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PICTORIAL STORY WONDERLAND Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico beckons us through her looking glass, into a Wonderland shaped by vision and feeling — a world where the ordinary dissolves, and each image invites you to wander deeper into the surreal. September 10, 2022 PICTORIAL STORY photography KAREN GHOSTLAW POMARICO story KAREN GHOSTLAW POMARICO introduction MELANIE MEGGS SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Amidst the chaos of the pandemic, Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico chose to look inward and explore her own creativity, discovering a powerful and important identity through her photography. As a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary artist, Karen has pushed the boundaries of photography to tell her story through her craft. Karen began an exploration in self-portraiture and reflectivity over fourteen years ago. This began as an exploration to find herself, and an investigation into who she was. Karen had committed her creative energies over the years to homeschooling her four children through high school and began to address herself as an individual as the children became more independent in their studies. Karen shares with us some of her most recent self-portraiture work coming out of the pandemic. She has found self-portraiture to be a safe and familiar place during the isolating times of the pandemic. Karen is an Editor here at The Pictorial List and loves working with other photographers to help them tell their stories and find inspiration in each other's work and processes. She is passionate about connecting with her audience and using her camera to bring the world around us into focus. With each photograph, Karen hopes to transport viewers to a space of exploration and creative understanding. Wonderland takes an in-depth look at the abstract work of Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico, exploring how she uses her camera to find her own identity and tell stories of the world around her. We will also explore her latest self-portrait series, which emerged out of the pandemic and is set to be exhibited in Paris this November. We invite you to join us on Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico’s journey as she uses her camera as a catalyst to tell her story and share with the world her unique vision of life. The global pandemic has brought humanity on an unexpected journey. Isolation and self-contemplation became unavoidable. We have searched our souls and lived with our thoughts, and discovered new realities in the midst of the abstraction and surreal environment of the pandemic. I saw a future understanding of our individualities and strengths in our independence, moving from the unconscious to the conscious. This body of work takes the viewer on a visual excavation, like unearthed sarcophagi, their wiser and enlightened souls emerging. I ask the viewer to understand their weaknesses and commit to making them their strengths, weaving together the layers of the past and present, to create a new future. What began as a study in self-portraiture, led to a fascination in reflectivity. I have examined a multitude of reflective surfaces to fully understand the refractive properties of light and how I could define these properties through my lens. I discovered many unique attributes that are magically expressed in these elusive spaces. The attributing colors of the photographs play a key role in how the reflective space is translated. Color provokes an emotional response, making personal connections to the images. Over the years I have developed a visual language to describe the reflective world I live in, translating what I see in my mind's eye, with the tool of my camera. The interpretations lead to a more thorough understanding, creating constant inspiration for new ways to express exactly what I see. Reflectivity has become my playground for insightful investigations, challenging my critical and creative thinking skills to rendure photographically the abstractions I see and help you perceive. Reflections have a depth of field, a real three dimensional space, and this is where I connect to my world. Like stepping through the looking glass, I step into the universe of reflection, my ‘Wonderland’. My stories often exist in the shadows, the darkness becoming the canvas for color and light. I see a Wonderland of abstractions that can be defined in a multitude of ways. The definition of these abstractions is where the magic happens for me, evoking such questions as, what do I uncover, bring to light? What is the visual story that these details tell? Reflectivity inspires my creative and critical thinking, expanding my capabilities for creating complex images. I want my photography to inspire the viewer to look carefully, stimulating them to question what they see, asking them to make their own conclusions. The strongest connections we make in life are through having an authentic experience. I invite one to step through my looking glass with me, and experience Wonderland for themselves. I encourage them to peel away the layers and uncover the magic that happens when they see new things they never would have imagined. I have become even more aware recently with reflectivity in standing water in urban environments. With global warming and the change in weather patterns, my exploration of the urban reflective landscape explores the industrial world and its changes due to the effects caused by man, while depicting these manmade environments being reconstructed throughout the layers of reflection found in these waters. The surface of water reflects the environment around us. While currents of running waters rush through the estuaries of suburbia and the remote countryside, pedestrians move through the canyons of the urban landscapes. The ebb and flow create the abstractions and aberrations in the reflective surfaces. Whether it is a splash from a footstep in a puddle of the city, or fish swimming upstream in the wilderness, the layers of complexity are overlapped and transformed. Our world is round, front to back, top to bottom, side to side, we revolve and as we do we evolve. What an important time for us to reconnect with nature and to reflect on the natural elements in our world and the fragilities and intricacies we have to balance. It is a new age for discovery, when we turn the world upside down or inside out to see everything we have missed. The threads of the present are intertwined with the past, the woven tapestry changing as we change. Through my investigations I illuminate these changes to engage us to think and ultimately act in new ways. My latest work Metropolis examines details of the urban landscape in the abstracted chaotic layers of reflective surfaces found throughout a cityscape. They explore the friction, tension and energy of the city in the expanded dimension of space in time, the 4th dimension of reflectivity becomes the new reality. I don't change what you see, I change the way you perceive it, rediscovering a new world through investigating the old. Cities have an even greater variety of surfaces that create visual abstractions. Textures and colors unique to the urban environment, with the inherent movement that rapidly changes what can be witnessed in the reflected image. Like a symphony orchestra with many contributing factors, there is a tempo, a beat, with the shutter releasing at the height of the notes. Since the Pandemic the reflected urban landscape has changed. The vacant spaces now add a volume and depth of field creating dynamic juxtapositions and scale relationships. There can be a large sense of emptiness and solitude, or it can feel like rush hour and pure chaos. Light plays a key role in what you will see, as well as in what you don’t. There are many tricks that city reflections can play on you, sleight of eye you might say. © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw © Karen Ghostlaw Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico sees challenges and change as inspiration, not as obstacles. Always ready to engage in art and photography and being able to share and connect through her work, Karen makes meaningful lasting relationships along the way. She has recently found inspiration in collaborating on projects and contributing to something larger than herself because of her in-depth self-exploration and experimental investigation in reflective photography. She is expanding her world to include and accept the influences of others, helping to develop new ideologies through a collective experience. “I truly believe that creating new connections working in unity in collaboration is needed after the isolating times of the pandemic. It is more important now than ever before for us to create new important work as a society. Let’s open the doors of solitude, reconnect to humanity, and create a new renaissance coming out of the dark ages of the pandemic, stepping forward into the future together in a positive way.” view Karen's portfolio Read an interview with Karen >>> Website >>> Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> 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.

PICTORIAL STORY SHALL WE DANCE September 11, 2020 PICTORIAL STORY Photography by Shawn Byron Danker Story by Karin Svadlenak Gomez SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Shawn Byron Danker is a Singapore based photographer and photojournalist. In this ongoing collaborative project, Shawn visits performers across modern, classical, and urban dance genres in various cities to celebrate, question, and juxtapose the nature of the global city with dance. His layered compositions are no mere celebration of the beauty of the body in motion, the cityscape no mere contextless backdrop, no mere showcase of a single dance form. They are a mesh of genres whose complexity and wit enables audiences to discern and appreciate movement, shapes, patterns, and background in a given context. In 1937 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers tap-danced across the silver screen to music by George and Ira Gershwin in Shall We Dance , the seventh of the famous Astaire-Rogers musical comedy films. In his films, Astaire often danced in everyday settings and used ordinary items as props, most often indoors but sometimes in outdoor settings too. He probably would have been appreciative of the way dance evolved from the ballroom out into the street. But Shawn's title inspiration actually comes from another film by the same name, the Japanese 1996 comedy Shall we dansu? “The female lead was why I fell in love with dance as a kid,” Shawn told us. Modern dance involves many different categories and styles. The umbrella term street dance refers to all dance styles that evolved outside dance studios, in open (though not necessarily outdoor) spaces, including of course in the streets, but also parks, schools, and even nightclubs and private party settings. Generally, though there is a heavy emphasis on urban settings. Contact among dancers and spectators is often a given, and styles tend to evolve from particular social settings. The most famous style that is universally known is the highly athletic and powerful break dance (“b-boying” and “breaking”, as the dancers call it), which was developed by African American youths in the US urban spaces of the 1970s and, popularised in several 1980s films, from there spread around the world. There is a bewildering variety of street and vernacular dance styles nowadays, such as krumping, popping, contact contemporary, variations on jazz dance, and many more. But dancing in the streets is not limited to typical 'street styles'. Shawn has made it his mission to take all types of dance, even classical ballet, out into the urban jungle. In his photos, even pole dancing has made it out of strip clubs and (more recently) fitness studios into the streets and onto urban poles such as those upholding traffic signs. Shawn spends much time thinking about suitable locations and makes the setting part of the dance. Rather than blurring the background, he purposely works with it. “What is the point of taking the dancers outdoors if your backgrounds are not going to matter in the shots?” he asks. So he shoots his dance scenes with a relatively open aperture of F4. A part of his art direction is that the location should have meaning, help set the mood, and reveal character. The space around the dancer should enhance their presence and impart a richer meaning to the frame. Shawn uses a lot of film theory when scouting locations and planning his shoots. He looks for anything that helps to build an engaging mise-en-scène. This may include the quality of light and shadows, the colours, and most importantly the shapes that the structures impart to the scene. Sometimes it can take him years to finally figure out how to best use a location for maximum visual impact. Shawn also tells the dancers that they’re not dancing in a vacuum, that they should be using their bodies to tell a story about how the scene makes them feel. When he initially set out to shoot contemporary dance he found himself with a particular conundrum: Most general audiences with no dance training, himself included, find it difficult to understand what they are watching. But people do not seem to have problems understanding shapes and figures. So he decided to showcase contemporary dance by telling the dancers he photographs to be as statuesque as possible with their gestures. For example, one day when he noticed the architecture of the corridor in one of Singapore's oldest public housing buildings created a spectacular light show, Shawn decided to try to bring the scene to life. He experimented with it for a few years until he got the shot that he wanted with Hwa Wei-An. “It was quite difficult to find a day when the dancer's availability matched up with the right weather conditions. The spiral you see here was inspired by tai chi,” he jokes. He shot this with a slight camera movement technique to create a pronounced spiral effect. In general Shawn prefers to give only vague directions and lets the dancers decide what moves they want to make but discusses with them beforehand the story he would like the pictures to tell. “When I started on this series, I used to come into the shoots with a preconceived move I’d want the dancer to do for the shot. But I slowly began to realise that the best shots I ever got was when I let the dancer freestyle their moves.” Shawn uses different dance genres to create different moods. Even though ballet is the most widely photographed dance genre today, Shawn goes out of his way to document the genre as well. He does this because he wants his dance body of work to be as diverse as possible. For ballet he looks for locations that position an edgy environment against the ballet dancer’s “etherealness”; soft versus hard. When you think of ballet, the image of the genre that comes to mind is often either dancers performing on stage in a theatre or in a studio setting. Ballet dancers usually do not battle or jam. That’s what street dancers do. But Shawn decided to take three ballet dancers, Jemma Braun, Rab Flanigan and Ethan Slocomb, and tell them he wanted to see them jam with one another and “battle” each other, all while having fun. Someone mentioned that this little jam felt like watching a real life West Side Story. “I guess that’s what it might look like when ballet dancers take a page out of the street dancers' playbook and head out to the streets and battle to push each other to be better dancers,” he says. Graffiti can be very tricky to work with. Shawn has always opted to try to be clever with murals by either making the subject look like they're a part of the painted scene or compose it so there is some kind of contrast. This takes a keen understanding of how light and negative space work. Place the subject wrongly and they disrupt the balance of the mural and end up looking flat and two-dimensional. Do it right and you’ve got beauty in your hands. The quintessential dance that comes to most people's mind when thinking of street dance is of course breaking, and Shawn has worked with a number of dancers showcasing this style. One of his frequent collaborators is legendary B-boy Sonic, Daniel Sonic Rojas, who is also the creator of a style he calls Embodied Dance Movement, using body mechanics to find the rhythm in all movements, and a master of what he calls contemporary break: a fusion of contemporary dance and break. Thanks to his love of Kurosawa, Shawn always tries to incorporate some kind of motion within his scenes. “I am shooting movement after all so there should always be some sense of kinetics within my frames,” he says. It can be through actual movements or the implication of movement via gestures. Shawn brings all the Melbourne dancers he works with to a particular narrow lane because he is planning to create a mosaic as an anchor piece for the Australian version of the Shall We Dance exhibition; it would be entitled We are Australia and is intended to celebrate the country’s diversity. He also uses the narrow space as a mental exercise to stimulate the dancers' creativity. Constricting their space forces them to take stock of their abilities and come out with something that pushes them to another level. Some experienced dancers have surprisingly struggled there. The “coke-bottle” dance was another shot that took years to create, six to be exact: five to find this place with the coke bottle mural, and one more to finally use the location in Shawn's mise-en-scene, because the coke bottle was covered in tags the year he found it. They were driving by this particular spot the morning of a planned photo shoot when Shawn noticed the bottle had been cleaned up and decided he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to finally use the spot. Shawn's first pole dance themed dance shoot was five years in the making. Pole dance fascinates Shawn because of the amount of sheer physicality involved in what the dancers do when they work their magic. “The goal with pole dance for me is to break the negative stereotypical association with strip clubs.” But it is also the most difficult for him to shoot logistically because he needs to find the right 'pole' in the right location with the right light. But when it all comes together there is magic. To the viewer, shots like the two below must also seem like magic. They are actually multiple exposures composited into one frame. Shawn does not do too many of those, as it requires working with a tripod, which he finds very cumbersome. “Tripods are tricky because once you set one down in public security pounces on you even if you're not in anyone's way.” The effect of such a composite image is however, quite wonderful, as, rather than showing an instant in a dancer's motion it can convey almost the entire sequence. Shawn had only one try to get a series of shots of contemporary dancer Azusa Fukushima at Tokyo's Nishirokugo Park within one take. The park warden had come over to them to politely point out that the tripod Shawn had set up was not permitted in the park. “After we were done with the shot, that little boy in green kept following Azusa around like a puppy. I think he was experiencing his first crush after watching her dance,” Shawn chuckles. Jaymie-Kristen Tsamoudakis (@jaymie.kristen) and Ben Carter (@benny.carta) at the Victoria State Library in Melbourne performing a “contact contemporary” dance. © Shawn Byron Danker Contemporary dancers Bonnie Su (@bonsu) and Daniel Lewis (@daniel.e.lewis) perform at a tram stop in downtown Melbourne. © Shawn Byron Danker Shawn wanted this shot with dancer Hwa Wei-An (@thenoisyhwa) to look as if the dancer is manipulating the space with his arm movements. © Shawn Byron Danker Brooklyn Terry Wright (@brooklynterryef) is a pioneer of the hip hop movement and is a legendary house style dancer living in Tokyo. They created this shot in a shopping arcade. Terry had found that umbrella and decided to play with it and that was what ended up being a winning picture, created out of an experiment where he was told to show the joy he feels when dancing. © Shawn Byron Danker Contemporary dancer Kaeden Trinh (@okaeden_) juxtaposes himself with the Melbourne subway. © Shawn Byron Danker “Be water” (Bruce Lee). Chinese water sleeves had been on Shawn´s to do list for a long time, and he spent years trying to find the right dancer to go with the right location for the right juxtaposition and ambiance. Ballet may be known for projecting a sense of etherealness, but, Shawn thinks, no other genre better showcases a sense of fluidity, transience and grace than chinese water sleeves, used here to great effect by Pang Xin Yi (@purplepang365). © Shawn Byron Danker Ballet dancers Jemma Braun (@jemma.braun), Rab Flanigan (@rab_flanigan) and Ethan Slocomb (@ethan_slocomb) “jamming”. © Shawn Byron Danker British tap dancer Josh Glavin (@joshglavin) expressing the type of feeling he gets when working on stage, but in a famous narrow street of Sangenjaya, Tokyo. © Shawn Byron Danker Not Peter Pan, but jazz and contemporary dancer Kaeden Trinh (@okaeden_) happily flying out of the subway station in Melbourne. © Shawn Byron Danker Shawn discovered this stairwell with beams of light shining into it. So he and his friend Daniel Sonic Rojas @danielsonicrojas decided to do a quick improv dance session right there and nailed this shot within 5 minutes before the light changed. They managed to work quickly without any prep time thanks to Daniel´s experience - he is a legendary figure in the break dance world. Shawn has shot with Daniel in several other locations, always getting stunning results. © Shawn Byron Danker "If I could walk like the animals." And walk he did. Daniel is always surprising Shawn with something new. © Shawn Byron Danker Daniel is looking cocky in a back-lit freeze that took a lot of work to get the perfect mash up of light, shadow, gesture, rhythm and movement. © Shawn Byron Danker Daniel wanted to use the Helix bridge in Singapore as a backdrop to get an image there with the crowd weaving in and out. © Shawn Byron Danker In this subway shot both the subject and the background are moving. Shawn and Ryoji Tsuchiya (@2ucci_tucci) tried to do this shot differently many times, but their original attempt of matching the subway train was what ended up working the best. © Shawn Byron Danker Nadiah Biddle (@nadiahbids) is “krumping” (an expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic type of street dance) in Melbourne's narrowest laneway. © Shawn Byron Danker Ben Carter @benny.carta and Jaymie-Kristen Tsamoudakis @jaymie.kristen adding life to a mural with an incredible jump. © Shawn Byron Danker Yoshimi Higo (@hkanon1112) is showing her pole dance skills here. © Shawn Byron Danker Contemporary dancer Azusa Fukushima (@az.ion7nohi) at Tokyo's Nishirokugo Park. © Shawn Byron Danker The show will always go on in Tokyo with Brodie Norris Pullar (@buroburo28). © Shawn Byron Danker Shawn's dance photography project continues, and so we shall have to watch his page again for future awesome dance shots from time to time. Cover image: Kevin Scott Watson (@kevinscottwatson) and Lauren Watkins (@lauren___watkins) in Ginza, Tokyo. Middle image: Jessica Angelique Gabrielli (@jagiroha_movement) dances a fusion of performance art, belly dance and contemporary in Hosier Lane in Melbourne. A local passerby remarked that an angel had descended upon Hosier Lane when she saw them working. Footer image: Hafeez Hassan (@hafeezhassn) is paying tribute to Michael Jackson in this choreography in Singapore, which Shawn put together as a composite of multiple images. view Shawn's portfolio Read an interview with Shawn >>> Website >>> Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> 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.

WITHIN WITHOUT Neil Johansson wanted to document not just the empty shop spaces themselves, but the interplay between them and their surrounding world. WITHIN WITHOUT August 10, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Neil Johansson INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Photography has long been a way to capture moments, emotions and places that otherwise may have gone unnoticed. For British street photographer Neil Johansson, it was a passion to document the everyday lives of urbanites and their forgotten spaces. But what Neil found was that these spaces weren't as empty as they seemed. Through his lens, the reflections of the surrounding world and the people inhabiting it were revealed. Spanning from towns to cities across England and Wales, Neil's images tell a story of our ever-changing world - a familiar scene with which we have become all too familiar. In this interview with Neil, we delve deep into his journey as a photographer, the lessons he has learned, and ultimately the powerful insight he has gained from his captivating photography. It's an exploration into the life of a street photographer - a journey worth taking. “High streets have always been places where you could do your shopping in many and varied independent shops. Recently however, large supermarkets have been built on the outskirts of our towns and as a consequence, with their huge car parks and the ability to buy everything you need in one place, the small independent shops of our high streets have suffered. In addition the rise of online shopping has contributed further to their demise. This has led to empty spaces that often remain unfilled. The sad truth is that months and indeed years can go by before they are occupied again.” IN CONVERSATION WITH NEIL JOHANSSON THE PICTORIAL LIST: Neil, when did you start getting interested in photography? NEIL JOHANSSON: I took photography for A-Levels at School. But it was only after university I seriously got into photography. I just started walking around my town with my camera. In 2013 I won a place on Goldsmiths’ International Urban Photography Summer School which took place in 2014 and I never looked back. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to photograph? NJ: When I started I tended to take photos of anything that caught my eye, it’s only later on where I’ve really looked at other art works for inspiration. Subsequently I’ve found my inspiration from films, a lot my work is inspired by film noir and neo noir. Also I’ve been inspired by paintings and album artwork. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? NJ: At first I was more inspired by artists, Edward Hopper in particular. But I subsequently started looking at other photographers work. Saul Leiter has been a big influence on me as has filmmaker and artist David Lynch, in terms of unusual composition and capturing atmosphere respectively. TPL: Has your style of photographing changed since you first started? NJ: When I started I tended to shoot quite a lot, filling SD cards easily. I have become much more focused now, I instinctively know what I’m after. TPL: Where is your favourite place to photograph? NJ: I have a few places I like. Chester is one of my favourites, it’s really great for getting noir images. Rhyl, my home town, is another, there’s just so many aspects to it, almost like having different zones and it is again great for capturing noir shots as the light is often really good. Intuition is the key to everything, in painting, filmmaking, business – everything. I think you could have an intellectual ability, but if you can sharpen your intuition, which they say is emotion and intellect joining together, then a knowingness occurs. - David Lynch TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone else just starting out? NJ: To some extent you need a decent camera to get the shots, but really it’s about the eye. So to begin with the best thing you can do is grab a camera and start shooting, and just keep on shooting as often as possible. By doing that you work out what you like and what you don’t like, you become more focused after a time and suddenly you find you’ve developed a style. TPL: What characteristics do you need to become a 'good' street photographer? NJ: Patience is certainly a very important quality to have. You’re not going to get those great shots straight away, as with anything worthwhile it takes time. It’s very important to keep going and not to give up and to enjoy the process. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the arts before photography? NJ: Not as such. I did Art for GCSE and A-Level. My mother was Head of Art at my School and I learned a lot about art from her. She even showed me how to use Photoshop when I was starting out. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on? NJ: I am working on several projects. I have produced a zine of my work called Rhyl Noir, which features black and white noir shots of my hometown. This is ongoing. I am also working on Noir By Northwest, which is again black and white noir shots but of towns and cities across the Northwest of England. Lacuna is another project about capturing gaps in life, things that are overlooked or very brief moments in time. This is in its early stages. Within-Without is also ongoing, and I hope to produce a zine as soon as possible. TPL: If I wasn't photographing what would I be doing?... NJ: I think I would have ended up doing something creative, it’s in my nature. I’m just not sure what that would have been. PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

PICTORIAL STORY CITY AS METAPHOR Richard Koenig’s diptychs offer a compelling glimpse into the passage of time — pairing past and present through the evolving perspective of a photographer shaped by change, just like the places he returns to. July 22, 2022 PICTORIAL STORY photography RICHARD KOENIG story KAREN GHOSTLAW POMARICO SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Richard Koenig is a photographer and professor at Kalamazoo college in Michigan. He began his artistic journey in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana and the first photography courses Richard enrolled in were at Indiana University. There he learned how to use 35mm and 4x5 large format cameras. Richard was immersed in the modernism of Edward Weston and Ansel Adams. Forms of light and shadow, beautifully depicted in a perfect grayscale on large negatives inspired Richard’s work in photography. When he moved to Brooklyn, New York in the early 1980’s, and transferred to Pratt Institute where he received his BFA, Richard was thrown into the postmodern influences that saturated the art scene in the early 1980’s. Richard describes his assimilation. “I had been liberated from the hinterlands, injected, as it were, into a milieu that couldn’t be more different than southern Indiana. New York, a world city, was culturally and socially rich, ethnically diverse, visually stimulating, and more than anything else, steeped in history. I loved that I lived in the borough of Brooklyn in particular, which had its own cachet.” Richard’s studies at Pratt changed the way he processed his photography. He adopted a 35mm camera again, emulating his instructors at that time, Phil Perkis and Arthur Freed. Richards defines this approach for us. “I switched back to working with a small camera and began to emulate their looser approach. This meant eschewing previsualization and shooting unconsciously, more akin to taking a quick glance at something rather than staring it down.” Little did Richard know at the time that his explorations in his neighborhood while studying at Pratt would resurface again forty years later, providing the inspiration for Richard’s project, City as Metaphor . Richard elaborates on his project and shares his inspiration with us. “The pandemic of 2020 provided time for retrospection—as well as for the scanning of old negatives. This led to my current project, City as Metaphor , which has me, once again, walking the streets of the city, mostly Brooklyn. With this project I revisit locales in New York City (primarily Brooklyn), where I made photographs several decades ago. A contemporary, high-resolution image is then made, framed to mimic the prior photograph. The updated view is then combined with the vintage analog work to form a straightforward diptych à la Mark Klett’s Rephotographic Survey Project of the late seventies. The goal of this undertaking is to allow the viewer to study how visible things may have changed over a relatively long period of time - the most notable being, perhaps, an explosion of trees and foliage. But while the image-duos describe this and other changes based on physical appearances, it is hoped that a reflection of a deeper sort may be elicited. One may ponder what has transpired generally since the vintage views were made - the nature of the photography itself is a receipt for a far-reaching digital revolution still unfolding. Beyond image and information technology, though, lurk other truly impactful events, some of which can be discerned from the images, while others cannot. The circumstance for having created the vintage images is arbitrary, but not insignificant. While not as dramatic as the shift in social, political, and cultural moves that occurred in the late sixties, the 1980’s mark the beginning of a shift toward a new gilded age in the United States. Citing the oft-stated fable of frogs slowly being cooked alive, we tend not to notice incremental change, even when dangerous or possibly fatal in nature. It is hoped that the simple tactic of using time-comparison photographs will work to jar the viewer.” Originally Richard started photographing his project with a Nikkormat, most often with a 24mm lens. Richard now uses a Nikon D850 with 24 to 70 2.8 zoom Nikkor zoom lens. Richard scans the b/w and color negatives of the vintage images, and makes little prints for use in the field, to find the angle and such, and then he reshoots with the D850. Richard tries to match the light and exact surroundings when he can and tries to match the time of year as well. Richard has developed this unique process that adds to the complexities of his diptychs. Richard has found different influences and inspiration throughout the years, exploring different formats and embracing new ideologies in photography—from large format photography, printing on fiber-based papers, to the digital world and engaging Photoshop and printing on archival inkjet papers. The change in photography from film to digital was his catalyst for exploration in new mediums and formats along the way, giving Richard a diversity in his techniques and the tools to create a dynamic range in his works. The photos below are a compilation of his photographic journey through the years. Have a close look to understand his photographic inspiration. Richard received his MFA from Indiana University, coming around full circle from where his journey in photography began. His philosophies about photography changed as his influences and the dynamics of photography of that time changed. Often looking at different photographers and developing a connection to their work, with the transference in critical and creative thinking, Richard found new ways of expression through his photography. As Professor of Art and Art History at Kalamazoo College, Richard now engages the young minds of the next generation of creative thinkers, inspiring them to explore the universe with open eyes, and open minds. '511 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig '527 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig '245 Dekalb' © Richard Koenig 'Wash At Lincoln' © Richard Koenig '2 Willoughby' © Richard Koenig '503 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig '500 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig '263 Waverly' © Richard Koenig '485 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig '65 Willoughby' © Richard Koenig '555 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig '519 Myrtle' © Richard Koenig 'Park Vanderbilt' © Richard Koenig 'Myrtle Classon' © Richard Koenig We thank Richard for sharing his project that spans over a forty year period. City as Metaphor is a unique look into the past through the eyes of a photographer that has changed as life has changed, much like the places in his diptychs. They are as much a reflection of the urban landscape over time, as it is a self-portrait in many ways showing a photographer's journey over time in much the same way. And if you have the opportunity to take his class, please do and learn from one of the best. view Richard's portfolio Website >>> Instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye.

VIRGINIA CASSANO I was born in Bari, where I studied History of Art and Fashion. Art has always been part of my life, encouraged by my father, who introduced me to many of the interests that continue to shape me. When I was fifteen, he gave me his Olympus OM10 and enrolled me in an evening photography course. That was my first real encounter with photography. After his death, I lost an important point of reference and stepped away from my creative activities, dedicating myself to my family and work in Milan. When I moved to Tuscany, I began to reconnect with time, people, and photography. I chose the camera as a way to express my thoughts and emotions, and to tell intimate, personal stories. My work focuses on experiences and feelings, sometimes autobiographical and sometimes connected to the lives I encounter along the way. I currently work part time in administration and as a freelance photographer. LOCATION Capannoli ITALY CAMERA/S Fujifilm XT5 WEBSITE https://virginiacassano.com/ @VIRGI__CASSANO FEATURES // The Village

I AM A PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIST, NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER I am a Puerto Rican native and California-based photographer who, after surviving devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, relocated with my son in search of a new beginning. As I struggled to make a life for us, I had to make the difficult decision to part with two of my most cherished cameras in order to make ends meet. But with my newfound job in California, and in 2019, I was finally able to purchase a new high-end camera and pick up the hobby that I had so dearly missed. And then the pandemic hit. Like much of the world, I was stuck in lockdown with no movement or action to capture. Nevertheless, I persevered and kept shooting as much as I could, even going as far as to photograph people in order to familiarize myself with my new gear. Little did I know that it would eventually lead me to creating some of my most memorable work thus far: my first street photography book, "79 Photographs by Sostre," and the launch of "Avenue," a street photography magazine. It’s a periodical and space for those fellow street photographers out there just like me. JUAN SOSTRE I AM A PHOTOGRAPHY ARTIST, NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER I am a Puerto Rican native and California-based photographer who, after surviving devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, relocated with my son in search of a new beginning. As I struggled to make a life for us, I had to make the difficult decision to part with two of my most cherished cameras in order to make ends meet. But with my newfound job in California, and in 2019, I was finally able to purchase a new high-end camera and pick up the hobby that I had so dearly missed. And then the pandemic hit. Like much of the world, I was stuck in lockdown with no movement or action to capture. Nevertheless, I persevered and kept shooting as much as I could, even going as far as to photograph people in order to familiarize myself with my new gear. Little did I know that it would eventually lead me to creating some of my most memorable work thus far: my first street photography book, "79 Photographs by Sostre," and the launch of "Avenue," a street photography magazine. It’s a periodical and space for those fellow street photographers out there just like me. LOCATION California UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Leica Q2 and Ricoh GRIII WEBSITE https://www.sostreshots.com/ @SOSTRE.SHOTS FEATURES // Crossing The Avenue

DAYTIME ST. PAULI St. Pauli is incredibly multifaceted and is especially known for its nightlife. In this project, Mirko Karsch documents it's daytime life. DAYTIME ST. PAULI September 30, 2022 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Mirko Karsch INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE St. Pauli is incredibly multifaceted and is especially known for its nightlife. You can find here an immense number of bars, pubs, restaurants and clubs. But St. Pauli is also known for its red light district and there are problems with violent disputes from time to time. The district is also interesting because it is located directly on one of the largest seaports in the world, and this fact still characterises what St. Pauli is today. But what does it look like during the day when the night owls have disappeared? Are the pubs empty then? Who lives in St.Pauli? What does the true soul of the district look like? Sometimes life in St. Pauli seems like a cycle to me: In the evening the tourists come, at night the Hamburg nighthawks, and when the trash is pushed aside in the morning, the neighborhood belongs to its residents again until the next evening. Since the 90s, I have been on the streets of St. Pauli again and again. Deviating from the usual customs, I liked to stay here even during the day. Looking back, I'm not sure it was wise to spend so much time in pinball arcades, but this place has an inexplicable attraction for me. Endless possibilities - even during the day. The people I meet during the day, young and old, have an alternative lifestyle, others seem to have none at all. There are pubs and bars that never seemed to close. Some play hard techno sound, others shanties. In the Summer there are open-air festivals and art projects. There is a huge event area here where folk fairs take place and a large soccer stadium for a professional team is located right next door. And above all this watches a bunker from the Second World War. But this is also where normal life takes place. Children are taken to school, postmen deliver the mail, suppliers deliver to pubs and the laundry is washed in laundromats. St. Pauli is also home to two churches, who care about the well-being of the people of St. Pauli. St. Joseph-Kirche is located in one of the noisiest and wildest streets of the district, which represents a bizarre contrast. The other church, St. Pauli Kirche, is located between the entertainment district and the port. The park-like property is open to all residents. They like to use it - even just to play a game of ball and enjoy a cold beer. How much change is healthy? Of course, gentrification has not stopped at St. Pauli and many cherished things have disappeared. In order to understand this, you have to know that historically St. Pauli was a part of the city where mainly the working class and low-income groups settled. This is still noticeable today, but due to the aforementioned displacement through gentrification, fewer and fewer of the resident population can afford to live in St. Pauli. But the changes on st. Pauli also show themselves in other ways. The local beer "Astra" is no longer brewed here and the commercial sprees seem to be scaling ever new heights, especially in the evenings. On the other hand, people were already grumbling about the new entertainment formats in the 90s. Change is part of the big city. Not only in Hamburg. And the fact that a district is developing is not necessarily negative. An example of this is the public park 'Park Fiction', where young people especially like to spend their free time. Here is played a lot of basketball or it is the lawn just enjoy the view of the harbour. What has remained are many beautiful things, such as the harbor panorama, which I will probably never get tired of. St. Pauli is still the place that attracts many young people. New things are constantly being created. The district never seems to sleep. It is a lot of fun to stroll through St. Pauli during the day. Everything is unstressed and the observations are quite different than at night. “Since the 90s, I have been on the streets of St. Pauli again and again. Deviating from the usual customs, I liked to stay here even during the day. Looking back, I'm not sure it was wise to spend so much time in pinball arcades, but this place has an inexplicable attraction for me.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MIRKO KARSCH From the point of view of Berlin photographer Mirko Karsch, street photography is a contribution to the debate on the documentation of contemporary forms of life in the psychological, ecological and architectural sense. The urban city is both a stage and an object of social conflict, and ultimately a result of social processes. We had the pleasure of interviewing Mirko for The Pictorial List, observing and seeing the potential in whatever has been put in front of him. Lucky enough to photograph regionally and worldwide Mirko shares with you his journey and inspiration. TPL: Mirko please tell us about yourself. How does where you are from influence your work? MK: I originally come from Hamburg and grew up there sheltered. That was quickly too narrow for me and was the reason why I looked for things that deviated from what I found at home. Later I moved to Frankfurt and Madrid. Since a few years ago I live in Berlin. So I've been around a lot in Europe. The interest in new and different things, is of course also reflected in the photography. I like to try out new things. TPL: What drew you to photography? What was that moment that you decided to pick up a camera? Talk to us about your photographic experience in New York in the 1990s and how that mapped your photographic journey to who you are today. MK: I got my first camera as a confirmation gift. I think a camera was a kind of status symbol back then, like a cell phone is today. I took my first serious photos in New York without giving it much thought. I simply photographed what I liked in automatic mode. That was film photography, of course, and it wasn't until much later in Hamburg that I realized that I liked both the pictures and the style incredibly well. And so I began to consciously pursue street photography. TPL: How and why did this project first manifest for you? What was the inspiration? MK: I have known St. Pauli since the 90s and have always been attracted to the district. Even then I was often on the road during the day in St. Pauli and was fascinated by the people who live and work there and the many opportunities they have. I don't think many people understand that St. Pauli is of course also a completely normal place where children go to school, people buy bread and the churches invite people to prayer on Sundays. In addition, I was naturally interested in the contrasts with the "night shift". Actually, St. Pauli exists twice. It wasn't until much later that I came up with the idea of documenting everything photographically. Out of gallery TPL: Talk to us about your method of working and experimentation during the project. What was a daily itinerary for you? Is the project ongoing? MK: I know St. Pauli very well, but I did research beforehand and looked for spots that I found relevant and interesting. Otherwise, I was the typical flaneur, wandering the streets looking for suitable locations. I plan to keep this project going for a while, as I am sure that St. Pauli has much more to offer. There is no final date. TPL: Finally, what do you want people to take away from this project? What do you want them to be asking themselves or to think about? MK: I would like to encourage people to observe things a little more intensively and to look behind the scenes. It is also incredibly important to talk to the local people. So doors open and you get a feeling for the people and their way of thinking and living. I plan to keep this project going for a while, as I am sure that St. Pauli has much more to offer. There is no final date. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? MK: I consider Harvey Stein to be an excellent photographer. I find his long-term series, which span up to 50 years, very inspiring. Ian Howorth is in my eyes an excellent exponent of the cinematic photography genre. Finally, I appreciate Alec Soth for his great documentary work. TPL: If you could just choose one photographer to shoot alongside for a day...who would you choose? And why? MK: I would love to spend a day with Alec Soth. He has published excellent photography books in the last few years and I really appreciate his photographic style. I am sure I can learn a lot from him. TPL: What is it that you love most about street photography? MK: Street photography is diverse and has more to offer than the decisive moment. It has a documentary character about it and shows everyday life. Street photos preserve the present for future generations. In that sense, street photos have a lot in common with wine: they get better and better over the years. Out of gallery 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? Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What is on your wishlist? MK: My first camera was the Yashica AF 200 and I'm glad I still have it and use it from time to time. It's amazing how much image quality is in such old cameras. Nowadays I mainly use the Nikon D7500 as an all-round camera and the Lumix LX100 II for street photography. The Nikon allows me to use all angles thanks to the F-mount. In addition, the image resolutions are excellent even at night. With the Lumix, I can go where I would stand out or be disturbed with the big Nikon. Since I'm completely satisfied, I'm not planning a new purchase at the moment. TPL: What are some of your goals as a photographer? What direction do you think you will take your photography? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? MK: I have noticed that I am moving more and more away from pure street photography towards documentary photography. This fits very well with my next project: A documentary about the Berlin skateboard scene. Maybe there will be an exhibition in 5 years (or sooner). TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… MK: Spend time with the kids. And skateboarding of course!” 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. Out of gallery

ARCHITECTURALLY COMPOSED Gino Ricardo is fascinated by pattern, finding comfort in walking around alone in a city photographing architecture. ARCHITECTURALLY COMPOSED August 12, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Gino Ricardo INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Gino Ricardo is a motion graphic designer with a passion for pattern and a curiosity for exploration. But it wasn't until June 2019 that he decided to take his camera to work with him on a daily basis and explore the city during his lunch breaks. What started as one hour lunch break sessions quickly blossomed into weekend excursions, documenting the architecture and street photography of places unknown to him. As he ventured around the cities he visited, Gino found comfort in being alone and taking pictures of the exquisite buildings he encountered. It was then that he realized that his camera didn't have to just collect dust on the shelf; it could be used to capture the beauty of the world. Thus began Gino's journey of discovering the wonders of the world through his lens. “I started photography about a year ago. In September 2018 I bought a “serious” camera (Panasonic GH5 ) to film my three week trip to South Africa. The camera was bought with the intention to film my South Africa adventure and future trips and on occasion take pictures. After the trip I felt like it was a waste of money that the camera would just sit at home on a shelf collecting dust. At one point in 2019 I started to take my camera to work and use my one hour lunch break to take pictures. Before I knew it photography became a bit of an obsession.” IN CONVERSATION WITH GINO RICARDO THE PICTORIAL LIST: The way you see architecture is not the usual way people would see it - graphic and composed precision. How do you find the composition when you are searching for that shot? What are some of the elements you try to include to make a good architecture image? And what do you do post-process? GINO RICARDO: Thank you very much for the compliment! When shooting architecture I always look for lines, patterns, details, textures, reflections and shadows in a building. Sometimes I see a building and know what I want to shoot and how to get the result I want. Other times it comes down to trial and error. I try different compositions and angles, from long to medium to close ups. Trying to find a way to make the work click. A lot of times I visit the same place multiple times and take the same shot in different circumstances or discover a new vantage point. I like to keep my images simple. I do some post-processing. It begins with setting a building straight and cropping. Usually I bump up the contrast and make the shadows darker. Sometimes I dodge and burn some elements in my images, and on occasion I Photoshop little imperfections out of a frame. For instance a spec of light that is drawing attention in a scene where I don't want the attention to go. But usually I try avoiding this and keeping the image as authentic as possible. TPL: You also shoot street photography and include them among your architecture photos in your Instagram gallery. Do you do anything differently to how you shoot and compose your architecture shots? GR: In street photography I mostly look for light and shadows. The difference between street and architecture is that for street I am solely relying on sunlight. So when it is raining you won't see me taking any street photos - unless you have beautiful reflections. For architecture I photograph all the time, it doesn’t matter if it rains or the sky is grey. I still need to learn a lot about street photography and keep developing this. To be honest, street photography is a side hustle. Mostly I go out to get my architecture shots and then switch to street afterwards or when I see something interesting happening. The difference between street and architecture is the pace. You have to be on your feet and think fast. A moment is gone before you know it. In that moment you have to be able to take the picture or try another time. A lot of times I see good light and wait a bit for something interesting to happen. This can be a minute or ten. Architecture is slower paced. I can walk around a building and observe it and put more thought into what I want or what is interesting. TPL: Where is your favourite place to photograph? GR: For now my favourite place to shoot is in Rotterdam, Netherlands. I am always surprised by the new places that I see and am looking forward to new spots to discover. TPL: Has your style of photographing changed since you first started? GR: Yes definitely, I started with photos from my holiday and then started going to the city to practice my shooting. Shooting street and architecture. During this period I noticed that I like black and white architecture photography more. I also started to shoot more often with zoom lenses to get those detailed shots/close ups. First I used my 45-200mm zoom and after a while my girlfriend's 75-300mm lens. Also my images became a lot darker. The best images aren’t at the end of an expensive flight. They are just around the corner from your house if you are willing to take a walk and really see. - Sean Tucker TPL: Do you think equipment is important for achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone else just starting out? GR: I think that the camera is just a tool, nothing more nothing less. The typewriter never wrote a book, but the writer did. The same applies for a photographer. Having said that I really like the system that I have, the portability of the body and lenses are just great in terms of weight. When hitting the streets I have two lenses with me and that is it. Making it very easy for me to travel with. For someone who is just starting out I would advise them not to look to much at the specs of a camera but just start shooting. These days technology is so advanced that any camera you buy as a beginner will be a good camera. Use the time when you are beginning to discover what you like and develop yourself. Keep in mind that your needs can change over time as you develop as a photographer. If you can’t afford a camera in the beginning start with your phone. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? GR: I definitely look up to photographers like Alan Schaller and Sean Tucker, Sebastiao Salgado, Fan Ho to name a few. I think that I got heavily inspired by Sean and Alan. I really like the philosophical side of Sean’s work and ethics and the super dark moody tones and diversity of Alan's work. I also get inspired a lot by other photographers whom I discovered through Instagram. I also follow artists like Lindsay Adler, Platon, Maarten Rots, and David Yarrow. Their work is so different from my own. I think that it is a must to keep an eye out for other artists who have absolutely nothing to do with your own work. Giving you a fresh perspective. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the artistic world before photography? GR: Yes, I am a 2D animator/motion graphics designer. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on? GR: Yes, I recently created my first book and made a video about it. I would love to go back out and travel to London, Paris and discovering some other countries. But due to COVID-19 this is pretty difficult. Time will tell when this is possible again but in the meantime there is lots to discover in my own town and country. And in the upcoming weeks I am going to create a short film. TPL: If I wasn't photographing what would I be doing?... GR: Animating and designing for animation. 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.

STREET THEATRE Now with a camera as her paint brush, Alexandra Avlonitis captures the endlessly fascinating drama unfolding in the New York public sphere. STREET THEATRE August 17, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Alexandra Avlonitis INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE In the ever-changing world of art, there are innovators determined to push boundaries and explore new forms of creativity. Alexandra Avlonitis is one such artist who, after years of dedicating herself to fine art painting, decided to try something new. In 2015, she embarked on an unexpected journey to the world of photography, using her skills in color, light, and composition to create stunning art. As a native New Yorker, Alexandra was instantly drawn to the genre of street photography, captivated by the lively energy of the city and its various cultures. She was determined to capture the drama of public life that was unfolding before her eyes. Abandoning her paint brush in favor of a camera, she has since dedicated herself to mastering the art of photography. Whether inside the studio or out, the artistic tool box was the same. As a native New Yorker, the genre of street photography was such a natural fit for her. She will always be captivated by the hum and buzz of the street, the energy of unremitting commerce, the mash-up of peoples and different cultures. This interview explores Alexandra Avlonitis' unconventional journey from painting to photography, as well as her approach to capturing the exciting energy of the city streets. Readers will gain insight into how she was able to use her existing artistic knowledge to create beautiful and unique photographs, highlighting her incredible talent for capturing moments and creating art. “I am not a landscape photographer or a portrait photographer. I am a street photographer. Moreover, I live in the crush of humanity that is NYC. If I want to make strong and compelling work I have to put myself out there - physically and creatively. I have to overcome my timidity daily, go forth with confidence and get close.” IN CONVERSATION WITH ALEXANDRA AVLONITIS THE PICTORIAL LIST: Alexandra please tell us about yourself. You once were a fine art painter...what was that moment/s that made you transition to street photography? Do you still paint? AA: After years of painting, I found myself experiencing a creative block. A friend told me about a photography class she was taking at the International Center of Photography here in NYC. I had been photographing with my cell phone for some time, often while traveling, and thought it was time to learn how to use a proper camera. So I put the paint brush down five years ago and took my first class at ICP. Photography allowed me to integrate my knowledge of color, light and composition in a whole new medium. I have not painted since. Not that I don’t miss it sometimes, but for me, this new endeavor demands full concentration and practice. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? AA: I am drawn to urban settings with a mash-up of people and cultures. Vibrant light and color, the essential elements of painting, set the stage. TPL: What do you want to express through your photography? What are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? AA: Essential in my photography is the human element captured in quotidian scenes: finding that which connects all of us on some fundamental level. TPL: Your photographs have this beautiful candid intimacy about them. Often you are focusing very closely on the subjects. What is your process when you are out shooting on the street? AA: Like most street photographers I try to be unobtrusive on the street. As a petite woman I find I have an advantage that allows me to blend in, often unnoticed. And while I try to fill the frame with the action on the street, I am often drawn to particular individuals. If, at the moment I take a candid photograph, eye contact is made, all the better. I feel it brings emotional depth to the image. (Once, in a workshop, a famous street photographer said that if eye contact is made with the subject, it is not a valid street photo. I humbly beg to differ.) TPL: Who are your favourite artists and photographers? AA: The classic street photographers top my list: Garry Winogrand, Helen Levitt, Vivian Maier, Joel Meyerowitz, Alex Webb and others. And with my painting background I am forever dazzled by Saul Leiter’s colors, layers, and composition. Photography has one leg in painting and one leg in life, but the two things must be combined. - Brassai TPL: Do you prefer to shoot alone or with friends? AA: I enjoy the company of my photography compatriots but most often I prefer to shoot alone. TPL: Where is your favourite place to shoot? AA: I am fortunate to live in NYC, a great street photography city. When traveling I seek out similarly dense and lively spaces. A recent trip to northern India was especially intoxicating: a street photographer’s paradise. TPL: Has your style of shooting changed since you first started? AA: When I started out, my ICP instructor advised that I try a 16mm (24mm equivalent) lens which would force me to get close to my subjects; and it did indeed. Over time, though, I gravitated to the more traditional 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens. But in this era of the global pandemic, in order to keep a safe distance (sadly) from my subjects, I have used a 18-55mm (27-84mm equivalent) lens. Playing around with that has been fun. Will see where I land when life is back to normal. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? AA: Since photography is a fairly recent pursuit for me, I feel like I’ve got so much yet to do: study the work of preeminent photographers from the past and present, work at my craft, and do good work that finds a place in the world. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... AA: Hard to say. As a photographer you are always photographing. With or without a camera you are seeing, composing, and snapping away. If only in your head." 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.

NATURE KNOWS NO PAUSE Through her photographs Ann Petruckevitch captures the resilience of nature amidst the challenges of climate change, serving as a reflection on humanity’s relationship with the natural world. NATURE KNOWS NO PAUSE May 31, 2024 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Ann Petruckevitch INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Ann Petruckevitch is a photographer with an insatiable curiosity and a relentless pursuit of image interpretation through diverse techniques. With Diplomas in Photography from Brighton City College and Art and Design from The Arts University, Bournemouth, Ann’s artistic journey is guided by her quest to observe and shape visual contexts in unique and ethereal ways. Ann’s approach to photography transcends conventional boundaries, as she seamlessly navigates between camera-less, film, and digital media. Her goal is not merely to capture images but to observe and form a distinct frame of the visual situation, in either vibrant color or timeless black and white. With a keen eye for detail, her observations explore the subtleties of the environment and their relationship to humanity. Ann visually interprets offbeat street scenes, conceptual observations of nature, as well as intimate studies of human life. Through her lens, Ann invites viewers to delve into the unseen details and contemplate the intricate connections between subjects and their surroundings. In Ann’s hands, photography becomes a powerful tool for advocacy and introspection. In her ongoing project, “Nature Knows No Pause,” Ann draws inspiration from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's profound quote. “Nature knows no pause in progress and development and attaches her curse on all inaction.” Ann captures the resilience of nature amidst the challenges of climate change. Each photograph serves as a reflection on humanity’s relationship with the natural world, and her use of one-word titles prompts viewers to engage in thoughtful reflection, inviting them to ponder the beauty and fragility of the world around them. Her work serves as a poignant reminder that, in the face of adversity, nature continues to evolve and thrive, echoing the timeless wisdom of Goethe’s words. As we immerse ourselves in Ann Petruckevitch’s captivating imagery, we are reminded of the profound interconnectedness of all living things. She beckons us to join her on a journey of discovery and enlightenment, where the beauty of nature’s eternal pulse is celebrated and revered. “Nature forms an integral part of one’s life, it is all around us, by definition it embodies the physicality of being part of this world. For me a deeper understanding of nature’s fragility and its ability to survive mirrors the vulnerability we feel every day as humans, respectively. We need each other to breathe and feel a sense of belonging and contentment. Being in nature commits oneself to an emotional state, whether it purveys a sense of wellbeing or fear. When I’m in nature I don't need to seek it out; it immerses me.” IN CONVERSATION WITH ANN PETRUCKEVITCH THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Ann, thank you for sharing your inspiring photography with us. Welcome to The Pictorial List! Tell our readers about yourself. What initially sparked your interest in photography, and how has your artistic journey evolved over time? ANN PETRUCKEVITCH: My first exposure to photography was probably my mother’s Kodak box brownie when I was a child. At the time I think I was just fascinated by the shape, it’s wind on mechanism and the empty chamber inside. Additionally, I’ve always had a deep committed interest in cinema and its escapism and vision fueled my simmering creativity from a very early age. However, my real commitment to photography came much later, my traditional schooling choosing academic achievement over creativity, having had a mathematical career as a medical statistician until I retired in 2019. During my adult life I’ve always had a camera, but it wasn’t until I was in my 50s that I started to want to understand the technical side of it, literally getting my hands dirty in a photographic darkroom. I started with attending some local workshops and courses and my interest developed from thereon, taking time out of employment to do an intensive course at the Arts University in Bournemouth in 2010. The pure joy of an image emerging in a developer tray will stay with me always and the wealth of available photographic processes gives me a great sense of connection between my thoughts, via what I see, and the captured imagery. TPL: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's quote serves as the inspiration for your project. What does this quote mean to you personally, and how does it influence your artistic vision? ANN: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe made a number of quotes about nature and was forthright about our connection with and ultimate dependence on it. ‘Nature knows no pause….’ exemplified for me the environmental chaos we find ourselves in now and in using it to describe my project concentrated my thoughts on visualizing the small changes nature undergoes in sustaining its seasonal existence. If we allow ourselves time to embrace the subtleties of nature, we have a chance to be at one with it so to speak, replacing destruction with restoration and responsibility. I’m hoping that the images I’ve presented give viewers the sincere opportunity to reflect and reform moving forward. TPL: Your work often delves into the unseen details of the environment. How do you approach capturing these subtle nuances in your photographs? ANN: Personally, I have a good memory for detail, and I think this is reflected in my photography. As I said, my love of cinematic visuals has informed my own visual development. When I’m out and about in nature or anywhere else for that matter, I’m always looking up, down, sideways and behind, absorbed in the moment. I take time and I go back to places, approaching my image capture more artistically considering the emotional impact that hopefully translates into the photograph taken, perhaps avoiding objectifying the subject matter, respectively. "Frozen" © Ann Petruckevitch "BlueGreen" © Ann Petruckevitch "Minutiae" © Ann Petruckevitch "Koyo" © Ann Petruckevitch "Streaming" © Ann Petruckevitch "Reflection I" © Ann Petruckevitch "Rooted" © Ann Petruckevitch "Heartache" © Ann Petruckevitch "Lost" © Ann Petruckevitch "Fragile" © Ann Petruckevitch TPL: How do you balance the technical aspects of photography with the emotional or conceptual elements when creating your artwork? ANN: I would say that the technical aspects of my photography are a little intuitive, in the sense that I don’t dwell too much on what photography tools I carry with me. I very rarely use flash, filters, carry additional lenses or use a tripod. The emotional and conceptual intentions are always imperative to the works that I attempt to create and perhaps my confidence in ‘taking the shot’ stems from my heart and mind and not the technology to do so. Sometimes and just sometimes fortuitously you capture the true nuance of a scene, it’s the joy of change. TPL: What role do you see photography playing in raising awareness about environmental issues such as climate change? What impact do you hope your photography will have on individuals’ perceptions and actions towards environmental conservation? ANN: Any visual interpretation that examines the impact of environmental issues has got to be a worthwhile interaction. I fully appreciate the lengths that some environmental organizations and image makers go to ensure true stories are told again and again. I hope that my photography in this arena starts a conversation, critical appraisal or positive feedback, after all it’s only my interpretation and should be open to forthright discussion. The fact that someone ponders an image is a job done in my books. Sometimes and just sometimes fortuitously you capture the true nuance of a scene, it’s the joy of change. TPL: Can you describe a particularly challenging or rewarding moment you've encountered during a photography project? ANN: Honestly, I can count on one hand the projects I have developed and been interested in since retiring from my real job. However, I have to say that a road trip along the A1 Princes Highway in NSW and Victoria in Australia after one of the worst bushfires at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 that impacted 24 million or, so hectares of national parkland was particularly poignant. Challenging on the one hand to see and then capture images that truly represented the devastation, and rewarding, to arrive in the town of Mallacoota to see how its residents had come together to rebuild homes, businesses and in doing so their livelihoods, respectively. 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? ANN: I have to say the photographer Ernst Haas has had a considerable impact on my ways of seeing, he created some groundbreaking imagery for the time he was active. Alongside him, the artist Edward Hopper has also informed my visual take on landscapes and urban settings, and I could not forget the works of the film maker Terence Mallick, ‘Days of Heaven’ epitomizes for me visual sincerity and thought working alongside the cinematographer Nestor Almendros. There’s a real pattern emerging with all these artists very similar in their use of natural light. Finally, a shout out to Denise Felkin, a Brighton visual artist and photographer who over a weekend course many years ago facilitated my point and shoot Olympus Camedia digital camera! It’s not the kit, it's what you see! TPL: What is on the horizon for Ann Petruckevitch? Are there any new projects you would like to share with us? ANN: I take a lot of single images when I’m out and about but more recently have been concentrating on the detail obtained using macro photography. With summer coming soon and the sun hopefully more evident in the sky I may go back to a more camera-less approach to image making or perhaps I’ll get out my 127 Box Brownie and take a risk on what I see and capture. “Nature knows no pause…” is an ongoing project, and additionally, a project entitled “Eternal” which explores metaphorically the passage we move through as life progresses and remnants of our past are indelibly engraved in ours and our kinfolk's minds, respectively. "Autumnal" © Ann Petruckevitch "Impressions" © Ann Petruckevitch "Fragment" © Ann Petruckevitch "Engulfed" © Ann Petruckevitch "Droplets" © Ann Petruckevitch "Remnant" © Ann Petruckevitch "Transition" © Ann Petruckevitch "Hidden" © Ann Petruckevitch "Reflection II" © Ann Petruckevitch "Petrified" © Ann Petruckevitch TPL: What is in your camera bag, is your equipment an integral part of your art practice? Is there anything on your Wishlist? ANN: Not a lot, I don’t feel that my camera bag is empty, but I also don’t feel that it being full is an integral part of my artistic intentions. Presently, I’m using a Nikon DSLR camera with a 70 to 300 mm telephoto lens but that can change depending on the view. I also have a Canon full frame DSLR, and quite a few film cameras. TPL: What role do you believe experimentation plays in the creative process, and how do you incorporate it into your photography? How do you approach editing and post-processing in your photography, and how does it contribute to the final message or aesthetic of your work? ANN: Because I use a variety of photographic techniques such as camera-less approaches to image making there is a considerable experimental risk associated with it and using film to some extent is the same, especially when using a Holga medium format camera! Of course, using a DSLR gives you more access to getting the shot right, but I try not to seek perfection but a time limited observation. I don’t use a lot of editing and post processing, usually a more subjective approach in managing an image apart from when I'm creating composites. TPL: When you are not creating art through your photography, what else could we find Ann doing? ANN: I love walking obviously, I run to be solitary, and of course cinema and the arts in general are integral to my wellbeing and development. A work in progress methinks! Thank you. PORTFOLIO INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

I began studying photography in 2015 after years as a fine art painter. Schooled in the essential elements of painting - color, light and composition - it was not a difficult transition. Whether inside the studio or out, the artistic tool box was the same. As a native New Yorker, the genre of street photography was a natural fit. I had always been captivated by the hum and buzz of the street; the energy of unremitting commerce; the mash-up of peoples and cultures. With a camera in place of a paint brush, I could capture the endlessly fascinating drama unfolding in the public sphere. ALEXANDRA AVLONITIS I began studying photography in 2015 after years as a fine art painter. Schooled in the essential elements of painting - color, light and composition - it was not a difficult transition. Whether inside the studio or out, the artistic tool box was the same. As a native New Yorker, the genre of street photography was a natural fit. I had always been captivated by the hum and buzz of the street; the energy of unremitting commerce; the mash-up of peoples and cultures. With a camera in place of a paint brush, I could capture the endlessly fascinating drama unfolding in the public sphere. LOCATION Manhattan UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Fuji XT2 & XT3 WEBSITE http://www.alexandraavlonitis.com @ALEXANDRAAVLONITIS FEATURES // Street Theatre

I am an autodidact living in The Netherlands. A few years ago I started photography using the Fujifilm X system seeking to capture urban scenes to improve my basic skills and learn the art of photography. Out of curiosity and a bit of nostalgia for my father in his young years, I did have an analog Canon and used a projector to see the film results. My Tokyo trip ignited my passion. Then I switched to the Fujifilm X system. I am still learning. JOSÉ LUIS BLACH LEYENDA I am an autodidact living in The Netherlands. A few years ago I started photography using the Fujifilm X system seeking to capture urban scenes to improve my basic skills and learn the art of photography. Out of curiosity and a bit of nostalgia for my father in his young years, I did have an analog Canon and used a projector to see the film results. My Tokyo trip ignited my passion. Then I switched to the Fujifilm X system. I am still learning. LOCATION The Hague NETHERLANDS CAMERA/S Fujifilm X - pro 1 @BLACH_LEYENDA.J.L FEATURES // Netherlands Nostalgia