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

MOHAMMED NAHI I am an Algerian photographer whose work explores the human condition through street and documentary photography. My practice is grounded in observation, intuition, and lived experience, often focusing on everyday moments, social rituals, and the emotional undercurrents of public spaces. I am particularly drawn to themes of identity, memory, and vulnerability, using photography as a tool to question reality rather than simply document it. Through my images, I seek to create visual narratives that balance honesty and poetry, inviting viewers to slow down and reflect. LOCATION Aflou ALGERIA CAMERA/S Fujifilm X-T1 @MOHAMED_NAHI1 FEATURES // 4320 Minutes Without Color

After meeting in an online photo salon, Vin Sharma, Lisa Jayce, and Emily Passino have begun exploring how to work on photography together. Partly because we are at different stages in life and bring different cultural backgrounds to the conversation, we are interested in examining time - seasons, transitions, hours of the day, the arc of life. ​As an early exercise, we have started constructing a series of visual conversations - triptychs - with each one of us contributing a prompt photograph, which the others build upon. During this process, at times, the response photos have led to entirely different sequences. Often the initial image has wound up in the middle or at the end of the arrangement. But in all cases, each photographer has contributed one photo to the triptych, and all three photographers agree that the story has been found. ​Living in different cities, we have been collaborating virtually. Not only has The Blue Hour become a source of creativity for us, but it has also forged a friendship grounded in our love of photography, imagination, and expression. We are drawing energy from our dialogues about connections and the stories between our images, looking forward to seeing where this all may lead. We invite others to consider what our work might say to them as well. THE BLUE HOUR PHOTO COLLABORATIVE After meeting in an online photo salon, Vin Sharma, Lisa Jayce, and Emily Passino have begun exploring how to work on photography together. Partly because we are at different stages in life and bring different cultural backgrounds to the conversation, we are interested in examining time - seasons, transitions, hours of the day, the arc of life. As an early exercise, we have started constructing a series of visual conversations - triptychs - with each one of us contributing a prompt photograph, which the others build upon. During this process, at times, the response photos have led to entirely different sequences. Often the initial image has wound up in the middle or at the end of the arrangement. But in all cases, each photographer has contributed one photo to the triptych, and all three photographers agree that the story has been found. Living in different cities, we have been collaborating virtually. Not only has The Blue Hour become a source of creativity for us, but it has also forged a friendship grounded in our love of photography, imagination, and expression. We are drawing energy from our dialogues about connections and the stories between our images, looking forward to seeing where this all may lead. We invite others to consider what our work might say to them as well. LOCATION Brooklyn, New York City & Nashville CAMERA/S Canon R5, Fujifilm X100F, and Fujifilm XE2S WEBSITE https://www.thebluehourphotocollaborative.com/ @THE BLUE HOUR PHOTO COLLABORATIVE FEATURES // Call and Response

ROLL THE DICE Greek photographer Sofia Dalamagka talks to us about her project where human existence is hiding behind every capture. ROLL THE DICE November 4, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Sofia Dalamagka INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE We all know the feeling of loneliness. The feeling of being unseen and unheard, of being lost in a crowd of strangers, all of them going through their own struggles and joys, none of them truly noticing us. But when we look closer, we can see the secrets hidden in their faces. The feelings that cannot be voiced, the stories waiting to be told. It is this hidden beauty that Greek photographer Sofia Dalamagka seeks to capture in her work. Sofia takes us on a journey around the forgotten ports and impersonal cities of the world, introducing us to the faces of strangers who, in their own way, tell stories and evoke emotions within us. Through her lens, Sofia dives into the innermost depths of human existence and reveals the feelings hidden away beneath the surface. These are people searching for something, be it joy, recognition, or even just a way out. Connected by a shared sense of deep loneliness, they are paused in time - living and breathing in moments that will never return. For Sofia, photography is not just a profession; it is an art, a form of love that will never pass away. Her camera is her eternal mistress, and through it she invites us all to take a second look at the people who pass us by each day. To pause and reflect on their innermost thoughts and feelings, and to uncover the hidden beauty in our own lives. With her work, Sofia Dalamagka encourages us to recognise the importance of understanding one another, and to appreciate every moment that life gives us. “Photography is a way of my existence, a kind of love that does not wear out as time goes by and my camera is my eternal mistress. The only thing that I’m sure about is that I don’t want to give answers, but I want to create questions. For me, capturing a moment should create doubts. Maybe I want to do a social statement. Sometimes, I want to express all the feelings that I hide. Sometimes I want to make the viewers question themselves, provoke or to disturb them. Even give them some negative feelings because that is a way of a creating a connection with the picture you have taken.” IN CONVERSATION WITH SOFIA DALAMAGKA THE PICTORIAL LIST: Sofia please tell us about yourself. When did you start getting interested in photography? SOFIA DALAMAGKA: I started taking photographs as an amateur when I was 28 years old. It was some kind of love which still continues to give me that feeling until today. For about two to three years I took a small break. Photography was my 'saviour' when I felt totally blank inside, when I was questioning my own existence. Between falling and creativity, I consciously chose the second. I try to evolve constantly by taking lessons, seminars, certifications of courses, by reading and studying a lot, by experimenting. Many times, success flirting with failure. And that's where all the magic hides, trying to overcome yourself and your expectations! TPL: You sent us photos from your series 'Roll The Dice'. Tell us how this idea started and what you want the viewer to interpret? SD: Roll the Dice is a poem by Charles Bukowski. He is my favorite poet and writer. I read that poem every time I get desperate. That poem was the main idea for the creation of these pictures. It talks about those who lose their courage, and find many obstacles during their everyday life. I want the spectator seeing these pictures to realise that it is important to remain humane and that everyone is alone in this world going through his own everyday battles. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to keep photographing? SD: In love, traveling, in a passing glance, in books, in the waves of the sea, in the sound of rain, in the smell of wet soil, in promises that weren't kept, in stories of lovers and friends. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists that you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? SD: Francesca Woodman and her tragic end have affected me deeply as an artist and as a woman. Nevertheless, Daido Moriyama work with his dark nightly Contrast, Saul Leiter’s poetry and Vivian Maier’s deep irony about human existence spreading through all of her work were what sculpted the way I take for real and how I try to show the meaning of what I see. TPL: Do you prefer to photograph alone or with friends? SD: I think of photography as a unique procedure where there is no space for babbling. It’s a secretive experience. If you are not a lonely wolf, you are not a photographer! Photography for me is the reflection of the photographer. An inner world emerges and becomes real through this. It deals with the irrational, the illusion and the subconscious. Photography is the memory. An experience. A persistence. A glimpse. A promise never kept. TPL: Has your style of photography changed since you first started? SD: I have changed my perspective and style since I started to work with photography and I still continue to reshape my personal perspective without to totally change the identity of my work. Change is part of my personal evolution, we shouldn’t be afraid of experimenting, of taking risks, of change in general. TPL: Where is your favorite place(s) to photograph? SD: As much as I love traveling, I believe that familiarity is what creates images with meaning, a story to tell and substance. Wherever I go I always end up taking pictures in the small by the sea village which I come from and live during winter. Mainly around the village port, where little stories are evolved, unnoticeable by others. TPL: How does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? SD: On the street, or outdoors in general, I really like to be unseen by people that's why I prefer a quiet mirrorless camera. I like wide frame from wide angle lenses but I usually work with the usual 50mm lens which is closer to what I can see. There are times again when I like to focus on details that might describe a whole way of life or a personal story. I love cold colors and the way mirrorless cameras show the color palette, with that vintage feeling they give you as well as the filters they offer you like black and white film. All these helped me very much to improve my portfolio by creating a project with coherence. TPL: Are there any projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? SD: Lately I have been experimenting with techniques mix media and double exposure, I have been trying to connect pieces of images into one image connected harmonically and even. I would like to finally carry out the exhibition I have been working on with another 26 women participating, with the title 'Under Negotiation' which I personally revised, but unfortunately was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is about the existence and women psychology and how every woman gets along with her body, stereotypes, motherhood, the pressure she has to put through with our worlds social standards. I dream of my first own personal exhibition, my portfolio is in progress. I hope that I will be able to have created my own photography team where I live which will show the cultural heritage of where I live and which will give the opportunity to 'Jung' people to express through photography. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the arts before you found photography? SD: When I was a little child I would always remember my mother painting with oil paint on canvas, I still have the smell of the paint and the thinner in my memory. If I close my eyes I can hear the sound of the brush on the canvas. That was my first contact, and the most magic one, within the world of Art. I remember looking at her in awe and with childhood enthusiasm. TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… SD: I like taking photographs either way, cause it’s an obsession, a way of existence and the way of how people see the world. I revise exhibitions, write articles about photography, read about the work of modern and classic photographers and argue with my friends if a photo is eventually good or not." Sofia Dalamagka has shown us that there is beauty all around us, and that through understanding and appreciation of one another we can find a greater appreciation for our own lives. Her photography is a testament to that and an invitation to pause, reflect and celebrate the beauty of life. We encourage you to connect with Sofia and to see more of her art, and to take a second look at the world around us. VIEW SOFIA'S PORTFOLIO Sofia's website >>> Instagram >> read more interviews >>> WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth. FUTURE HACKNEY Don Travis and Wayne Crichlow are the photographers and community advocates behind Future Hackney, merging photographic activism and social engagement to amplify inner-city marginalized communities' voices.

BOOK BOOK December 9, 2022 ZOONOSIS Photography by Adrian Pelegrin Words by Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico Meet Adrian Pelegrin, a photographer originally from Barcelona, Spain, but currently living and working in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He focuses his work ‘The Hyperreal Archive’ exploring and investigating the post-photographic edit and manipulation of images to create an awareness of fake news or an unreal reality. With the obsession of social media and its integration into our culture, Adrian studies the changes taking place in our society due to the cause of disinformation, and creates images reflecting the effects on society. “My work is about mass media and how it creates new realities. I photograph archive videographic images, working mainly from television broadcasts. I make long-exposure photographic kinescopes that I later edit through digital post production.” Adrian found the events of the pandemic and the biases of the media’s coverage along with their non objective point of view and transmitting of misinformation, to be the new focus for his exploration. His insightful study and research has culminated in his new book ‘Zoonosis’. Adrian shares with us how this book came to fruition. “ZOONOSIS is a book gestated in pandemic times. When the global crisis broke out and the entire world was quarantined, I decided to start the task of documenting all the events that were coming to us through the media and online press. The book is the culmination of two years of tracking all the news about the novel coronavirus and its consequences, photographing television images, and selecting the most shocking headlines. Also, I have supplemented the visual and journalistic content with a concise historic-statistical investigation dedicated to synthesizing what happened as much as possible. At another level, I also contribute with a thesis, in a veiled way, juxtaposing different allegorical moments that the reader-observer will be able to guess when contemplating the book’s structure as a whole.” Two years in the making, a 160-page photobook with 70 pictures and shocking headlines, Adrian's insightful documentation and brilliant visual storytelling of the events of the pandemic brings us the harsh reality we are confronted with everyday, and how it allows for the distorted views of our future. You can pre-order his book via his website - www.adrianpelegrin.net We have the fortunate pleasure of interviewing Adrian, where he articulates in more detail about his extraordinary process in photography, and how it inspired this wonderful project and new book he has created. READ INTERVIEW CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

I seek to create work that reveals and lends new insight into common experiences, in hopes of creating a deeper understanding of the human condition through visual representation. I often work in areas related to trauma and how people navigate the aftermath of it while examining how documentary work of these experiences can help mitigate grief. ROSS TAYLOR I seek to create work that reveals and lends new insight into common experiences, in hopes of creating a deeper understanding of the human condition through visual representation. I often work in areas related to trauma and how people navigate the aftermath of it while examining how documentary work of these experiences can help mitigate grief. LOCATION Denver UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Nikon D850 WEBSITE http://www.rosstaylor.com @ROSSTAYLORPHOTO @ROSS_TAYLOR FEATURES // A Love Song to the American West

ON THE BOARDWALK Carol Dronsfield introduces us to her vibrant characters that she photographs on her walks along the boardwalk of the iconic Coney Island. ON THE BOARDWALK December 17, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Carol Dronsfield INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Carol Dronsfield is the master of capturing life in a single frame. Her photography journey began as an art director in New York City, but now her unique style of emotionally engaging shots have earned her a following of editorial clients who appreciate her ability to freeze a moment in time. Through Carol's lens we are able to take a glimpse into the humanity of her subjects. Whether she’s photographing on the boardwalk at Coney Island, or other bustling New York City streets, Carol's work always reveals the beauty in everyday life. Through her emotive and intimate portraits, Carol has captured the heart and soul of her subjects, eliciting a powerful connection and understanding. In this interview with The Pictorial List, Carol reflects on her journey from art director to full-time photographer, and shares her unique perspective on the importance of street photography as a way to connect people. She talks about her recent series of portraits taken on the boardwalk at Coney Island, revealing her own insights into what draws her to this particular setting and how she seeks to capture the essence of its colorful characters. Join us as we uncover the stories behind Carol Dronsfield’s mesmerizing street photography, and discover how her passion and talent have led to a unique and inspiring body of work. “I love that Coney has come back to life this summer after having been partially shut down due to Covid-19 last year. It brings me such joy to meet and photograph these vibrant characters as I roam the boardwalk. Coney truly is a paradise for portrait photography. It never disappoints.” IN CONVERSATION WITH CAROL DRONSFIELD THE PICTORIAL LIST: Carol please tell us about yourself. When did you first consider yourself a photographer. How did you get your start? CAROL DRONSFIELD: I was born in Hartford, Connecticut and currently live in Brooklyn, New York. I started my career as an Art Director/Creative Director, working first in Connecticut, and then spent the majority of my career in NYC. I worked at various advertising agencies such as Chiat/Day, Ammirati & Puris, and Ogilvy. I’ve had an interest in photography since I was in high school taking photos of my friends. In college I worked for the University of Connecticut newspaper for a semester, sort of an internship. I was given photo assignments and would go and shoot the assignment by myself, mostly photographing portraits on campus. In those days I used a Nikkormat film camera. In one photography class, I spent the entire semester working on a project photographing an Italian bakery and the family who owned it in the South End of Hartford. Pretty soon I was photographing all the family celebrations. I presented my project in a bakery box, with a box of Italian pastries for everyone to share. It was an amazing experience. While working in advertising, I always did photography on the side just for fun. I took a weekend photo workshop at The International Center For Photography in NYC, where I discovered the Holga camera: a mass-produced toy camera which cost about $25.00 at the time. It took 120 film-a 2 1/4” by 2 1/4” negative. I would take that camera with me whenever I traveled for business while at Ogilvy, and on vacations. When a colleague saw some baby photographs I had taken she asked me to photograph her upcoming Huggies campaign. From that point on, I was photographing ads at Ogilvy and building up a photography portfolio at the same time. After doing this for a couple of years I decided I wanted pursue commercial photography full time. I opened a studio in an old warehouse at Industry City on the Brooklyn waterfront. I still have my studio, although I have been transitioning to doing only street photography. I’ll shoot a portrait in my studio on occasion. The studio has become my creative nest. TPL: How much does street photography in particular play a role in your overall photography experience? What is it that you love about it? Where or how do you find your inspiration? CD: I took a weekend workshop on “How to Approach Strangers On The Street And Photograph Them” at The International Center Of Photography in NYC and fell in love with street photography. I’ve been living and working in NYC for over 30 years and found that I never really had seen the city. Shooting the streets of NYC is like my own personal theater. There are many acts, never quite the same. I walk around with my eyes wide open; my mind open to what is happening before my eyes. I meet strangers who sometimes don’t like having their photo taken, and others who don’t want me to stop. Engaging in conversation with these folks, I learn a bit about them, and I always offer to send them the photos I took of them. I can walk the same street everyday and always discover someone or something new. The city and its people are my inspiration. TPL: Your street portraits have this intimate but candid vibrancy about them, how do you get so close to your subjects? Do you have any particular habits that are part of how you begin your creative process? Have you ever had a negative experience out shooting street? If so, how do you deal with it? CD: I find the more I photograph people on the street, the more I learn about people and how to read them. There are some people who look relaxed and are dressed in a way that makes me think, “This person is looking to be photographed.” Most of these images are from Coney Island in Brooklyn. On the other hand, people on the boardwalk closer to Brighton Beach aren’t as eager to have their photo taken. I basically will wave and smile and just keep moving to find another subject. Once I’ve made contact with a person, which could be me saying, “I love your look and I’d love to make a portrait of you,” or just pointing at my camera and then pointing at them, I’ll get a yes or no response. If I get a yes, then I can get close to my subject. This has worked well for me. I like to “warm up” before I really get shooting. I’ll check my settings, shoot for a few minutes. This gets me to relax. People respond better if I’m not looking nervous and fumbling with my camera. TPL: As you work in the photography industry, do you ever get burnt out creatively? Explain how you keep the creative energy flowing. CD: I spend a lot of time on the streets and then in post-processing. Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed trying to stay on top of it all. So far, I don’t really feel burnt out. I’ve been purchasing more photo books these days and perusing them for inspiration. I’ll also look for a new neighborhood to explore and photograph. There are so many wonderful places to photograph in the New York’s five boroughs to keep the creative energy flowing! TPL: What have been some of your most memorable moments as a photographer? CD: My most memorable moment as a photographer was my first commercial shoot at Ogilvy. My colleagues had asked me to shoot their latest Huggies campaign. I was up on a ladder, shooting an overhead shot of a 12-month old baby. I turned around and saw the entire crew, creatives, clients, etc. behind me, I almost fell off the ladder. I couldn’t believe I was actually shooting this campaign. When I got down from the ladder and the baby wrangler was taking the baby off the set, the baby reached out to me for a hug. I guess we bonded beautifully. TPL: What are some tips or advice you would give yourself if you started photography all over again? The best advice I’ve ever gotten from another photographer was, “Go out and shoot. Keep shooting!” That’s the way you learn to see, work with light, get to know and trust your gear. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? CD: Yes, of course! In high school I loved to look at Georgia O’Keeffe books; I was especially taken with her iris paintings. Her work influenced me to sit in my yard and draw the iris in my family’s garden. They were very detailed pen and ink drawings. I also loved David Hockney. A college art professor told me to look at his work; my drawings reminded him of Hockney’s. My favorite photographers are Josef Sudek, Francesca Woodman, Helen Levitt, Larry Fink, Ruth Orkin, Meryl Meisler, Gulnara Samoilova, Susan Meiselas, and Sal Taylor Kydd. TPL: If you could choose just one photographer to shoot alongside for a day...who would you choose? And why? CD: Meryl Meisler. I love everything about Meryl. I recently saw an interview with Meryl and Gulnara Samoilova, the founder of Women Street Photographers (@womenstreetphotographers). It was fascinating and funny, not to mention the wonderful photographs she spoke about. She was born in the Bronx, was a NYC art teacher for 31 years, and her photography documented the 70’s in NYC. Very interesting times to photograph. She studied with Lisette Model, another photographer I very much admire and would have loved to shoot with. TPL: Where are some of your most favourite spots to go photographing? CD: My favorite spots in NYC are Coney Island, Washington Square Park, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, and Times Square. I’ve been going to Martha’s Vineyard, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts almost every summer since my teens, and I love to photograph there. Totally different vibe from that of the city. I also love to photograph in France and Italy. TPL: Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? What camera do you use? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? CD: When I first went out shooting in the streets, I was using my Nikon D800 with a 24-70mm zoom. A fabulous camera and lens, but I soon learned it was not the most discreet equipment to be using on the street. I felt the size of the camera drew attention to me, and it was too heavy to use when walking the streets for hours at a time. I moved to a Fuji X-T30, another fabulous camera, lightweight and perfect for the streets. I had multiple lenses, but mostly relied on the 18-55mm zoom. I could be discreet when photographing people, zooming in without my subject knowing I was taking their photo. It was great practice for photographing people on the street. Right now I now use a Leica Q2 with a 28mm lens. Perfect camera and lens for shooting portraits and street scenes. Because it's more of a wide-angle lens, it forces me to get close to my subject to make a more intimate portrait. I really love interacting with my subjects! TPL: What are you focusing on right now, in your work and photography? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? CD: Right now I’m focusing on my street photography, transitioning away from doing commercial work. I still shoot an occasional portrait in my studio; however, I prefer photographing environmental portraits. My studio has become more of a creative nest, rather than a commercial studio space. In five years I hope to still be walking the streets of NYC, discovering life as it unfolds before my eyes, meeting all sorts of people. I hope to travel to France and Italy to re-shoot the streets with my “new” street photography eyes. I want to see what projects may emerge from my library of images, perhaps publish a zine and maybe even a book. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… CD: To browse my cookbook collection and find something delicious to bake. I find baking relaxing. Cooking stressful. I garden, make flower arrangements (my Dad was a florist!). I also like to wander through museums. Being in NYC, I’m spoiled with so many amazing museums so close by. One of my favorites is a lesser-known one called The Morgan Library and Museum. It’s also great to people watch on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Carol Dronsfield is an extremely talented photographer with a unique and emotionally engaging style. We take this opportunity to thank Carol for introducing us to her vibrant characters that she photographs on her walks along the boardwalk of the iconic Coney Island. To see more of Carol's inspiring photography, please visit the links below and be sure to follow her online for updates. VIEW CAROL'S PORTFOLIO Website >>> Instagram >>> read more interviews >>> WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth. FUTURE HACKNEY Don Travis and Wayne Crichlow are the photographers and community advocates behind Future Hackney, merging photographic activism and social engagement to amplify inner-city marginalized communities' voices.

Born and raised in Eastern Europe, rather introverted, hard to express what I feel... I've been doing street photography since 2014 on and off and it gradually turned into a coping mechanism to deal with all the shit that's out there. Every time I go out to take photos I feel like I'm a part of something bigger but yet...free. When I'm roaming the streets, it feels like I'm a part of the city, a part of the bigger whole, feels like I can be myself. As you'll see most of my shots have a very high contrast and this is what I always look for. I don't always play with light, more so, with the absence of it. ASEN GEORGIEV Born and raised in Eastern Europe, rather introverted, hard to express what I feel... I've been doing street photography since 2014 on and off and it gradually turned into a coping mechanism to deal with all the shit that's out there. Every time I go out to take photos I feel like I'm a part of something bigger but yet...free. When I'm roaming the streets, it feels like I'm a part of the city, a part of the bigger whole, feels like I can be myself. As you'll see most of my shots have a very high contrast and this is what I always look for. I don't always play with light, more so, with the absence of it. LOCATION Sofia BULGARIA CAMERA/S Fujifilm XT-20, Ricoh GR III WEBSITE https://underthesilhouettes.wixsite.com/my-site/home @UNDERTHESILHOUETTES FEATURES // Under The Silhouettes

FINDING HIS ZEN Jason Phang uses his photography as a way to regain his zen, drawing strength from the people he observes through his viewfinder. FINDING HIS ZEN April 23, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Jason Phang INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Exploring the beauty of life through his lens, Jason Phang has found a way to reconnect with his inner self. Originally from Singapore, Jason has lived in Auckland, New Zealand since 2004 with his family. Not limited to a specific genre, Jason uses his lens to capture the beauty of people and places with an eye for highlights and shadows. His photographs reveal an intimate understanding of life and its many nuances, allowing him to find solace and strength within the people he observes. Jason's journey with photography began out of a need to press pause on the world, and instead found his zen through the lens of his camera. “I came to realise that photography was a really good way to help me achieve mindfulness. I retreat into a studio in my head and the time spent making photos gave me a sense of peace can tranquility that I crave.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JASON PHANG THE PICTORIAL LIST: Jason, when did you start getting interested in photography? JASON PHANG: As a kid my mother made me pose endlessly and we took lots of photos together. At that age, I associated the camera with pain and boredom. But as I grew up, what my mum said about how to take photographs stuck with me and I was keen to try my hand at it. I also liked how those painful moments posing for my mum gave me a way to remember my childhood and keep those memories alive. When I started my first job out of school, the digital revolution had started. Digital cameras allowed a real novice like me to experiment through trial and error. Mistakes made can be deleted without paying good money to have them developed. That ability really gave me the confidence to invest in a camera and give photography a shot. Over the past 20 years, I continued that journey of learning and experimenting. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? JP: Inspiration can be found in two ways, simply going out shooting and letting the scene in front of me develop and researching. I carry my camera with me all the time when I’m out and about. My photography preference tends towards un-staged street photography. As such, just getting myself out there allows me to inspired by the people and architecture around me. Prior to social media, I found inspiration in National Geographic, Travel magazines and Life magazine. Stories and journalism intertwined with powerful images evoke a strong emotion in me and make me want to get off my chair and go make some photographs. Social media is often portrayed in a negative light because it encourages people to compare and not be content. I’ve found so many instances of strong storytelling through video, words and images from talented people around the world. Rather than comparing myself to them and forming a judgement of any kind, these photographers have opened my mind up to different viewpoints. TPL: Where is your favourite place(s) to photograph? JP: I’m starting to realise that the city environment is my favourite place to shoot. Places where people come together. It is kind of scary for me to admit this as we are planning to move away from an urban environment to a rural setting which might change what I shoot. TPL: Has your style of photography changed since you first started? JP: When I started photography, I took photographs that directly helped me record memories. As I continued my journey, I also started to use photography as a means to record memories indirectly. I wanted to record the world around me, not necessarily faces and moments I was involved in but the environment I was in. I hoped that in doing so, they will trigger richer memories and help me be more aware of the people and situations around me. TPL: Who are your favourite artists? JP: Sean Tucker has definitely inspired me the most in the first 1-2 years. I appreciate his reflective approach to photography and his unobtrusive style of street photography. Fan Ho is a master. Alan Schaller also inspires me. Here are other photographers that inspire me - @kimiko_bw @steffanherricknz @adriano.rh @theweijian @lin.taro Comparison is the thief of joy. - Theodore Roosevelt TPL: What characteristics do you think you need to become a good photographer? What’s your tips or advice for someone in your genre? JP: Be patient and slow down. This is something I personally struggle with. I use photography to be more mindful because I have a tendency to react when I should simply just wait and pause. It might sound counterintuitive when street photography is about living in the moment and capturing the world as it goes by. But so far in my limited experience, slowing and and pausing before clicking on the shutter has served me better than the whack a mole approach. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the art world before photography? JP: I have not. I like art. TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone just starting out? JP: “Money is only important to the person who has heaps”. I am inspired by my camera of choice. I won’t deny that my Fuji X-T30 has both enabled and inspired me to shoot. I’m also a victim of camera envy. While I might sound like a hypocrite, I also think that the best camera is the one you have with you. Cameras are expensive. Full Stop. Period. My advice to a starter will depend on how much disposable income they have. If you’ve got disposable income and are able comfortably look after yourself and your family, I would encourage the photographer to get a mid range camera (like a Canon M50 or Fuji X-T20/30) as they allow a new photographer to fall back on solid automatic settings and grow in confidence to try different approaches like aperture priority or full manual. However, if disposable income is low, I would feed the passion and grow your skills with any camera you can get your hands on. A phone camera is plenty good enough as it is with you all the time and it teaches storytelling and composition skills. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? JP: No. I’ve read/watched other photographers talk about projects with themes and all. But I personally have not arrived at that stage of my journey yet. However, I’m keen to see what my answer to this question will be in 2 years’ time. TPL: "If I wasn’t photographing what would I be doing?... JP: I would want to teach yoga. Both are ways I get physical and mental therapy." Jason is an inspiration to those of us who are passionate about photography — not only for his amazing work but also for his dedication to personal growth and self-expression. His story is one of strength, courage and determination — and it’s one that will continue to be told for many years to come. VIEW JASON'S PORTFOLIO Jason's website >>> Jason's instagram >>> read more interviews >>> WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details. VISUAL HEALING BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS Betty Goh’s photography exemplifies the transformative power of visual storytelling, where personal adversity becomes a canvas for resilience, illuminating the connection between art, healing, and self-reclamation. EVERYDAY BLACKNESS Parvathi Kumar’s book is a profound tribute to the resilience, and contributions of incredible Black women from all walks of life, making it a vital addition to the conversation around International Women’s Month. A VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY Fanja Hubers’ journey in photography is one of continuous exploration, balancing documentation with artistic self-reflection. MARCH FORWARD Through photography, Suzanne Phoenix creates a space for representation, recognition, and resistance — ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are seen, heard, and celebrated. FLUX: Exploring Form, Luminescence, and Motion Amy Newton-McConnel embraces unpredictability, finding structure within chaos and allowing light to guide the composition. AN ODE TO SPONTANEITY AND SERENDIPITY Meera Nerurkar captures not just what is seen but also what is felt, turning the everyday into something worth a second glance. THAT’S HOW IT IS Luisa Montagna explores the fluid nature of reality - how it shifts depending on the observer, emphasizing that subjective perception takes precedence over objective truth. FUTURE HACKNEY Don Travis and Wayne Crichlow are the photographers and community advocates behind Future Hackney, merging photographic activism and social engagement to amplify inner-city marginalized communities' voices.

I am not a street photographer that has studied the works of the renown pioneers of the genre, nor have I completed a photography qualification. Simply I am mostly a self-taught amateur photographer. Photography was a natural extension of my love of travel. The journey probably started during a trip to Ethiopia and Morocco. I captured a couple of images that drove me to explore photography as something more than a means of taking record pictures. Upon returning home I started to make the effort to go out and walk the streets and alleys of my hometown Melbourne and its inner suburbs, and in the process I started to discover my home cities true soul. From there I just photographed whatever captured my attention, slowly forming an understanding, vision and style for my photography. ADRIAN WHEAR I am not a street photographer that has studied the works of the renown pioneers of the genre, nor have I completed a photography qualification. Simply I am mostly a self-taught amateur photographer. Photography was a natural extension of my love of travel. The journey probably started during a trip to Ethiopia and Morocco. I captured a couple of images that drove me to explore photography as something more than a means of taking record pictures. Upon returning home I started to make the effort to go out and walk the streets and alleys of my hometown Melbourne and its inner suburbs, and in the process I started to discover my home cities true soul. From there I just photographed whatever captured my attention, slowly forming an understanding, vision and style for my photography. LOCATION Melbourne AUSTRALIA CAMERA/S Canon 6D MII @ADTAMO FEATURES // The Invisible Workers Praying For Peace Beautiful Coincidences

I'm an artist at heart, or rather someone who would like to be one! I work in the international development sphere, which gives me plenty of opportunity to take photographs. My photography took off in 2016, whilst I was doing project work in Nigeria. I was able to capture images that truly reflected the countries I worked in, and not the stereotypical images that were peddled in the media. My style is mostly street and predominantly people too. I have a mix of my London life and fabulous people I meet in Africa. There’s something about capturing people in their environment that I really enjoy. It wasn’t easy to begin with and, it took me a while to be brave enough to move on closer to take the shot, as well as, being able to approach people and take their portraits. Fortunately, I had a lot of good advisers at hand! IBI GOWON I'm an artist at heart, or rather someone who would like to be one! I work in the international development sphere, which gives me plenty of opportunity to take photographs. My photography took off in 2016, whilst I was doing project work in Nigeria. I was able to capture images that truly reflected the countries I worked in, and not the stereotypical images that were peddled in the media. My style is mostly street and predominantly people too. I have a mix of my London life and fabulous people I meet in Africa. There’s something about capturing people in their environment that I really enjoy. It wasn’t easy to begin with and, it took me a while to be brave enough to move on closer to take the shot, as well as, being able to approach people and take their portraits. Fortunately, I had a lot of good advisers at hand! LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Sony A7iii, Fujifilm X100F @IBI.GOWON.PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // Shot From the Heart Shop Back in Time

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