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CONTRAST TO DARKNESS Michael Capulong is just at the beginning of his photography journey capturing beautiful graphic street scenes. CONTRAST TO DARKNESS March 18, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Capulong INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE In the bustling city streets of Singapore, one young man has set out on an unexpected journey of discovery. Armed with nothing more than a camera and a passion for light and shadows, Michael Capulong is just at the beginning of his creative photography journey. After purchasing a camera to make family travel videos, Michael began to explore the world of street photography and quickly fell in love with the craft. With a focus on capturing intriguing subjects and creative compositions, Michael’s photos are graphic and dominated by the colour black; providing a unique outlook on the world around him. It’s clear that Michael’s journey has only just begun; and we can’t wait to see what else he captures along the way. “I was born and raised in the Philippines. I went to Singapore in 2008 to find a job. The original plan was to work here just for 5 years, save money and go back. But then, I ended up being here for the last 13 years. The main reason why I purchased my camera is for making travel videos with my family. I was never really interested in photography, until I saw a couple of YouTubers' videos showing their photos and how they have taken them. So in October 2020, I thought of giving it a try. Then a few clicks later, I found myself wanting to go out almost every weekend just to find some interesting places and subjects to capture.” IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL CAPULONG THE PICTORIAL LIST: Michael, where do you find your inspiration to photograph? MICHAEL CAPULONG: I get my inspiration from people around me, lines and shapes of shadows created by sunlight, reflections on water and puddles, and colours created by different kind of lights. TPL: What do you want to express through your photography? What are some of the elements you always try to include in your photographs? MC: I want to express the beauty of lights and shadows. How stunning a simple shadow of an office building casted on plain white wall can be if you add a right subject into it. As much as possible lights and shadow. And I always try to include a person in my composition. Whether it just his silhouette, part of his body or just his shadow. TPL: What happens when you walk the street with your camera? Explain your technique. How do people generally respond? MC: When I’m out with my camera, I usually walk miles for hours finding a good place to shoot. I always want to capture photos with very high contrast. Lights and shadows basically. I always prefer shooting while the sun is shining very bright. I love how it creates nice contrast in the photos. But considering the weather in Singapore, which is mostly raining if not cloudy, I’m trying to explore other types like silhouette kind of style as well. I do fishing kind of style of photography. Honestly, the only technique I use is wearing my most comfortable pair shoes and be very patient in finding the right light and be even more patient in waiting for right subject to come into my frame. TPL: How has the pandemic affected you and your photography? MC: I started photography during the pandemic. In fact, the situation could’ve pushed me to go into photography. Since I can’t travel anywhere else. I enjoy street photography because through this, I can capture and share how I see things happening around me. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us? MC: Most of the photographers I know are YouTubers. People like Peter McKinnon, Alan Schaller, Pierre Lambert, James Popsys, Gareth Danks, Sean Tucker and Mark Fearnley. But Gareth and Sean inspired my style the most. TPL: Does the equipment you use help you in achieving your vision in your photography? Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? MC: They say - “It’s not the camera but who’s behind the camera”. But of course, at times, proper equipment do provides help in getting a proper composition. I’m using a Sony A6400 camera. I usually shoot with the 24mm prime (35mm equivalent) but I change to a wider/longer lens when required. As a beginner, I believe this camera is good enough to capture all the shots I want to take, but if given a chance to upgrade into a full frame camera in the future, then I would be happy to take it. TPL: When you go out photographing, do you have a concept in mind of what you want to photograph, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? MC: To be honest, when I go out for a shoot, I usually run round like a headless chicken. Walk around to find a good location with a good contrasting lights and shadows. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? MC: Currently, I’m doing photography as a hobby and do not have intention of doing it professionally. In fact, I am still considering myself as a beginner. Five years later, I see myself still doing this with probably a better gear and skill. If I can make money out of it, why not? TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… MC: I usually spend my time video chatting with my family back home. 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.

PICTORIAL STORY ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. September 27, 2025 PICTORIAL STORY PHOTOGRAPHY Parisa Azadi STORY Melanie Meggs SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link “Ordinary Grief taught me that photography can hold space for both pain and care — and that healing often begins with the act of seeing.” Parisa Azadi, a photographer whose long-term project Ordinary Grief (2017–2022) unfolds as a quiet meditation on exile, longing, and return. Born in Iran and raised in Canada, Parisa returned after 25 years of self-imposed exile carrying a deep sense of emotional ambivalence. Her return was shaped by cultural amnesia, familial distance, and the need to make sense of a place that had once been home yet no longer felt fully her own. Moving between memory and observation, her images trace the textures of estrangement and belonging, threading the personal and political into a tender, open-ended portrait of contemporary Iranian life. With each frame, Parisa Azadi invites us to dwell in the ambiguity, to sit inside contradiction, where grief becomes not only an echo of the past but a presence in the present, and where dignity, resistance, and joy persist in the quiet spaces between. The title, Ordinary Grief , is itself a provocation, drawn from Mahmoud Darwish’s Journal of an Ordinary Grief , a collection of autobiographical essays in which Parisa cites as a guiding emotional register. “He writes about living under occupation,” she explains, “the pain of exile, and of being silenced in your own land. He describes grief as continuous, absorbed into daily existence.” Rather than isolate dramatic moments, her photographs dwell in the cumulative effects of weariness and resignation. “Over the years, economic collapse, state repression, and political violence have worn down bodies and minds, souls and imaginations. I saw and felt grief in every encounter,” she writes. “In weary slumped shoulders, long stares into space, thoughtful pauses in conversation.” It is ambient and structural. But crucially, it is not passive. “Grief is the condition of everyday life,” she adds, “woven into every gesture and any attempt to move forward. These moments lay bare a quiet resignation, the fading of ambition, the surrender of hope for something more.” Trained in photojournalism, Parisa often works within linear narrative structures depending on the story and context. Ordinary Grief evolved in response to the realities of working under surveillance and censorship in Iran. Those limitations pushed her to find new ways of photographing, and from that constraint, a more poetic and intuitive form of narrative began to take shape, one in which her photographs accumulate meaning like refrains in a song. “The sequence moved like a poem,” she notes, “flowing from one note to the next.” Photographs are pulled from the archive years later, re-sequenced, re-read, sometimes only revealing their layers with time. “Photographs don’t stay fixed,” she says. “Their meaning shifts over time, as the country changes, and as I change, too.” This refusal to fix meaning is both aesthetic and ethical. Parisa is acutely aware of how Iran is flattened and misrepresented in global media. “Without careful sequencing,” she warns, “photographs of women in hijab, men praying, or protest crowds can be too easily read through the narrow lens the West often applies.” Rather than omit these realities, she situates them among others — children playing in the snow in Tehran, a family gathering in Lorestan, a Kurdish man caressing his horse in Ilam. These images counterbalance the tropes without disavowing the truth. In doing so, Parisa opens space for a practice grounded in mutual responsibility rather than extraction. That responsibility is central to Parisa’s process, particularly when photographing communities in politically sensitive environments. Her work is embedded in long-term trust and collaborative decision-making. One example she recounts: “I photographed the secret engagement party of two friends. The woman’s parents were against their inter-faith marriage. In Iran, women who have not been married must obtain official consent from their father before marriage. The bride did not get this consent but proceeded with the engagement party anyway. There were five of us in attendance at a secret garden in Tehran.” Parisa was permitted to photograph the couple over the years, but several photographs have never been published. “We decide together what to conceal and what to reveal,” she explains. “My process is inherently collaborative.” Here, documentary photography is no longer about ‘taking’ an image; it becomes a shared act of holding space, of protecting stories too vulnerable for public scrutiny. Ordinary Grief is shaped by Parisa’s own embodied knowledge of displacement. Born in Iran and raised in Canada, she describes her own experience of dislocation. “Looking back,” she reflects, “I was really searching for a way to move through the world on my own terms. That longing came from an oppressive childhood in Iran, and from the deep sense of not belonging I felt after immigrating.” Her formative experience as a 21-year-old volunteer in post-Katrina New Orleans marked the beginning of her photographic voice. “Photography offered something I hadn’t known how to name at the time: freedom, direction, and the ability to speak without someone else’s permission.” This ethos of using the camera as a tool for listening and being seen continues to define her work to this day. What emerges from Ordinary Grief is a body of work that is simultaneously intimate and methodical, personal and political. Its power lies in a visual language of gestures, pauses, and glances. Parisa’s photographs do not demand interpretation; they demand presence. We are invited not to consume these images, but to sit with them, slowly. To acknowledge the quiet persistence of care in a country too often mischaracterized only by crisis. “Despite trauma and tragedy,” she says, “I didn’t want to portray Iran as unbearably and relentlessly dark, bleak. The suffering is real, but it’s not unique to Iran — and it doesn’t define everyone’s life. Visualizing joy and resistance felt equally — if not more — urgent. There are powerful stories of survival in the quiet details of daily life. Simply being alive on your own terms matters as much as the violence in the headlines.” In exhibiting Ordinary Grief in North America and Europe, Parisa brings not only images but the contextual narratives that accompany them — stories like Leila’s, a woman who married at 19 to escape her overbearing father, only to find herself with a violent and addicted husband. “Despite conservative, familial pressure not to divorce, she chose to become a strong single woman,” Parisa explains. “I was able to share what I saw in Leila: remarkable tenacity and courage in the face of overwhelming odds and rigid social mores.” These personal histories give weight and specificity to the photographs, transforming them from anonymous documents into acts of witness. Nesa and her friend Yasaman look out the window during the coronavirus pandemic in Tehran, Iran, on June 9, 2020. As the currency collapsed and inflation surged, many young Iranians faced growing uncertainty about their future. The pandemic deepened their isolation — cutting them off from friends, opportunities, and an already limited connection to the outside world. © Parisa Azadi Zahra adjusts the curtains in her home in the city of Ilam, Iran on November 5, 2018. Zahra married at the young age of 19 to escape her overbearing father. Her husband turned out to be a violent addict. Despite conservative, familial pressure not to divorce, she chose to become a strong single mother. © Parisa Azadi Iranian women walk down a trail back to their home after celebrating a birthday in the mountains in Damavand, Iran on September 3, 2018. © Parisa Azadi Negar and her friend Hussain embrace each other on the streets of Tehran, Iran on October 13, 2017. © Parisa Azadi Iranian men stand along a canal running through a farmland in the district of Haji Abad on the outskirts of Borujerd, Iran on February 7, 2018. © Parisa Azadi Akbar Golmohammadi takes a break while hiking in the mountainous area of Kilan, Iran on February 20, 2018. Locals used to call Kilan the lost heaven. But over the years, due to rising temperatures, climate change and poor urban planning, the village is experiencing severe drought and high unemployment rate. © Parisa Azadi Young Iranian boys sell plastic toys along the beach in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran on December 2, 2018. The growing unemployment rate and economic distress has caused substantial increase in child labor in Iran. © Parisa Azadi Reza sits for a portrait on his bed in the city of Ilam, Iran on November 3, 2018. © Parisa Azadi Two Iranian sisters pose for a portrait on the beach in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran on Dec 7, 2018. In my travels, I witnessed Iranians pushing the boundaries of what is traditionally acceptable — girls in bright pastel-colored bathing suits on the beach and unmarried couples embracing each other in parks. I saw subtle moments of yearning and fervent desire for social change. © Parisa Azadi A portrait of a deceased Iranian boy, Davood Ramezani hangs in the living room of his family’s home in the village of Alamut, Iran August 3, 2018. Davood Ramezani passed away at the age of 17 after a long battle with an illness. International sanctions have caused a dire shortage of life saving medicines that are typically manufactured abroad, putting millions of Iranians at risk who need medical care. © Parisa Azadi A view of an empty room in a hostel in Tehran, Iran on May 17, 2020. The hostel was closed in June as it it struggled financially due to the coronavirus pandemic. Iran is grappling with a broken economy which is already suffering from high inflation, high unemployment, international sanctions and widespread corruption. © Parisa Azadi Reza Pavand poses for a portrait during his wedding celebration on the Island of Hormuz, Iran on April 19, 2019. Persian wedding traditions vary from region to region in Iran. On Hormuz Island, the groom wears a green veil over his face during the ceremony until the bride arrives. Green symbolizes luck and renewal. © Parisa Azadi Zahra lingers by the door waiting for her sister to come back inside on August 10, 2018 - in Alamut, Iran. © Parisa Azadi A worker cuts extra branches from a tree to be cleared away from power lines in Kilan, Iran on February 20, 2018. © Parisa Azadi Nesa Afrangeh draws on Yasaman Tamizkar’s arm while sleeping in the photographer’s home amid the coronavirus outbreak in Tehran, Iran on June 28, 2020. Like many young Iranians, they are worried about their future. Currency collapse, unemployment, and inflation make it harder for young Iranians to make ends meet, with many of them seeking a better life abroad. © Parisa Azadi Nesa and her friend Yasaman look out the window in Tehran amid the coronavirus pandemic in Tehran, Iran on June 9, 2020. Like many young Iranians, Nesa and Yasaman are worried about their future as currency collapse, unemployment and inflation is making it harder for young Iranians to meet basic financial demands and is pushing many of them to seek a better life abroad. © Parisa Azadi The project resists closure. Parisa does not present Ordinary Grief as a resolved archive or a complete testimony. Instead, she invites us to engage in ongoing recognition and to witness not only what has been lost, but what continues to prevail. “Photography became a way to witness not just what was broken, but what endured,” she says. That endurance is not loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It flickers in the intimacy of daily life — in the way people carry each other, carry memory, and carry on. This is the quiet strength of Ordinary Grief . Its power lies in the slow unfolding of visual and emotional truth. Through its careful, considered gaze, it asks us not to look at Iran, but to see with it. Not to resolve, but to remain close. In Parisa Azadi’s work, we are reminded that the photograph — at its most human — is not a record of what happened, but a mirror held up to what persists. view Parisa Azadi's portfolio website >>> instagram >>> The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author/s and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List. read more stories >>> THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye.

I am a documentary and street photographer currently based in Vietnam. I am not good with words so I tell stories through my photography. My first photography approach was in January 2015, when I bought my first film camera – the rangefinder Yashica Electro 35GT. I took a ton of photographs and spent most of my money on buying and developing films. Shooting film, at the time, was a therapeutic photography practice that helped cure all my anxiety. Coming across an article about Vivian Maier, the American street photographer, by chance on the internet and was utterly astonished. Her story was so inspirational to me, which changed my life around since then. Since then, I practice photography more often, carrying a camera all the time, taking images of everything and everyone. VINH TRAN I am a documentary and street photographer currently based in Vietnam. I am not good with words so I tell stories through my photography. My first photography approach was in January 2015, when I bought my first film camera – the rangefinder Yashica Electro 35GT. I took a ton of photographs and spent most of my money on buying and developing films. Shooting film, at the time, was a therapeutic photography practice that helped cure all my anxiety. Coming across an article about Vivian Maier, the American street photographer, by chance on the internet and was utterly astonished. Her story was so inspirational to me, which changed my life around since then. Since then, I practice photography more often, carrying a camera all the time, taking images of everything and everyone. LOCATION Hanoi VIETNAM CAMERA/S Fujifilm X-T20 WEBSITE https://tranquocvinh.com/ @MONS119 FEATURES // Don't Wither Away Visual Vocabulary

CURIOUS BY NATURE Felicia Olivares is interested in people and the places where they live, going about their daily activities in their social environment. CURIOUS BY NATURE May 17, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Felicia Olivares INTERVIEW Karin Svadlenak Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE We are surrounded by unique stories that add a unique flavor to our lives. Everyone has a story to tell us. It could be of joy and sorrow, of struggle and success, of love and loss. We may not always remember these stories, but they remain a part of us - a part of our culture and identity that brings us together as people. Felicia Olivares has made it her mission to capture the stories of the people and places where they live. Through her work as a photographer, she is able to document the daily activities of people in their social environment, giving us a glimpse into the lives of others in ways we might not have seen before. From capturing the beauty of nature to the hardships of everyday life, Felicia’s lens brings us closer to understanding the diversity of human experiences. In this interview for The Pictorial List, we will explore the work of Felicia Olivares and learn how she uses photography to capture the stories of people and places around the world. We will also delve into her journey as an artist, and how her passion for people and places has shaped her work. So join us as we take a journey through Felicia’s photography and discover the stories that make us unique. “Everyone has a story to tell us...we like it more or we like it less. Photography is the magic tool that can capture that unique moment.” IN CONVERSATION WITH FELICIA OLIVARES THE PICTORIAL LIST: Felicia, could you please tell us when you first became interested in photography? FELICIA OLIVARES: When I was a teenager, next to books there was also a camera in my environment, belonging to my older brother. I used to torture my friends by taking pictures of them. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? FO: In real life and in my imagination. I tend to think of situations, places and moments and create scenes that I photograph. I am curious by nature. And above all I enjoy looking at the work of classic photographers from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. I am very interested in their work and life. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? FO: As a teenager, the first photographer to impact me the most was Cristina García Rodero. Her photos are magical, like taken from a world I had never seen or imagined. She was the one who marked the beginning. And I started to look for and be interested in other photographers... of course, the founders of Magnum and all the other members who were joining the agency. They brought photography to the street and directly to the lives of ordinary people. I especially love Josef Koudelka and his lifestyle, Bruno Barbey, Martin Parr. And a Spanish photographer that fascinates me, among others, is Carlos Pérez Siquier. But the list is long and almost infinite because also through Instagram I have met impressive photographers. TPL: Describe your style. FO: Frankly I don't know if I have my own style, because many topics interest me, and I see and treat every one of them differently. In reality I follow my instinct. Every day is different, and I do not always feel the same. Everything changes all the time. TPL: Where is your favourite place to photograph? FO: Always outside, in any place or situation that catches my attention Curiosity, motivation and observation. See with your own criteria, without prejudice and be relaxed about it. TPL: What characteristics do you think you need to become a 'good' photographer? What’s your tips or advice for someone in your genre? FO: Curiosity, motivation and observation. See with your own criteria, without prejudice and be relaxed about it. Even if I don't have the camera with me, I like to look like I have it and I always capture moments. We actually see in slow motion because an instant lasts only tenths of a second and the difficulty is in capturing it. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the artistic world before photography? FO: Since I was a child, I drew, painted and designed. Later, in high school, instead of going, - not always - (laugh), I drew the teachers or whatever came to mind (my student books were full of them). TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone just starting out? FO: Yes it is, but you don't necessarily have to have super expensive equipment. To my understanding a manageable camera with good optics, at least in my case, is enough. It depends on what type of photographer you are and what you do exactly. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? FO: Bodies and faces of the elderly. that time when the inner age does not correspond to the body, but shows in the eyes. We turn our backs to the elderly and on a life-stage that is full of wisdom and also of great satisfaction. With my photos I want to look at old age with dignity and admiration. TPL: "If I wasn't photographing what would I be doing... FO: I would be a gardener and a goldsmith. And always adventurous." PORTFOLIO read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

Konrad Hellfeuer is a German freelance artist who specialises in photography and drawing. He has always been interested in art and started to develop his skills at a young age. After completing his schooling, he decided to pursue a career as an artist and has been working as a freelance artist ever since. Konrad's work is characterised by its attention to detail and its ability to capture the essence of a moment or subject. He has a keen eye for composition and light, which results in stunning images that are often evocative and thought-provoking. KONRAD HELLFEUER Konrad Hellfeuer is a German freelance artist who specialises in photography and drawing. He has always been interested in art and started to develop his skills at a young age. After completing his schooling, he decided to pursue a career as an artist and has been working as a freelance artist ever since. Konrad's work is characterised by its attention to detail and its ability to capture the essence of a moment or subject. He has a keen eye for composition and light, which results in stunning images that are often evocative and thought-provoking. LOCATION Görlitz GERMANY CAMERA/S Sony Alpha 99 WEBSITE https://www.konradhellfeuer.com/ @HELLFEUERKONRAD FEATURES // Eternity

I am passionate about photography as a hobby and artistic expression. I am interested in several genres and I like to experiment with techniques and images. The purpose of this series is to explore long exposure photography. The images obtained with a longer than usual exposure time seek to capture more seconds of the scene. It is a technique that helps to portray the passage of time. These blurred, unfocused images, of different colours and shapes, connote the mixture of emotions and uncertainties that arise from this year of health emergency - Covid 19. The photos also evoke the different ways of perceiving the passage of time in the pandemic. DANIELA PEREIRA I am passionate about photography as a hobby and artistic expression. I am interested in several genres and I like to experiment with techniques and images. The purpose of this series is to explore long exposure photography. The images obtained with a longer than usual exposure time seek to capture more seconds of the scene. It is a technique that helps to portray the passage of time. These blurred, unfocused images, of different colours and shapes, connote the mixture of emotions and uncertainties that arise from this year of health emergency - Covid 19. The photos also evoke the different ways of perceiving the passage of time in the pandemic. LOCATION Montevideo URUGUAY CAMERA/S Canon 77D @DANIELA.PMP FEATURES // Fragments of a Time

Betty Goh's photography is infused with a sense of mystery and imagination. Her original and unconventional contemporary style often surprises and captivates her audience with its unexpected perspectives. Born and based in Singapore, Betty’s primary passion is abstract street photography. She views the urban landscape through alternative lenses, transforming the ordinary into extraordinary. Her work explores the beauty of everyday streets, capturing the intricate details of layers, lines, spaces, reflections, shadows, and silhouettes. Betty describes her photographs as introspective reflections of her subconscious. Street photography has provided her with a space to express the complex emotions of urban life — passion, loneliness, fear, tension, and dilemma. These unspoken, surreal emotions often emerge as hidden elements in her visual poetry. BETTY GOH Betty Goh's photography is infused with a sense of mystery and imagination. Her original and unconventional contemporary style often surprises and captivates her audience with its unexpected perspectives. Born and based in Singapore, Betty’s primary passion is abstract street photography. She views the urban landscape through alternative lenses, transforming the ordinary into extraordinary. Her work explores the beauty of everyday streets, capturing the intricate details of layers, lines, spaces, reflections, shadows, and silhouettes. Betty describes her photographs as introspective reflections of her subconscious. Street photography has provided her with a space to express the complex emotions of urban life — passion, loneliness, fear, tension, and dilemma. These unspoken, surreal emotions often emerge as hidden elements in her visual poetry. LOCATION SINGAPORE CAMERA/S Leica Q2 and Q3 WEBSITE https://www.bettygohphotography.com/ @BETTY_GOH_PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // Visual Healing Beyond the Diagnosis

PICTORIAL STORY CRACKS TO MEND “Do we ever leave childhood homes? Never: they always remain inside us. Even when they no longer exist.” - Ferzan Özpetek August 9, 2023 PICTORIAL STORY photography IDA DI PASQUALE story IDA DI PASQUALE introduction MELANIE MEGGS SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Photography is more than just a way to capture a moment; it’s an art form that can tell a story. As a lover of photography and the visual arts, Ida Di Pasquale uses her camera to tell a story that goes beyond the physical world. Through her work, she attempts to capture emotion and mood, rather than relying on rational thought. From her analogue beginnings to her more recent experiments with film soup and cyanotype, Ida has explored a wide range of photographic techniques. She’s drawn inspiration from renowned photographers, seeking to convey emotion in her own work. Yet, her most personal project is one that comes from the heart. Titled Cracks to Mend , it tells the story of Ida's birth house in Faiano, a small village in Abruzzo, Italy. After two devastating earthquakes and numerous tremors, the home was left in rubble. Through her photographs, Ida was able to capture the memories that remained. Thus, Ida Di Pasquale has created a beautiful story of resilience amidst tragedy. Join us as we explore her captivating journey through photography and explore the emotions that are conveyed through her work. L'Aquila Earthquake, Italy. 6 April 2009. My father's house is badly damaged. We are in Faiano, a small village on the slopes of the Gran Sasso. About 24 families live here at the time of the earthquake. Evacuation order. Despite the ban, we only manage to enter the house for a moment. Quickly I take a few photos, concentrating on the details, the objects...they recall facts, people and situations, and times that I would like to stop forever...so as not to forget... Amatrice Earthquake, Italy, 2016. Another earthquake, in nearby Amatrice. Further tremors devastate our small town, now practically abandoned. Red zone. Absolute ban on entering the village. This is followed in 2018 by the demolition of most of the houses in the village, including mine. The tailors' house, my father Federico's and my grandfather Nicola's. We enter again, but only for a moment...like thieves in their own house we take away a few small mementos and a few more photographs... Now only rubble remains to be carried away. Only memories and cracks, cracks in the heart. ... Enough An object A glance A flower in need of care A door ajar The screaming sea A crack in the wall The sun going down Memories assail And we meet Again © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale © Ida Di Pasquale Ida Di Pasquale’s work is a powerful reminder of how photography can be used to tell stories that go beyond the physical. Through her art, she is able to explore the overwhelming emotions that come with tragedy and loss, while also conveying resilience and hope. It is a reminder of the strength that comes from remembering and cherishing the memories of the past. Ida’s work is captivating and heart-wrenching, and we recommend that you view more of it. By doing so, you will gain an insight into the emotional journey of someone who has experienced significant loss but continues to find hope and strength in the stories of her family. view Ida's portfolio Website >>> Instagram >>> Facebook >>> 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.

BOOK THE PROVINCIAL May 21, 2021 BOOK PHOTOGRAPHY Antonis Giakoumakis TEXT Antonis Giakoumakis INTRODUCTION Melanie Meggs SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Photography for Antonis Giakoumakis is creation, communication, and storytelling. It is about not wanting to forget that moment, seeing pictures in spaces...moving, listening and observing. It may not be objective, but it can be a constant reminder that the world is not what we see. What to write about the Province and even more for my own Province, since emotions are often contradictory within me. Conflicting emotions. Good memories and sad memories. So I let my photos "speak" (to the extent that they can), in an attempt to capture an inner need to re-capture past images that often pass through our eyes or appear coincidentally in front of us. We see them walking around the old neighborhoods with low houses, courtyards, trees casting their shadows on the street, my eyes are filled with images. The memories are coming! "In a photo that is nothing more than a presence...of an absence!"(K. Dimoula) From one end of the country to the other. Buildings old and new, which signify the human presence even if it does not exist. The absence around us sometimes becomes intense but redeeming. It seems to be true but also imaginary. The scene is empty but the traces are a lot. They say that..."The only reliable witness we lived, is our Absence!" So contradictory but at the same time so clear. The old one, with the modern one. Roads full of livelihoods, kids to play, a hum but also absolute peace! The shops, the workshops, the meeting places, the taverns and the traditional cafes! Human faces are sometimes cheerful and sometimes gloomy. Carefree? Casually? Inaccessible? Familiar? The upper and lower neighborhoods...I reminisce with some nostalgia what was before and wonder if it was permanently lost. From one end of the country to the other, Greece is the same everywhere and at the same time…so different! The words of poet Dinos Christianopoulos touch my mind and heart. ITHACA I do not know if I was consistent or the need to get away from myself, the narrow and small Ithaca with its Christian associations and its choking ethics. However, it was not a solution; And I've been rolling from street to street ever since having wounds and experiences. The friends I loved are gone and I was alone, trembling that no one saw me that I once talked to him about ideals... Now I'm back with a last-ditch effort to look flawless, whole, come back and I am, my God, like the helpless one who leaves truth, bitter, and turning around to the father the good heart, to live in the bosom of a private apostasy. I bring Neptune inside me, that always keeps me away and even though I can still approach, will Ithaca find the solution for me? PORTFOLIO CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team.

I am a street and documentary photographer. I started my career in photography as a hobbyist in 2019 while doing my Masters Education in Marketing. I tried all genres of photography in the beginning, and discovered that street and documentary work attracted me more than any other genre. I do love to travel to find new places and stories. I identify myself as a learner, trying to learn new things from everyone. My work has been featured in National Geographic Photo of the week, and as a finalist in CHIIZ Magazine. My photograph has also been selected for publication in the 5th 35 Awards, and a documentary about Republic Parade Rehearsals has been published in The Fleeting magazine. SANDEEP KUMAR I am a street and documentary photographer. I started my career in photography as a hobbyist in 2019 while doing my Masters Education in Marketing. I tried all genres of photography in the beginning, and discovered that street and documentary work attracted me more than any other genre. I do love to travel to find new places and stories. I identify myself as a learner, trying to learn new things from everyone. My work has been featured in National Geographic Photo of the week, and as a finalist in CHIIZ Magazine. My photograph has also been selected for publication in the 5th 35 Awards, and a documentary about Republic Parade Rehearsals has been published in The Fleeting magazine. LOCATION New Delhi INDIA CAMERA/S Nikon D3300 & Sony A7III @IM_SAADHU FEATURES // Finding New Stories

I am an accomplished artist having studied art in college and then extensively with Haitian masters such as Roland Dorcely, Tiga, and Arijac, in Haiti. After 25 years of practicing several aspects of art, I discovered photography and absolutely fell in love with it. Although I consider myself to be autodidact, I have taken many courses with renowned photographers, notably with street photographer Eric Kim. I specialise in abstract street photography and I find Haiti to be a hotspot and very fertile ground for my craft. I am fascinated by the human condition, the ironies, the contradictions and the darker sides of life. I am also very passionate about documenting social causes. Currently I am studying Curation and Abstract Post Modern Art/Photography. I also adore music and cooking, and try to incorporate them into my love of photography. I am single mom, my two kids and my dog are my very best friends. VANESSA CASS I am an accomplished artist having studied art in college and then extensively with Haitian masters such as Roland Dorcely, Tiga, and Arijac, in Haiti. After 25 years of practicing several aspects of art, I discovered photography and absolutely fell in love with it. Although I consider myself to be autodidact, I have taken many courses with renowned photographers, notably with street photographer Eric Kim. I specialise in abstract street photography and I find Haiti to be a hotspot and very fertile ground for my craft. I am fascinated by the human condition, the ironies, the contradictions and the darker sides of life. I am also very passionate about documenting social causes. Currently I am studying Curation and Abstract Post Modern Art/Photography. I also adore music and cooking, and try to incorporate them into my love of photography. I am single mom, my two kids and my dog are my very best friends. LOCATION Port-au-Prince HAITI CAMERA/S Leica DL7 @VCASS_PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // The Golden Hour of Haiti Random Passersby

THE AUTHENTIC GAZE: THE DON'T SMILE PROJECT Delve into the visual anthology of urban youth, a collection of moments where the mundane transcends into the profound, sparked by the click of Amy Horowitz's camera. THE AUTHENTIC GAZE THE DON’T SMILE PROJECT February 26, 2024 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Amy Horowitz INTERVIEW Bill Lacey Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE The look. The eyes. Expressionless, yet intimately revealing. Something below the surface, waiting to be revealed. Youthful, individual, all with a story to tell. The captivating portrait work of Brooklyn-born photographer Amy Horowitz and her “Don’t Smile” project highlight the rich diversity of a generation unafraid of individual expression. Set against a backdrop in New York City’s West Village, Amy captures something honest and pure, not distracted by a reflex reaction to a raised camera. Instructing her subjects to avoid smiling, she is able to pull back a curtain and explore an unexposed depth not immediately visible. Overcoming a shyness to approaching strangers and with a 50mm lens in hand, Amy is frequently found photographing in Washington Square Park. When meeting her in person, she exudes a warmth and trusting aura, helping to set her subjects at ease. A veteran of the advertising world, she has a keen eye for spotting the uniqueness of individuals. Inspired by Diane Arbus and Mary Ellen Mark, Amy’s work reflects curiosity and empathy for her subjects, often photographing them more than once when the opportunity presents itself. Her daily walks in the culturally rich neighborhoods of NYC expose her to many young adults, typically students from nearby liberal arts universities. “On the surface, there was a vibrancy, a specific mix of joy, defiance, morality, kindness, and a bit of despair, that I like to think is tinged with hope. Underneath the dyed hair and accessories, tattoos, and thigh-high boots, stands someone’s son, someone’s daughter, a human with hopes and vulnerabilities. While we’re all trying to find our way in the world, the beauty of these people is in their self-expression.” Amy's portraits stand as a testament to the courage it takes to be truly seen. Each frame a narrative, each photograph a celebration of raw humanity. We invite you to delve into the visual anthology of urban youth, a collection of moments where the mundane transcends into the profound, sparked by the click of Amy's camera. “Okay, look in my eyes, and whatever you do, don’t smile.” IN CONVERSATION WITH AMY HOROWITZ THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Amy, so happy to have you part of The Pictorial List. Welcome! Please start off and tell us something about yourself. What would you say first drew you to photography? AMY HOROWITZ: Hello. Thank you for including me on “The List.” I’m honored and very grateful to be amongst such talented photographers. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, near Coney Island and my family moved to the New Jersey suburbs when I was six years old. After graduating college, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in Psychology, I moved to New York City to pursue a career in advertising. There my clients included Coca Cola and Cover Girl. After working for about eight years, I married, moved back to the suburbs, got pregnant and chose to be a stay-at-home mom. Eighteen months later, I was pregnant again, this time, with twins. The three of them sparked my interest in photography, as is the case with most new parents. Photography resonates with me as I find it to be fun! Once my children left home, I was able to devote more time towards learning about it and improving my technique. As a creative endeavor, photography keeps me focused on the present. And I believe it helps me to concentrate, even when I’m not shooting. My mind often feels like a computer with multiple windows open all at once. When I’m taking pictures, I don’t feel that way. I feel calmer and directed and I like that. I enjoy photography because I can do it on my own, which is important to me in terms of managing my time. When I’m feeling inspired, I can immediately act on my creative impulses. TPL: How would you describe your photography, and what would you say you are always trying to achieve artistically? How do you hope people feel when viewing your work? AMY: I shoot street portraits in New York City, primarily in the West Village and Washington Square Park. I’m looking for people who catch my eye: who stand out to me in some way. I’m looking for something genuine. I see myself in my subjects, and I hope others viewing my portraits also see parts of themselves as well. Happy with my own company, and more introverted than social, I still long to connect with the outside world, albeit, in small doses. Photography allows me the opportunity to meet and engage with people I otherwise wouldn’t without a camera in my hand. With my photography, I hope to tap into emotions and traits that we all share…hope, despair, longing, success, vulnerability, sadness, and passion, etc. I hope my pictures make people stop and really look, and in some cases, look again and again. I’d like to think that people are spending time trying to discover the person in the portrait through various details in the image, like body posture, hand placement, location, expression, clothing. There is a little bit of every photographer in each of their images and mine are no exception. I hope that viewers of my work also see themselves, as we are all the same at the core, with hopes and dreams, and vulnerabilities and strengths. TPL: What have been some of your favorite places you find inspiration to explore through your photography, and what draws you there? AMY: My favorite place to shoot is Washington Square Park in the West Village of New York. The park is filled with people from all walks of life: NYU, Pratt, Parsons, and New School students, parents with their children, artists, musicians, drug addicts and random people strolling through or taking a break, sitting on the benches, taking respite from the busy city streets. Welcoming and relaxed is how I would describe the park. I’ve met and become friends with many other photographers and “regulars” there, so much so, that it feels like a second home. I find it to be the best place to find people to shoot for my “Don’t Smile” project, as many I approach are also artistic and want to support fellow artists. The young adults I meet there are individual in their style and make for interesting portraits. In choosing who to ask for a portrait, I’m always looking for “something soft underneath the shell” but I also hope they have something of interest about them as well, whether it be colored hair, spiky boots, tattoos, or something as simple as ripped jeans or an interesting, patterned shirt. TPL: What have been some challenges that you have faced as a photographer in NYC? AMY: New York City, itself, doesn’t pose any real challenges for me as a photographer. I find the opposite to be true as the shooting opportunities here are endless. Averaging about five or six miles of walking a day, I find that I always come upon the unusual, and the extraordinary, whether it be a protest, a celebrity cooking in a food truck for charity, a dance group practicing in public, a pet rabbit on a leash, a snake around someone’s neck, or even a cyclist balancing a garbage can on their head. I find it all delightfully entertaining. When I first started shooting portraits, the only challenge that I faced was within myself. I was a bit nervous to approach strangers and ask for their portrait. I distinctly remember seeing a person that I knew would make a memorable portrait and I just told myself that if this is what I want to do, I must face my fear and just go back and ask, which is what I did, and they said ‘yes.” After taking a few shots, I quickly scooted off, without even asking their name. I did this several more times with others and eventually became comfortable approaching strangers. TPL: What is the camera you are using now, and your preferred focal length? And, how involved in post-processing do you get? Do you try to get the shot in camera or refine the raw image in Lightroom or similar? AMY: For my “Don’t Smile” project, I’ve been shooting with a Nikon Z7 digital camera. My preferred lens is a fixed 50mm. My aperture ranges from f1.8mm to f2.5mm as I always want both eyes in focus. I always shoot manually and focus on the eyes. I always try to shoot the best image I can, but always edit. Henri Cartier-Bresson is the only photographer I’ve heard of that never manipulated his photographs after he shot them. I do a quick pass in Lightroom and then refine my edits in Photoshop. For me, it can mean the difference between an okay shot and an extraordinary one. At times, I’ve even changed orientation. Primarily, I shoot portraits vertically, but have, at times, cropped horizontally, to create tighter, more impactful images. TPL: What’s an important lesson you have learned over your career? AMY: One of the best lessons I’ve learned is that you can’t succeed unless you try. I was nervous approaching strangers for their portrait, but I did it. I was reluctant to share my work on Instagram, but I did it. Computers used to be challenging for me, but once I learned Lightroom and Photoshop and printing, I’m able to manage it all. Thank goodness for customer service! Once I saw the incredible images in Gulnara Samoilova’s Women Street Photographers book, it was a goal of mine to be part of that community, so I entered their Open Call in 2022 and became a finalist for the first time. Photography keeps me in the moment with no room to think about the past or worry about the future. TPL: Do you have any favorite artists or photographers you would like to share with us and the reason for their significance? If you could just choose one photographer to shoot alongside for a day...who would you choose? And why? AMY: Diane Arbus and Mary Ellen Mark are two of my favorite photographers. Diane Arbus’ work reflects a reverence and sympathy for her subjects. Mary Ellen Mark photographed some of her subjects over the course of decades, building trust and taking a real interest in their lives. In fact, she offered to pay for college for one of the runaways she photographed, called “Tiny”, but she had refused. Both photographers have greatly influenced my photographic experience. For my “Don’t Smile” project, that I’ve been developing for the past several years, I shoot primarily young adults on the cusp of adulthood. Many I run into and photograph again and again. It’s interesting to see how their looks change from season to season and year to year. It’s nice to catch up and see how they’re doing. We follow each other on Instagram to stay connected. Many are very creative, pursuing careers in fashion, film, music, art, and the like, and I follow their efforts, struggles and successes. I’m happy when a person I’ve photographed tells me excitedly that they are modeling at Fashion Week, or got signed by a modeling agency, or are arranging flowers in Virginia, or are interning with a famous music group, or looking to apply to art school, or got hired as a DJ at a famous club. I love when they tell me that they love their portrait, and that I caught them at a low point the day I took it, and they look at the image now and they don’t feel that way anymore. And I’m sad when I see them posting that it’s a dark time for them and that they are struggling mentally and/or are having a hard time making ends meet. I feel good when I shoot someone who clearly used to self-harm, with razor cut scars visible on their skin, but now they are thriving, feeling mentally stronger and pursuing new goals. I find the trust and connection that develops with many of those I photograph, to be tremendously rewarding. Mary Ellen Mark once said, “I realized all of the possibilities that could exist for me with my camera: all of the images that I could capture, all of the lives I could enter, all of the people I could meet and how much I could learn from them.” I totally relate to her words. There are so many talented modern day street portrait photographers whose work I admire and find inspiring, like Rob Bremner, Billie Charity, Ilana Rose, and Lewis Gant. I would love to spend a day with all of them, but I came upon Richard Renaldi’s book, Touching Strangers, and found it to be deeply moving. For this project, Richard approached and asked strangers to physically interact while posing together. This work is all about human connection. Like Renaldi and most portrait photographers, I’m an observer. I think we look for something of interest on the outside, but search for an inner authenticity in our subjects. There’s a trust and engagement necessary between the photographer and those they photograph. Beyond that, there’s a certain compassion we feel and expose through portraiture. Renaldi’s work speaks for itself in that regard. So, Richard, if you’re reading this, I would love to spend a day learning from you and watching how you work. TPL: What role has the digital community played in your photography journey thus far? AMY: The support I’ve received from the digital community, specifically Instagram, has been tremendous. A bit nervous to put my work out there, I made a year of “Don’t Smile” portraits before I created an account and began posting my work. I don’t remember if it was my becoming a finalist in the annual Women Street Photographers Annual Open Call for the first time in 2022 or an invitation from Danny Jackson to interview me on Street Badass that helped increase my visibility, and ultimately “followers” on Instagram. Most recently, Roma Street, another photography collective, has been very supportive of my work, often sharing it on their Instagram “stories.” Equally as important as the people viewing and following my work, are the incredibly talented pool of photographers that I “follow” and support. Each morning, I spend a couple of hours “traveling the world,” as I call it, looking at and analyzing images made by photographers all over the globe. I learn something from all of them. It is a wonderful community of creative individuals, many of whom I now call my friends. I’ve had walks in New York with photographers visiting the area from Israel (Iddo Pedahzur), London (Mish Aminoff Moon), Italy (Andrea Morani) and Florida (Adrienne Marie). It’s so interesting to see other photographers shoot, what they look for, what their eyes see, and if they shoot covertly or go up and ask like I do. I’ve had a wonderful photographer, Harry Williams, from San Francisco, send me a copy of his book, “Eye See You”, as a thank you for supporting his work. Marcos Queiro and Nina Go, both artists, have used my portraits as inspirations for their artistic creations. TPL: How do you educate yourself to take better photos? AMY: When I moved to New York City, I took several classes at The International Center for Photography. Through the “Grammar of Photography” series of classes, taught by Christopher Giglio, I learned about famous photographers and what sets them apart, as well as what makes a photograph truly special. In class, we would look at hundreds of photographs and analyze them. The experience helped me see in a new way. There would always be homework and the Professor would critique everyone’s work in front of the whole class. I learned to take better photographs by looking at other people’s work, and by trial and error. I try to shoot every day. TPL: What is the most rewarding part of being a photographer for you? AMY: My passion for photography has been rewarding to me in so many ways. It has broadened my world. For decades I’ve been focused on others, primarily my family. Now, I can focus on myself and devote the time it takes for this craft. Also, I love to walk and wander, and observe. I’ve always been that way and for many years that part of me was put on hold. Photography keeps me in the moment with no room to think about the past or worry about the future. It feels almost meditative, calming, in fact, until which time I find someone or something interesting to photograph and then my adrenaline fires, and the stimulation of knowing I got a good image takes hold. And there are times when I’m out shooting and I’m not sure of the quality of my images until I import them into my computer. Editing at the day of the day is a treat as I find the process to be relaxing and creative Interacting with the people I shoot has been remarkably gratifying to me. Having the camera in my hand opens the door for interactions with people I otherwise might not have met. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve found the photography community to be caring and supportive and have made many good friends. TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? AMY: I’m continuing with my “Don’t Smile” project for now. I’ve thought about choosing another demographic or location for my project, but I just don’t feel the need to end this project yet. I have shot “Don’t Smile” portraits in my travels abroad and found it both challenging and fun to ask people to not smile when I don’t speak their language. Usually, I let them smile, as they’re inclined to do, take the shot, and then use my hand over my mouth to illustrate, “don’t smile”. My goal is to publish a book of my “Don’t Smile” images. I put together a hardcover coffee table book for myself, during Covid through Blurb (in Lightroom’s Book module) and loved the experience of curating my images. AMY: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… I enjoy spending time with my family. My interests have remained the same since I was younger: exercising (I’ve been a Pilates enthusiast for years) going to the movies, Broadway shows, art galleries, and museums. I love meandering through cities, observing, and looking for inspiration. While I love doing these things with family and friends, I’m quite comfortable doing all of them by myself.” 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.