the future. I was no exception. I majored in law, and I was lost by the time I graduated since I always have a tendency towards art, but I did not have any courage to chase my dream. After I graduated from a Law University, I worked for several companies in different fields hoping that something I truly like would come up one day. But my days always ended up hopeless. It took me quite a few years to overcome the fear of chasing my dream all thanks to Vivian Maier’s inspiring story. It is not only about her images but also her life. Gosh, I wish I could hug her and tell her how much her story really meant to me. I realised photography has always been there with me during the darkest times of my life. I thought it was just a hobby initially, but it is the only thing that makes me feel happy. I asked myself: “If not now, then when?” Years of working different desk jobs came to an end eventually, I am going to Budapest this September to pursue another study, which is Photography. I am currently residing in Hanoi, Vietnam, and just patiently waiting for my Visa Approval to Hungary. TPL: How did you first approach making the images in your project DON'T WITHER AWAY? What were your initial impressions when you started this project? What compelled you to document life in a nursing home? VT: I actually drafted quite a few projects first; then I talked to myself that my very first project should be something really connected to me, to my life. My project was born from my imaginary fear. One of my biggest fears in life is living without any objectives. A life without goals would be pathetic to me. I imagined if I was old already, too old that I could not accomplish a list of well-thought-out goals and have nothing to look forward to. That would be depressing. One of my first impressions when I started this project is the connection between me and my subjects. They have their own unique stories to tell, which I feel so connected to in many ways. There were many times I asked myself: "How is it like living in a nursing home? Especially when you are an introvert who needs a personal space like 24/7? Would it be ok to live in a nursing home when you are a person with countless objectives and expectations?"… These questions led me to the project. I just dived into it to find out the answers. *Editor's Note: Read Vinh's story DON'T WITHER AWAY in link below. TPL: What did you encounter as an outsider? What was it like to witness the interactions between the residents and staff? VT: There were some obstacles, of course. Not all of the people there in the Elderly Care Center are camera friendly. Seeing a young guy who carried a camera all the time was something not so comfortable to them. For the first few days, I try to interact as much as possible to build trust with them. They eventually treated me as if I was their son and allowed me documenting them freely. Aged care nurses have a considerable amount of daily tasks to do so it is understandable that sometimes they cannot take care of the elders there properly. I saw them yell at the elders a couple of times or even force residents to participate in certain activities for easy management. As an outsider, I could not intervene in anything but try to chill the situation out by talking to the elders because they love having someone listen to them. TPL: Talk to us about some of your other projects. For you personally, why are making these photographs important? What do you want viewers to understand through your images? VT: TRANQUIL is my ongoing project which aims to demonstrate the desires of individuals who wish for a tranquil and peaceful space where they can get away from the chaotic and suffocating society. It somewhat reflects my life, and it is my long-term project. I think a great photo is a photo that can evoke emotion. And it is pleasing when your viewers say they are "in tune" with your images. That is my goal, to draw viewers’ attention to touching and meaningful photo stories. TPL: Your work ranges from photojournalism to street photography, how do you define yourself as a photographer? VT: Frankly, I always ask myself "Am I good enough to call myself a photographer? Or am I just a snapper?" For now, I would call myself a photography practitioner. Shoot more, create more stories. I don't know, let time answer that. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? VT: Vivian Maier is my all-time favorite artist, of course! Her dedication to photography is extraordinary. Irina Unruh, a documentary photographer from Kyrgyzstan. Check out her project "I am Jamilia”. Skinny Siddhartha, a Vietnamese street and documentary photographer. I learnt a lot from his photos. And, Julia Fullerton-Batten, a German Photographer. Everyone loves her work "Looking Out from Within." Frankly, I always ask myself...Am I good enough to call myself a photographer? Or am I just a snapper?...For now, I would call myself a photography practitioner. Shoot more, create more stories. I don't know, let time answer that. 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? VT: Yes, it does definitely. This topic is somewhat controversial, but to me, camera gear matters. I am not talking about some cutting-edge features like high-resolution, ultra-fast continuous shooting, dynamic range...But the best camera is the one you feel comfortable with, the one that makes you want to pick it up and shoot every day. For instance, I used to own a Leica M240; it felt great in my hand and made me want to go out shooting anytime I picked it up. I have used a variety of cameras for the past few years, from film to digital. Most of my images were taken with the Leica M240 and Fujifilm X-T20. Currently, I am using the Fujifilm X100V for my street/documentary photography and Sony A7ii for my commercial work. Regarding the focal length, I would describe myself as "a 35mm person". TPL: Do you prefer to work in black and white or colour? Do you spend a lot of time editing? What is your process? VT: It depends on the story I want to tell. Sometimes playing around with highlight and shadow would be fun, so I would prefer B&W. But if the color needs to be toned out, then I would go for some color tweaks. Editing plays an essential role in photography indeed. Usually, a bit of adjustment would be enough for my street images since I always pay attention to raw results. But It may take a couple of hours to modify photos that are part of an important project because I always like to experiment with different edits. This is my recipe when I am editing: A good playlist -> Read and see five projects from any Photographers/Artist to boost my mood -> start editing. TPL: The past year and a half has been tough on many artists. How have you been feeling through this time, both personally and as a photographer? VT: As an introvert, dealing with lockdown is not a big deal to me. It is just sad when lots of artists/photographers out there are mentally and financially struggling during this time of COVID. Some of my projects are temporarily suspended due to covid also. But I am so looking forward to my upcoming time in Budapest! I am an optimistic person who always looks at the bright side of life, so I do believe the situation will get better. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist/photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? VT: As a photographer, to be able to create photographic stories in satisfaction is to live twice. Hopefully, in five years, I can accomplish some of my ongoing projects and publish a photo book (or maybe more). TPL: Are there any projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? VT: There are several more projects that are currently just drafts in my notebook. For instance, I want to tell a visual story about me - as a free thinker and the relationship with my Buddhist parents and my Christian girlfriend. TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… VT: To get lost in my train of thought. It always leads to some interesting ideas." 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.

A lover of photography since the age of 11, I consider this art form as much a means to express myself as one of the main vehicles through which to tell our time. When asked to describe my photography, I always answer with these words: "I feel the need to tell the human being contextualized in the time in which we live, without hiding the merits and weaknesses". I devote myself mainly to reportage and portrait photography, which I practice both digitally and analogically. For the past 10 years I have been studying as a self-taught artist, continuing to deepen every aspect of this art form, dedicating practically all my free time to it. In the last years I have dedicated myself almost exclusively to black and white and I have started to use the film more and more often, ending up becoming my main medium. This choice depends on several factors: the not immediate visualization of the shots, the pleasure of dealing with chemistry, the desire to master every stage of the creative process, learning to manage the development phase according to the needs of the case. Through the film, it is also possible to build a "material" archive, impossible to achieve through the digital medium. ALESSANDRO GIUGNI A lover of photography since the age of 11, I consider this art form as much a means to express myself as one of the main vehicles through which to tell our time. When asked to describe my photography, I always answer with these words: "I feel the need to tell the human being contextualized in the time in which we live, without hiding the merits and weaknesses". I devote myself mainly to reportage and portrait photography, which I practice both digitally and analogically. For the past 10 years I have been studying as a self-taught artist, continuing to deepen every aspect of this art form, dedicating practically all my free time to it. In the last years I have dedicated myself almost exclusively to black and white and I have started to use the film more and more often, ending up becoming my main medium. This choice depends on several factors: the not immediate visualization of the shots, the pleasure of dealing with chemistry, the desire to master every stage of the creative process, learning to manage the development phase according to the needs of the case. Through the film, it is also possible to build a "material" archive, impossible to achieve through the digital medium. LOCATION Milan ITALY CAMERA/S Leica M3 and MP240 WEBSITE https://www.alessandrogiugni.com/ @ALE_GIUGNI FEATURES // Colori Sospesi Nel Tempo. Geometrie Di Un'Isola (Colours Suspended In Time. Geometries Of An Island)

OSTALGIE Slovakian photographer Radovan Baran's creative vision has been shaped by his passion for cinema and the architecture of his hometown. OSTALGIE May 13, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Radovan Baran INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Slovakian self-taught photographer Radovan Baran's creative vision has been shaped by his passion for cinema and architecture. The movies of Wim Wenders, have profoundly impacted his visual style. Inspired by the story of Philip Winter in "Alice in den Städten", when visiting the US, Radovan got hold of the sx-70 that was used for the very first time in this road movie and started taking instant Polaroid pictures. Through projects and concepts of his favourite architect Le Corbusier, he became familiar with Lucien Hervé and his architectural images. His oeuvre has become one of the primary sources of inspiration throughout the evolution of his artistic process. A pivotal moment in Radovan's growth happened when he visited the retrospective exhibition of Louis Faurer’s work. Fascinated by his immersive black and white photographs of people in the streets, Radovan began pursuing street photography. His approach is characterised by minimalism and geometric compositions with the human element occurring unexpectedly. Faceless figures seem consumed by architectural forms and styles. Following his visual instinct, Radovan endeavours to attain unusual compositions of familiar places and capture interactions between people and surfaces. Radovan's work is undoubtedly influenced by the atmosphere of his hometown Bratislava. “My approach is characterised by minimalism and geometric compositions with the human element occurring unexpectedly. Faceless figures seem consumed by architectural forms and styles. Following my visual instinct, I endeavour to attain unusual compositions of familiar places and capture interactions between people and surfaces. A visual connection between unsuspecting subjects and urban spaces transforms random fleeting moments of strangers on the street into something abstract and sculptural.” IN CONVERSATION WITH RADOVAN BARAN THE PICTORIAL LIST: Radovan please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? RADOVAN BARAN: I was born and raised in a small town in East Slovakia not far away from the borders with Ukraine. I was always curious about photography. Back in the analogue days, my father used to transform our tiny bathroom into a darkroom. I can still vividly remember myself and my older sister. We would be waiting behind the bathroom door, impatiently waiting to see freshly made black and white prints. My passion for photography grew over the years. However, I never took any serious steps towards it. Instead, I chose to study law. During my summer breaks, I used to travel a lot and tried out many different jobs. I worked as an order picker in a warehouse in Northern Ireland, as a tourist guide in Tunisia, as a sales assistant in an antique bookshop in Prague, Czech Republic or as a news editor back home in Slovakia. After graduating from law school, I pursued a career in International and EU Law and stayed a couple of years in Belgium. I believe all those very diverse working experiences and my several stays abroad have sparked again my beautiful relationship with photography. Now I am based between Bratislava and Vienna and photography has become one of my primary passions and catalysts in life. TPL: Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any favourite artists and photographers? RB: The movies of Wim Wenders (in particular his “Himmel über Berlin”) have profoundly impacted my photographic language. Inspired by the story of Philip Winter in “Alice in the Cities”, when visiting the US, I got hold of the sx-70 that was used for the very first time in this road movie and started experimenting with taking instant Polaroid pictures. Through projects and concepts of my favourite architect Le Corbusier, I became familiar with Lucien Hervé and his architectural images. His oeuvre has become one of the primary sources of inspiration throughout the evolution of my artistic process. A pivotal moment in my growth as an artist happened when I visited the retrospective exhibition of Louis Faurer’s work in Granada, Spain in 2017. I was fascinated with his immersive black and white photographs of people in the streets and began pursuing street photography. One of my most favourite contemporary photographers is Andre D. Wagner. I love his street and documentary style analogue photographs capturing the lives of communities of colour in Brooklyn, New York. TPL: What do you want to express through your photography? What are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? RB: My approach is characterised by minimalism and geometric compositions with the human element occurring unexpectedly. Faceless figures seem consumed by architectural forms and styles. Following my visual instinct, I endeavour to attain unusual compositions of familiar places and capture interactions between people and surfaces. A visual connection between unsuspecting subjects and urban spaces transforms random fleeting moments of strangers on the street into something abstract and sculptural. My work is undoubtedly influenced by the atmosphere of my hometown Bratislava. The bridges connecting the two banks of the Danube river play a decisive role in many of my images. Ever-present brutalist buildings from the communist era, city’s rich industrial heritage, dreamy “Ostalgie” in the air and the ever-changing skyline dominated by contemporary towers are visual fundamentals in my photo work that I intuitively search for whenever and wherever carrying my camera. The motifs of bridges, cranes, lifeless roofs and the stairs seemingly leading to nowhere dominate my photographic language. TPL: Do you have a favourite place to go photograph? RB: Before Covid-19, I used to photograph mainly when travelling abroad. Naturally, this has dramatically changed in 2020. In the recent months, I developed a new routine. I cross the Old Bridge ("Starý Most") over the Danube in Bratislava that is in fact the town's newest bridge completely rebuilt in 2015. Then I walk on the right bank of the river and return to the city centre by getting across the SNP Bridge ("Most SNP", former "New Bridge"), commonly referred to as the UFO Bridge due to the shape of its observation deck. I can never get enough of those spectacular views. TPL: What happens when you go out with your camera? Do people respond positively to you, or do you sometimes get negative reactions? If yes, how do you handle it? RB: The practical experience of many street photographers may tell a different story, but luckily, I personally have never had a negative experience photographing people on the street so far. Of course, many people gaze and try to understand what is happening when they notice my camera, some get suspicious or concerned, some on the other hand do not even realise they are being photographed and some do not mind it at all, they want to learn about me and my photography projects. Ever-present brutalist buildings from the communist era, city’s rich industrial heritage, dreamy “Ostalgie” in the air and the ever-changing skyline dominated by contemporary towers are visual fundamentals in my work that I intuitively search for whenever and wherever carrying my camera. TPL: When you take pictures, do you usually have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? RB: I know where to go in order to find elements and motifs that dominate my work but I almost never compose my photographs in advance. I rather let the action unfold in front of my lens. It’s about fusing my vision and natural instinct. 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? RB: I can clearly remember the moment when I got my Fujifilm X70 and my excitement for it. It was exactly what I needed to wander through city streets in search of decisive moments. Now I use Fujifilm X100V and I recently started experimenting with Ricoh GR III. They are both excellent cameras for street photography. I also frequently use my long-time companion Nikon D7500. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist or photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? RB: I would like to experiment more and blur existing boundaries between genres, styles and techniques. In the coming months and years, I intend to focus primarily on documentary work. Pursuing photography full-time as a photo editor or a photojournalist would be a dream come true. Before that, I would love to have my first solo exhibition. It must be a fantastic feeling to see your work printed and exhibited at a museum or gallery. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? RB: I am currently working on my 'Twin City' project. As a Central European, I grew up in an ethnically diverse region where you can easily cross four different countries within an hour. Borders are everywhere. When I was born in 1985, crossing some of them was an act that seemed impossible for many of us living behind the Iron Curtain. Today, if you fall asleep on the train, after a short nap, you may very well find yourself across one of those once unreachable borders. I aspire to explore and document the societal transformations in the small region between Vienna and Bratislava where physical borders disappeared more than 30 years ago. However, invisible boundaries persist and people living so close to each other still exist in realities that might seem too different and distant. In another project that is still at a very early stage, I intend to explore the inner world and lives of introverts. Being an introvert myself, it always attracted me to address this topic through a photography project. The last issue that is keeping my mind busy is deeply personal. The Covid-19 pandemic has directly affected my closest family. It is still very fresh and I am not sure when or if I will ever be ready to use the power of photography to tackle this subject. TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... RB: When I am not tiptoeing through city streets with a camera in my hands, you can probably spot me working out at a gym or enjoying the newest movie of Pedro Almodóvar or Paolo Sorrentino at a cinema. On a sunny summer day, you can find me somewhere on a beach reading the latest book of Haruki Murakami or Michel Houellebecq with 90’s electronic music in my ears. On any other day, I will be happy to visit an art gallery or a photography museum." 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.

EMMA VARGA I am a photographic artist working between Budapest and London, exploring the intersections of photography, performance, and material experimentation. After completing a BA in Fine Art Photography at Budapest Metropolitan University, I am currently pursuing an MA in Art and Science at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Growing up in Hungary, I was surrounded by systems of scientific thinking that sought to explain and classify the world. While I initially turned to art as an alternative, my practice has evolved into a space where art and science converge. Working with photography as a medium of construction rather than documentation, I create images that examine the body, power, vulnerability, and the unstable boundaries between human and non-human. Through material processes, microscopy, decay, and intervention, I investigate how systems of knowledge shape our understanding of existence. Rather than offering certainty, my work embraces instability, inviting viewers to question assumptions about identity, perception, and the structures that govern contemporary life. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Canon R5, microscopes WEBSITE https://emmavargaarchive.com/ @EMMAVARGAARCHIVE FEATURES // Mutable Morphogenesis

Originally from India, I have lived in Boston, New York and Cape Town. Currently I am dividing my time between Zurich and Bombay. My love for photography began in the early 80s, when my Dad gifted me a red Olympus camera. I was down with chicken pox and was in home-quarantine, but I enthusiastically photographed everything in sight. Since then, a camera has been my constant companion over the years. The turning point came about a year and a half ago when I went on a photo tour to Masai Mara. It was in the vast open plains of Africa that I got bitten by the photography bug. I love photography because it has helped me find my voice. It has been a refuge for me during difficult times and a safe place to explore a multitude of emotions of motherhood, conflict, hope, love, isolation and resilience. ULKA CHAUHAN Originally from India, I have lived in Boston, New York and Cape Town. Currently I am dividing my time between Zurich and Bombay. My love for photography began in the early 80s, when my Dad gifted me a red Olympus camera. I was down with chicken pox and was in home-quarantine, but I enthusiastically photographed everything in sight. Since then, a camera has been my constant companion over the years. The turning point came about a year and a half ago when I went on a photo tour to Masai Mara. It was in the vast open plains of Africa that I got bitten by the photography bug. I love photography because it has helped me find my voice. It has been a refuge for me during difficult times and a safe place to explore a multitude of emotions of motherhood, conflict, hope, love, isolation and resilience. LOCATION Zurich SWITZERLAND CAMERA/S Leica M10R WEBSITE https://ulkachauhan.com @ULKACHAUHAN FEATURES // Mystic Voyage The Spirit of a Place

Photography is my passion. Through the lens the world looks different and I would like to show you this difference. MARILENA FILAITI Photography is my passion. Through the lens the world looks different and I would like to show you this difference. LOCATION Athens GREECE CAMERA/S Nikon D3400, Panasonic Lumix DC Vario, Canon EOS R WEBSITE https://www.marilenafilaiti.com/ @MARILENA_FILAITI FEATURES // Awakening Instincts

BOOK AMERICAN BEDROOM July 4, 2023 BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY Barbara Peacock TEXT Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Barbara Peacock is an assignment photographer living in Portland, Maine. She studied fine arts at Boston University School of Fine Arts, and photography and filmmaking at The School for the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University. She began as a street photographer and gradually became an assignment lifestyle photographer. Barbara began finding the threads of her hometown tapestry with a project that began in 1982 culminating with a published book in 2015, ‘Hometown’. A thirty-year photographic project that explores the community of the small town where she grew up and continued to live as an adult, Westford Massachusetts. Her photography examines life as she lived it, through the valued personal experiences with people she interacted and worked with, socially engaging on a day-to-day basis. We often walk through our daily lives, without paying close attention to the people we encounter, and the valuable contributions they make to our existence, even in their simplicity. While documenting community events and daily life Barbara exposes the simple realities that help shape the way we engage the world. She asks us to not just look but to see the important contributions inspired by the community. She asks us to open our eyes, as well as our hearts, respect old traditions, while we discover and make new ones, admire our neighbors, and lead with a handshake. Barbara gives back to her community through her visual storytelling, becoming an important thread in the fabric of her community. We have the privilege of sharing Barbara’s current project, which was started in 2016, inspiring the book: American Bedroom - Reflections on the Nature of Life. This exploration is an anthropological examination of American culture spanning across the continental United States of America. Barbara invites us into one of the most sacred and private spaces where humanity exists. Where the door is often closed, securing the contents and protecting the intimacy we nourish as individuals, and share as partners, or families. It is where we dream, celebrate our personal triumphs, nourishing our bodies and minds. It is the space and place we retreat to in times of despair, where we heal from sickness, repair emotionally, replenish when depleted, finding absolute comfort in. ‘American Bedroom’ stories open the door respectfully, giving the subjects the opportunity to authentically communicate this intimacy honestly and openly, unreservedly. ‘American Bedroom’ breaks through the many barriers we create in our society. Barbara opens the door of a bedroom, illuminating the intimate thoughts, revealed through the bodies and souls of her subjects. The naked truth is open for interpretation, and inspiration. The confidence and trust shared between the photographer and subject are unique, allowing the photograph to exist, without feeling like it has been created. Its powerful message lies in the authenticity of the moments shared between the photographer and subjects; this is the magic that Barbara shares with us. “When physical bedroom doors are opened to me there is a veil of religion, politics, and ideologies that is mysteriously and magically lifted. What remains, is the bare soul of human life, a story, and purity of heart that rises like cream to the top. This is not a look at our differences, although there may be many, it is about our likenesses, our loves, our dreams, and all the threads of commonality that connect us as human beings.” We cannot say enough about Barbara and her thoughtful and brilliant work. We would like to give her a shout out for her diligence and generous contribution founding a not-profit organization in 2010, ‘The Nightingale Project’. This project has inspired and supported the artistic nurturing of needy individuals through art and photography providing the opportunity and new vision, to some who thirsted for her influence. It is a traveling program with a variety of ages that are supported, with a mix of people from adults and high school. The journeys so far have included Haiti, Cambodia, and New York. We look forward to watching her program grow, and watching the influence she has on the eyes of the future. Barbara Peacock has worked with clients all over the world in many different ways. Commercial clients include Arm & Hammer, Coca-Cola, Disney, Toyota, Volkswagen & Nickelodeon and more. Editorial clients include People, Newsweek, Real Simple, Family Circle, Oprah, Family Fun. Barbara is a highly awarded photographer and has exhibited internationally, giving Barabara the ability to continue her studies and produce her important work. Follow her links to her website and social media for more information and continued inspiration. You can preorder a personal copy of ‘American Bedroom’ from Barbara’s website and help support the continuation of her important work exploring and helping to define American culture in our contemporary society. PORTFOLIO CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team.

I started street photography to keep memory of the feelings I had while I was walking alone in the street or travelling. But quickly I understood that the result was completely different of what I expected because I was creating something completely new that didn’t exists before. So the cause was not on the past but on the future, in what I’ll do with my feelings by shooting with my camera. So I continue… in my photographic practice, my interest is focused on capturing cinematic scenes and atmospheres. AURÉLIEN BOMY I started street photography to keep memory of the feelings I had while I was walking alone in the street or travelling. But quickly I understood that the result was completely different of what I expected because I was creating something completely new that didn’t exists before. So the cause was not on the past but on the future, in what I’ll do with my feelings by shooting with my camera. So I continue… in my photographic practice, my interest is focused on capturing cinematic scenes and atmospheres. LOCATION Nantes FRANCE CAMERA/S Fuji XT30 WEBSITE http://aurelienbomy-photographie.com/ @AURELIENBOMY FEATURES // The Art of Human Science The Crowd