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HUMAN CONTACT By walking through the streets and observing people's behaviours, Jan Ponnet tries to develop a keen eye for the subtle nuances and rhythms of life on the street, and learns to anticipate and capture these moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. HUMAN CONTACT June 16, 2023 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Jan Ponnet INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Street photography for Jan Ponnet is an exciting form of photography where he can capture the spontaneous moments of everyday life on the street. Born in Antwerp, Belgium and now living 15km from the city in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Jan trained as an engineer and had his own business in the central heating industry. Since his retirement, Jan has picked up the thread of photography full-time again. “My passion for photography lies in the street. It is challenging because it often involves observing and looking for something interesting in an ordinary place. It involves also photographing unknown people in public spaces, without asking their permission. When people say no, it is important to respect their decision and not be intrusive. Although most people say they don't want to be photographed, only an extremely small number confirmed this to me - the vast majority quietly allowed me to do it in a way that says: look at me!” Jan is a street photographer who wants to “look for the snapshots that try to portray a positive mood, a smile, a tender moment or just the image at the right moment.” By walking through the streets and observing people's behaviours, Jan tries to develop a keen eye for the subtle nuances and rhythms of life on the street, and learns to anticipate and capture these moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. “I was about 20 years old when, before the digital age, I watched images appear in the darkroom, in the developing pool. Turning a moment, a flash, into a lasting image grabbed me and I still have that feeling. The play of light and human contact brought me to the streets.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JAN PONNET THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Jan…welcome to The List! Let's start by telling us something about yourself. JAN PONNET: I was born and raised in Antwerp. With an engineering degree and experience in some big companies, I started my own central heating business. When it turned out that none of my children would continue the business, I sold everything. Around age 60, I then found the time to photograph more. Now it is an out-of-control passion. TPL: Could you tell us what growing up in Antwerp has inspired in your work? What special qualities unique to this city influence your street photography and the way you portray your community? JP: Antwerp is one, by Belgian standards, of the bigger cities—a port city with a multicultural and generally accessible population. However, I don't think Antwerp has anything specific photographically. I think I can photograph in any city. you just have to look, see, feel... TPL: What first attracts you in the moment, movement, light, color, or texture? Or do people and their personalities play an important role in how you portray them? JP: When portraying a city, I first look for a suitable background. Then I just wait for someone to pass by. Like love at first sight, I pick out someone who I think will do well. After a brief introduction, most of my actors are willing to be portrayed. So far, I have rarely been wrong. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to create? JP: Outside exhibitions and books, there is so much to follow on the internet these days to broaden your horizons. TPL: Does having a spontaneous approach to your street photography allow for the serendipity at the moment to dictate the frame? JP: Of course, you need some luck to capture a decisive moment. But I believe in the fact that this is also a matter of practice. The more practice, the more you see, and feel the moment coming to dive into the scene. With many people, I have a nice chat before or after photographing and that gives me great satisfaction. TPL: What was one of your favorite moments photographing in the street? Where was it? And why? What are some of the challenges that you have faced out photographing on the street? JP: One of those favorite moments are parades, manifestations, processions. These are the favoured circumstances for me to focus not on the subject of the day but on the bystanders. The challenge is not to contravene privacy rules. So always be friendly and accommodating because of privacy states. You cannot get a good expression on demand, you have to shoot this directly. With a little chat afterwards is usually OK. If not, the customer gets his way! But always be friendly and accommodating. TPL: Do you have favorite locations you like to point and shoot, or do you prefer the challenge or inspiration of new locations? JP: I don't feel tied to certain locations. It's always fun to explore new surroundings. The reason why can be very different…look, a smile, clothing, a silhouette, a pose. As long as there is someone around, and preferably with whom we can make contact. TPL: Do you have any favorite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? JP:There are of course the classics, for example, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Fan Ho, and Capa because very frequently I ask myself: was I close enough to it? On social media I follow inspiring photographers such as Alan Schaller, Paul Reid, and Chris Mozyro. 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? Is there anything on your wishlist? JP: I started with one of the first Minolta reflex cameras. I'm not going to be flippant about equipment and whine about its unimportance. Currently, I walk around with a Leica 10M, simple, small, and handy. When I want to dive into the scene and frame it into a fascinating environment, I take a 28mm. Portraits I do on the street usually with a 50mm TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your photography goals for the next 3-5 years? JP: I do walk around with some ideas. In recent years, I've been staying in different cities for several months. The best way to be immersed in the city and its population. So follow me. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... JP: I like traveling and visiting cultural places and museums. My passion naturally involves a lot of walking, which I hope is good for my health…haha. In the evening I like to play Bridge the card game.” 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.

HONK KONG TAPESTRY It is the minutiae of everyday life that most defines Giles Isbell's body of work. By exploring the intricate details, Giles Isbell has created a unique tapestry of what it means to to have once called this majestic city home. HONG KONG TAPESTRY May 19, 2023 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Giles Isbell INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE The bustling streets of Hong Kong have seen some of the most tumultuous and trying years in the city's history. But through it all, it has remained a place of beauty and mystery, one that English photographer Giles Isbell has embraced and explored through his lens. Giles has sought to capture the underlying emotion of the city, with his high contrast shadows, reflection and abstract composition in his series on Hong Kong. Drawing from the political and social reality of this unique metropolis, Giles hopes to create something beautiful and half-revealed in his work, using masks as a metaphor for the stories that remain hidden and unspoken. In his photographs, he attempts to show the many faces and emotions of Hong Kong, from the joys of everyday life to the struggles of its past. By exploring the intricate details, Giles Isbell has hoped to create a unique tapestry of what it means to to have once called this majestic city home. “English born and raised, but I always had an eye for adventure that has led me to live in all sorts of places - Sydney, Tokyo, and Dubai where I met my inspirational Milanese wife and started a family and, for the last few fascinating years, an irreversibly fast-changing Hong Kong. I teach history and I am lucky enough to work in the international school system which allows me to get paid to explore places I could only dream about as a child growing up in England. That’s why I’m in Hong Kong and soon to take up a post in Chiang Mai Thailand which I’m very excited about. I’ll be sad to leave here but I’m excited about a new adventure with my camera.” IN CONVERSATION WITH GILES ISBELL THE PICTORIAL LIST: Hello Giles…welcome to The List! What would you say first drew you to photography? What is it about this medium that you still have a passion for today? How did you find street photography? GILES ISBELL: Hello Pictorial List thanks for having me. I grew up on the edge of Hull in East Yorkshire in the north of England. I was far too energetic, too unfocused, to sit still at school and this got me into all sorts of trouble; so academically I wasn’t a great success. If only someone had stuck a camera in my hand. But back in the 70's and early 80’s, English teachers were often an indifferent bunch. This was a time when it was ok to hit children, or at best turn a blind eye to the random neglect that was common place in the comprehensive schools of the day. On weekends I used to head out with a very heavy book of birds and my dad’s binoculars for hours on end. I explored the woods and hedgerows seeing what I could find. I think what I enjoyed most was being alone with my thoughts and coming home with mud on my boots. I can’t remember seeing many particularly exotic birds, I remember lots of noisy acrobatic crows but I enjoyed the ritual, sense of adventure and lack of regimentation of open space. Perhaps this explained why I was drawn to photography because it was something I could do alone, like birdwatching; just me and a camera; without the judgement or sense of rejection I’d experienced in the school system. Going out alone with my thoughts inspires me still. It keeps me out of trouble. I think the streets I photograph are an extension of the woodland I explored as a child. I’m self-taught and this always feels like a great big ‘fuck you’ to those who had no faith or belief in me as a child. I found street photography when I saved up enough to buy a Panasonic G1 that I had read about with a 20mm pancake lens and a ticket to India; I flew into Delhi and circumnavigated the country with only that camera and had a blast! That was twenty years ago and the start of my love affair with the streets. TPL: Could you tell us what living in Hong Kong has inspired in your work? What special qualities unique to this city influence your street and the way you portray your community? GI: Like all the world’s great cities Hong Kong is an insane mix of traditional and modern, orderly, and seemingly chaotic, but always very distinctly Hong Kong. This is what makes it so special. Hong Kong is somehow Chinese and at the same time it is not. It’s very specifically and fiercely Hong Kong. Hong Kongers have a way of carrying themselves, a way of acknowledging your presence politely but carrying on with their day as if you weren’t there. I mentioned to a colleague when I first got here about what I’d noticed in Hong Kongers eyes, and I think she thought I was barmy. I see something in their look, a resilience, a resignation perhaps but definitely something reserved and gentle that I find appealing. Perhaps this is because since I’ve been here everyone has been masked-up drawing more attention to the eyes. But if eyes are the window to the soul do they somehow reflect the deepest emotions, and fears of political and cultural change. I’m trying to capture something of this in my photography. I’m also trying to communicate some of the changes that’s happening here. Hong Kong has shifted while I’ve lived here in ways it’s hard to fathom without speaking the language. It’s a very guarded society. What I am sure of is that my photographs are redolent of a time that’s unique in Hong Kong's long and turbulent history. Hong Kong reveals itself but never fully to me. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration to create? GI: This I don’t know the answer to. I think it was Helen Levitt who said she expressed herself with images as she was too inarticulate. I’m not schooled in the language of photography but it’s something I feel intensely though; I visualise better than I can describe. I guess my inspiration is somehow rooted in my childhood. And I have a really strong desire to be recognised at least by myself for something creative. I think that’s what keeps me pounding the streets. TPL: There are two techniques that are colloquially referred to as ‘hunting’ and ‘fishing’ in street photography. When you are out on the street taking pictures, are you a ‘hunter’ or a ‘fisher’, or is it a combination of the both? Please describe your process. GI: My photography is mostly spontaneous, and I think that makes me a hunter through and through although trying to slow down. I see the benefits of shooting with intention but usually find myself being led by the mood I find myself in on any given day which usually dictates that I hunt. I’m impatient too which makes fishing almost intolerable most of the time. Like a moth I tend to be directed by the light and I’m forever dashing around looking for a source of illumination. This is the challenge I’m inspired by. TPL: What is the most rewarding part of being a street photographer for you? What are some of the challenges that you have faced? GI: I’m incessantly searching for that almost biblical moment when the cloud’s part, bathing my stationary subject in light, which rarely, if ever happens. The most rewarding part of being a street photographer for me are those moments that I alone experience. Hong Kong in the dead of night is alive in ways I would never have experienced if it hadn’t been for photography. Those moments quietly standing in a darkened doorway watching the city flow past. The biggest challenge for me here is using a 50mm lens in some of the narrow streets realising my back is against the wall, literally, and I haven’t got the width to capture the scene in front of me. It’s also constantly challenging trying to translate the image I can visualise into an image I can capture in reality. It’s the uncertainty and uncontrollable elements that need to somehow converge that make street photography so unpredictable and exciting. The reward is as much in the process as it is the result. TPL: Is it impossible for you not to be constantly on the lookout for a moment to be captured? GI: Yes, totally impossible. I’m obsessed. A glint in the eye or light falling in a certain way sets me off composing in my head. I’m doing it now as I write. Angles, shadows, reflections are everywhere. I want to be taking photographs all the time and I think it drives my long suffering wife mad. I’m self-taught and this always feels like a great big ‘fuck you’ to those who had no faith or belief in me as a child. TPL: How do you manage a work/photography balance? GI: With great difficulty. As a father of two everything all the time alone I have is precious. What I’ve learned to do is maximise the time I’m allocated and that makes the photographs I capture all the more meaningful. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? GI: I’m inspired by Don McCullin; his work stands apart. My parents read the Sunday Times back in the day and I remember being mesmerised by his Sunday Supplement Magazine covers that used to be discarded around the house. I have strong memories of staring intently at these complex images, usually of war torn countries and trying to understand the world they came from but having no idea about the complexities of the places they represented. They were distant and far away. I think more than anything they made me realise that England was too small for me and I wanted to go out and explore. I don’t come from anything like the same working class background as him but I lived in North London for a few years close to where he grew up. My father and grandfather were both born in North London as well, and although we are a generation apart, I’ve always felt slightly ashamed of my education. He has written about his shame too and this resonates with me. He’s an outsider. He talks about darkness in his work that comes not so much from his experiences of war but his background growing up in poverty on North London streets. He’s significant as he made me look outwards. I’m inspired by his harnessing of talent despite the background he came from. TPL: If you could just choose one photographer to shoot alongside for a day...who would you choose? And why? GI: Apart from Don McCullin, if I could, I’d share the early morning golden hour with Alex Webb as he goes about planning his offbeat multi-layered compositions as the sunrise slowly reveals shadows, colour and silhouettes out of the darkness. About an hour before sunset, I’d be hanging out with Saul Leiter in a quiet bar with a table by a window overlooking a crowded street alive with the flotsam and jetsam of city life passing by. I’d watch, and listen, intently as he explains to me the process he goes through to make those photographs that stop me in my tracks whenever I see them. The ones with beautiful colour combinations that somehow capture a suggestion of movement often obscured or partially glimpsed. His photographs are so wildly evocative. I love his unhurried way of capturing a multi-layered New York using reflection and rain. It’s the story part-told I find so intriguing with both of them. More realistically I’d love to spend a day with Stuart Paton (which I could as he runs workshops in Milan); I’m still figuring out his stunning use of light and shade and seemingly impossible reflective compositions; I love what he’s doing. 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? Is there anything on your wishlist? GI: My dad had an old Pentax; left dusty and unused in a wardrobe since he left Cyprus where my family had lived for a few years in the 60’s; my older sister Sarah was born there. He took some wonderful B&W family pictures with it that are of a family centred time and place long lost. He was a navigator in the Royal Air Force based in RAF Akrotiri. My parents lived in a Turkish district somewhere in Limassol, and he used to tell me of evenings spent listening to sporadic gun battles in the neighbourhood and once having to slam his Hillman Minx into reverse after being shot at on his way to the airfield; he was told to carry his service pistol with him at all times. Thankfully he never had to use it. It was only years later I realised McCullin’s first overseas Observer assignment was to cover the Cypriot Civil War in Limassol when my parents were still living there. I think the British personnel stationed there were left alone as at the time this was strictly a Turkish/Greek quarrel. Years later I found that camera. I was 7 or 8 years old and I’d open-up the leather case with a click and marvel at the chrome and glass and feel its weight in my hands. There was never any film in it. I shoot on a Canon R5 with a 50mm f1.2 lens which is a bit of a monster, but I love its low light ability. I want a Leica of some sort or another and I’m not sure what model yet but do know I want something light, small and unnoticeable. I’m attracted to Leica’s history and somebody gave me an uppercut in Milan last year and made me think I need a less obtrusive lens for my street work especially in Europe. TPL: Are there any special projects that you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your photography goals for the next 3-5 years? GI: I’m trying to put together a series that builds on my current series. My goals in the next 5 years are becoming happier with what I do, more confident to display my work. I want to truly master street photography (if that’s ever possible). I know I’m on a journey and what I hope is that I can put together a body of work that means something someday to someone somewhere. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)... GI: Take cover.” 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.

SOCIALLY ENGAGED Joseph Lee's photography is a beautiful exploration of the complexity of human experience. His candid images and dreamlike settings invite viewers to explore their own stories and narratives. SOCIALLY ENGAGED March 30, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Joseph Lee INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Joseph Lee's photography captures the beauty of everyday life. His photographs are often spontaneous, capturing random moments of people in different settings - be it nature, the city, or near the sea. Through these candid images, he invites viewers to create stories of their own, inviting them to explore the complexity of the human experience. At the heart of Joseph's photography practice is a deep appreciation for people and their environment. His images feature characterful subjects who appear to occupy a space with an almost dreamlike quality. His work often evokes a sense of nostalgia, connecting viewers to seemingly forgotten memories. Joseph’s ambition is to document life in a way that leaves the story up to the viewer. Through this creative process, he encourages viewers to explore and discover new narratives from his images. Take a journey with Joseph Lee as he explores the beauty of people and the sense of the space that they occupy. From random moments in nature to people in the city, his images invite viewers to take part in a creative and unique journey. Discover the unique stories that lay hidden in Joseph Lee’s photos and be swept away in a world of nostalgia and beauty. “I’m fascinated by people and have always loved watching them go about their business. My street photography is an extension of that. I’m interested in the magic that reveals itself in these everyday comings and goings. It never ceases to amaze how quickly these moments come to light when I step out with my camera. I just walk and observe and the magic is always there for me. I try to keep the composition simple, with a limited colour palette and a sense of space is important, which probably comes from that cinematic influence.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JOSEPH LEE THE PICTORIAL LIST: Joseph, please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? JOSEPH LEE: I was born in north Wales and have returned recently, having spent most of my life living in London and then Hastings. I have always had an interest in photography, but the passion really took hold about five years ago. It has become my primary creative outlet and there’s no turning back now. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? JL: Definitely out and about watching the to and fro of everyday life is the most inspiring place to be. Also, the Magnum Agency’s work has been a huge source of inspiration. I discovered Elliott Erwitt properly recently and love his work. There’s also Gregory Crewdson, Annie Leibovitz, Don McCullin, Nick Hedges, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Michael Bennett, Robert Frank, Dorothea Lange. Painters such as Edward Hopper, Paul Nash and Mark Rothko as well. I’m also inspired by movies - the vision of directors like Wim Wenders (and his photography), Tarantino, David Lynch and their cinematographers have had a lasting effect on my work, often subconsciously I think. I am studying for an MA in Socially Engaged Photography currently and through that have discovered Wendy Ewald, who’s work and approach I’m very interested in. I love the artists featured on The Pictorial List obviously! The Instagram community has also been incredibly inspiring - there are so many wonderful people doing fantastic work and being part of that community as helped me develop a great deal. There are so many great artists on Instagram, too many to mention but a few are: @luxtasia, @georgiepeelphoto, @leethirkelleson, @darbolger, @streetsnappers, @kim_aldis, @billie_charity, @alanmartine_z, @rpapworthphotos, @robbremner_photographer, @paul_menzies_, and @zigghi49. TPL: Do you have any favourite spots to go photographing? JL: I used to live in Hastings and this period was a turning point in my work. It’s a place of great contrast - with natural beauty and urban grime and grittiness in equal measure. There is also a big socioeconomic divide which can be seen on the streets and I became interested in trying to capture this in my photography. It’s a vibrant, exuberant place, but also a depressed place. There is a sense of isolation both geographically and socially, which I have an interest in. I’ve since left Hastings and moved to north Wales, but I still spend a lot of time in seaside towns capturing this same contrast. Blackpool is currently a favourite spot to photograph for all the same reasons. TPL: Do you have a favourite quote, lyric, or saying that especially resonates with you? JL: Dorothea Lange said, “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” There is so much truth in this and for me, that ‘seeing’ she talks about has huge potential for helping us to understand ourselves and our place in the world and, in turn, improving our wellbeing. TPL: How has the pandemic affected you personally and your photography? JL: The pandemic has without doubt had an impact on me and my work. We were becoming more and more disconnected as a society before it and that is now being felt even more profoundly. So my work is now about exploring this disconnection and isolation, whilst trying to contrast it against a beautiful setting or backdrop. I am also looking at ways of using photography to create better connections between people and their environment. I really believe that if we can see the vividness of our world more clearly and not be so blinkered, we will be better placed to love it and ourselves. Again, as Dorothea Lange said, "Photography is a powerful tool for teaching us to see." I just walk and watch people. I try to cultivate an openness to the surroundings, I’m very interested in how mindfulness helps create this spaciousness of mind. 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? JL: My Fujifilm X-T20 with the 35mm f/1.4 was the turning point for me. I had a Sony before it, which was fine, but the Fuji was revelation. It’s size and it’s ability with colour seemed to just work for me. I’ve recently upgraded to the X-T3 and this has upped the ante further. I still primarily use the 35mm lens, but also enjoy the new 16-80mm lens, which gives me some interesting new options to achieve the cinematic look I like. Apologies to the street purists out there! Also, smartphones have transformed photography for me. The fact that I can grab a shot whenever and wherever and edit it Lightroom, on the go is incredible. I have a Pentax ME, which I love, but I’m just too impatient and love the immediacy of digital photography. Getting home and going through ‘my catch of the day’, seeing what worked and what didn’t is a huge part of the joy. That said, if I had the space I’d love to set up a darkroom and learn that skill at home one day! TPL: When you go out photographing, do you have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? JL: I just walk and watch people. I try to cultivate an openness to the surroundings, I’m very interested in how mindfulness helps create this spaciousness of mind. In that space we can be more receptive to the inspiration that is all around us and then the ideas seem to come more freely. I do look for interesting backdrops and plays of light. Then I lurk in those spaces waiting for the right characters to play their part! Some planning and foresight, patience and a bit of luck is what it’s all about for me. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the artistic world before photography? JL: I spent 20 years working as a creative and latterly Creative Director at broadcast companies, including the BBC, working on TV marketing and branding. Also, my grandfather was landscape painter. He really taught me how to ‘see’ and appreciate the environment and the way light works. So creativity has always been in my life in some shape or form. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? JL: My goal is to continue to develop my own practice, but also my socially engaged work. I want to develop techniques that combine mindfulness and photography to help communities and groups express themselves and connect better through this combined practice. There is huge creative and well-being potential in this area and it is more important now than ever before. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? JL: I am working on The Mindful Photo Project, which is a socially engaged photography project formed around the exploration of mindfulness and photography. We have been running weekly Zoom based workshops where we set weekly assignments for a group of participants, through which they can begin to see their world through a different lens (excuse the pun!). This is as much about developing the group’s technical skills as it is about the therapeutic benefit of the 2 practices. The project is very much in its infancy, but it has been hugely rewarding and insightful already. I’m hoping this will continue to develop and expand, so that we can explore these ideas in other community groups and settings. TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… JL: Study, read, cycle and be a husband and dad." PORTFOLIO WEBSITE INSTAGRAM read more interviews >>> CONTOURS OF ABSENCE Where concealment unsettles recognition and ordinary spaces turn psychological, the photographs of Serhii Fett suspend identity between presence and absence. THE ART OF ATTENTION Curiosity turns portraits, objects, and places into discoveries as Len Irish reflects on a life shaped by the camera’s attention. WHERE EMOTIONS BREATHE Simple encounters Irina Sedletskaya almost missed become photographs shaped by silence, distance, uncertainty, memory, hope, and resilience. THE VILLAGE A workers’ neighbourhood becomes a living archive as Virginia Cassano photographs the people, streets, and memories that continue to shape Villaggio Piaggio. MUTABLE MORPHOGENESIS By merging scientific methodologies with photographic experimentation, Emma Varga creates images that challenge fixed distinctions between human and non-human, visible and invisible. THE ARCHITECTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS Chad Coombs’ Polaroids are small psychological scenes where identity, memory, culture, and belief push against each other. WHERE WE BELONG Community storytelling lies at the heart of The Pictorial List’s mission, and Marlon Ramos’ photographs reflects the spirit of the place we now call home. GUIDED BY A WHISPER Guided by reflection and the quiet presence of art history, Isolda Fabregat Sanz makes photographs that resist certainty and invite the viewer to remain inside the act of looking. WHAT REMAINS, WHAT EMERGES Laetitia Heisler transforms risk, memory, and the body into layered analogue visions — feminist rituals of seeing that reveal what endures, and what quietly emerges beyond visibility. WHAT WE ARE, WHAT WE DO Culture lives where art and community meet, and in this space Alejandro Dávila’s photographs reveal the unseen labor and devotion that sustain creation. ANALOGICAL LIMBO Nicola Cappellari reminds us that the photograph’s power lies not in what it shows, but in what it leaves unsaid. THREADS OF MOROCCAN LIFE Through gestures of work and moments of community, Kat Puchowska reveals Morocco’s overlooked beauty. IT STARTED AS LIGHT…ENDED IN SHIVERS… Between intimacy and estrangement, Anton Bou’s photographs wander — restless fragments of light and shadow, mapping the fragile terrain where self unravels into sensation. WITH EYES THAT LISTEN AND A HEART THAT SEES For decades, Rivka Shifman Katvan has documented the unseen backstage world of Broadway, capturing authenticity where performance and humanity intersect. DIPTYCH DIALOGUES Through the beautiful language of diptychs, Taiwanese photographer Jay Hsu invites us into a world where quiet images speak of memory, resilience, and hope. UNKNOWN ABYSSINIA In Ethiopia, Sebastian Piatek found a new way of seeing — where architecture endures, but women in motion carry the narrative forward. THE PULSE OF THE STREET Moments vanish, yet Suvam Saha holds them still — the pulse of India’s streets captured in fragments of life that will never repeat. WHAT DO WE WANT? More than documentation, David Gray reveals the human pulse of resistance and asks us to see beyond the surface of unrest. CRACKED RIBS 2016 Cynthia Karalla opens up about the art of survival, the power of perspective, and why she believes each of us holds a monopoly on our own narrative. STREETS OF KOLKATA Ayanava Sil’s reveals Kolkata’s soul, capturing moments with empathy, presence and humility while offering deep insight into both city and self. PERIPHERAL PLACES A project by Catia Montagna that distills fleeting encounters and spatial poetics into triptychs - visual short stories that capture the in-between, where meaning often hides. POINTE-AU-CHIEN IS NOT DEAD Through Wayan Barre’s documentary, we are invited not only to see but to feel the lived realities of a community standing at the crossroads of environmental collapse and cultural survival. QUEER HAPPENED HERE Author Marc Zinaman sheds light on the valuable contributions that LGBTQ+ individuals have made to the cultural and social fabric of New York City. TRACES OF TIME Marked by an ongoing visual dialogue with time, memory, and impermanence, Zamin Jafarov’s long-term projects highlight the quiet power of observation and the emotional depth of simplicity. THERE MY LITTLE EYES Guillermo Franco’s book is an exploration of seeing beyond the obvious. His work invites us to embrace patience, curiosity, and the unexpected in a world that often rushes past the details.

PICTORIAL STORY HISTORY IN THE MAKING What happens when history is not just remembered — but staged, lit, and reimagined to confront the present? Dean Goldberg recreates historical pictorials to reflect on the rise of hate crimes and the ideologies behind them. August 19, 2020 PICTORIAL STORY photography DEAN GOLDBERG story KAREN GHOSTLAW POMARICO SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Hate Crimes are crimes that are motivated by prejudice and biases against, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender. Globally we are all challenged by the rise in these crimes. These crimes are perpetrated by extremist collectives that engage in intimidation and violence to eradicate who they feel are inferior or contradictory to their beliefs. We bring to you a special photographic series created by photographer, filmmaker, writer, director, and educator Dean Goldberg. For the past twenty years Dean Goldberg has been living in Woodstock, New York, an upstate hamlet that has become synonymous with the mud-trenched festival that actually took place fifty miles away. His move to Woodstock meant a career change to Academia, where he developed the film and media program for a small liberal arts college in Newburgh, New York. Teaching gave Dean the freedom to work more creatively and develop his love for photography as a storyteller. This led Dean back into the studio to create what he first termed Mise-en-scenes . Dean directed actors, set to a historically correct well-constructed stage, utilizing props that define the time and create tension and create the language for his visual storytelling. Dean shares his inspiration for his journey back through history. “I am still obsessed with manipulating light and dark – using negative space to help the visual, but I wanted to do more, not just produce an image, so my Framing History series was born, and still inspires and directs my work today.” Dean has created a powerful series that depicts hate crimes of the past that speaks loudly to current affairs in the United States. When I went to see his exhibition at the Newburgh Jewish Community Center, Dean had footage of the insurrection on the Capitol that took place on January 6, 2022. There was an obvious overlapping of history, and the language as well as the images confirm we don’t seem to learn from our tragedies and atrocities of our past but repeat them as we move forward into the future. Dean shares his insights and motivation for creating this work. “The Trump presidency hit me hard, as someone who fought against the War Mongering of our post-cold war presidents, who saw the poverty, anger and fascism across America as I thumbed my way cross country when I was 18 years old. The link between The Night of the Broken Glass , and the January 6th insurrection was for me, a bloody chain of rusted steel. The elements were the same; a charismatic leader that spewed hate and prejudice, a population that’s lost self-respect through unemployment, frustration at those in power, and a need to have a scapegoat in which to point their vitriol. While the photos are frozen in aspic, the violence and hate they represent lives again in America. I had played Lily Marlene and other German music during the shoot. I used that as my metronome while editing to present images of the past and present. The video is an essential part of my installation; it is the beating heart of the images hung on the gallery wall.” KRISTALLNACHT Kristallnacht is the most current of Dean’s series of historical photo-narratives that confront the struggles humankind has faced and continues to face today. These series depict true events that reflect the myriad portrayals of human justice. Dean tells us what drives this powerful inspiration for his works. “In this time of light vs. dark, good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, we have a responsibility to speak out against all forms hate and violence and use the magic and majesty of the human spirit to push back against those that spread the malignancy of hate, for the sins of the past have now come back to haunt us.” For those of you who are not familiar with the story known as The Night of the Broken Glass , let me share with you this tragic event in history. On the night of November 9th, 1938, the Nazis decimated the Jewish quarters in Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland. So much damage was done that broken glass littered the streets, and that night was then known forever as The Night of the Broken Glass . Dean found his inspiration to recreate a fictional interpretation of events that took place that infamous night of terror. Dean explains his directives to create the chilling photographs. “ Kristallnacht tells of a fictional meeting of two young lovers who grew up together outside of Berlin, one Christian and one Jew. They meet for the last time in a small out of the way Cabaret for a last dance and champagne. Proud in his uniform he will go on to kill, while she will go to the camps to be killed. The story is fiction. The reality is not. One of the most challenging aspects of creating Dean’s stories was that he became his own art director, prop person, casting director, and set dresser. Dean became a regular Ebay customer, searching for various period pieces, clothing, etc. For example, the doll carriage in Kristallnacht was period true – late thirties and took him a month until he finally found exactly what he needed. Makeup and makeup effects were extremely important, and Dean tried to work with the same people when he could. He shares his process with us. “I don’t use actors for my stories, I pick artists, they seem to be more chameleon-like and without too much artifice. I also like to include real art–in Kristallnacht , the woman who plays the young German girl, New York Artist Erica Hauser painted the Aryan Poster.” Erica adds what it was like to work with Dean and create the painting for this work. “His excitement for the project made me want to contribute. For the Kristallnacht shoot, he commissioned me to make another painting, this one based on a Nazi propaganda poster, Like this . I want to put it on the wall of the cafe. Can you, do it? That's how I ended up making a painting of a young Nazi soldier, my first and hopefully my last; but he was right, it glowed on the dark wall, a piece of background telling more of the story.” Equally important to Dean is the environment he works in and the small crew he devotes his artistic direction to aid in the collaboration that together create the image and body of work. Dean shares why this way of working inspires him. “I like the collaboration; it mimics a film set. I always have music playing that’s relevant to the story and I work to create excitement on the other end of the lens. Ironically the shoot becomes more like a theater piece than a film because of the abstractness of the set. Lots of negative space, theatrical spots, no attempt at verisimilitude. While the Kristallnacht is the first of the series to be installed, all my installations include the props and paintings used in the studio as well as video and audio.” Dean began this series in 2019 and had finished the first three, when he was stopped short by the pandemic. At the time Dean was shooting with a Nikon 6z mirrorless camera but has stepped up to a Fuji Medium Format digital camera to ensure that his prints, when installed are at least 53 inches high at least not lose resolution. Dean uses film lighting, studio grid as well as free standing lights, ensuring the correct exposure, color for his photographs. In Kristallnacht Dean rigged a chimera on the grid to light the dance as well as freestanding Arri lights to illuminate specific areas. Dean has created a series of historical photo-narratives, The Pictorial-List gives you a glimpse into Dean’s world and his direction for his series The Joan Vollmer Murder . Dean tells us what motivated him to create this intriguing photographic series. THE JOAN VOLLMER MURDER “William Seward Burroughs was born 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri. Although related to the Burroughs empire, after graduating from Harvard, Burroughs was given a modest trust that basically paid his rent. He set out to write, drug and screw (boys and men only please) his way through life. But his marriage to Joan Vollmer was at least a true friendship; but drugs were the glue that bound them. Burroughs quickly became a major force in the Beat movement that included Allen Ginsburgh and Jack Kerouac. The beats were the original outcasts; they produced bold new literature while hanging out with thugs and petty thieves in Times Square. In this installation, I wanted to create visuals that did not reveal any of Burroughs’s wit or charm, instead unveiled the bitter truth of the Junkie’s life and the inevitable ghost of death that shadows each fix.” As with all of Deans installations, The Joan Vollmer Murder starred Hudson Valley artist Jackie Skrzynski, turning her from female to male seemed for Dean to be perfect for this work. The installation includes the props and posters in the photographs as well as video clips of Burroughs and other hipsters. Dean found inspiration in the American culture of the 1960’s and the hate crimes that existed in that iconic time in the USA. Dean created a colorful series and shares with us his vision. “The Kennedy era brought with it an air of breezy freedom, new music and new, cool, colors — the Rat Pack, the Cold War, a strong KKK and laws to keep segregation strong. Artist Sienna Martz was delightfully fun as the beautiful reflection of the decade that revolted against the stoicism of the 50s. These interesting events in a critical time in American history, led me to create the series I titled 1961 .” These images do not just hang on the wall, but Dean recreates history once again through his diligent research, acquiring all the special props needed to create the important instantly recognizable characteristics that define that time period and aid in This visual storytelling. Dean explains, “This series will be supported by a video that will show the other side of Camelot , the killing of civil rights volunteers as well as the demolition of poor neighborhoods to make way for Urban Renewal.” I asked Dean what was the match that ignited the fire, to develop these poignant works of art. What was the defining moment, the image that sparked the idea? “Like so many other artists during the covid lockdown, I had to find another way of expression in photography. We have lovely gardens, so I found myself peering down to earth on the most elemental level–from seedling to bud to flowering. But like the beauty of this country, we have been scarred by the poisonous diatribes of those who need power, and have the power destroy souls. So, in the end, I made these flowers drenched in blood. The beauty is still apparent, but the flesh is still wounded.” Dean’s work does not stop here with his historical pictorials. Dean has begun research and has written a narrative for a piece he hopes to produce in the future, The Assassination of Leon Trotsky . The Assassination of Leon Trotsky is in pre-production, featuring artist Norm Magnusson, and a guest appearance by artist Sienna Martz as Frida Kahlo. Dean wants to bring these theatrical pictorials to stage. I look forward to buying a ticket and holding the playbill in my hand! Kristallnacht © Dean Goldberg Kristallnacht © Dean Goldberg Kristallnacht © Dean Goldberg Kristallnacht © Dean Goldberg Kristallnacht © Dean Goldberg The Joan Vollmer Murder © Dean Goldberg The Joan Vollmer Murder © Dean Goldberg The Joan Vollmer Murder © Dean Goldberg The Joan Vollmer Murder © Dean Goldberg 1961 © Dean Goldberg 1961 © Dean Goldberg Flesh & Blood © Dean Goldberg Flesh & Blood © Dean Goldberg Flesh & Blood © Dean Goldberg Flesh & Blood © Dean Goldberg The Assassination of Leon Trotsky (new project) © Dean Goldberg It is an important time in our history to reflect and remember our past. To create work that creates awareness and engages one to think about how we walk into our future. The Pictorial List is grateful to Dean for sharing with our community the important reminders of what we have done in the past, to redirect our energies to create a better future. We look forward to his next series of insightful creations. I personally thank Dean for sharing his time and history with me, reminding me to make a change. view Dean'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 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.

“How does my body hold me in this moment and time ?” With significant changes happening in my life I am returning to myself to find answers. How am I shifting and grappling with the change? What is the language of my body? What does this stillness mean? How does my body hold me? How do I make peace with myself? This sustained attention to examine my body leads me to examine myself. By this steady attention to my myself I am rekindling the lost friendship I once had and I am accepting how my body holds me in this moment in time. MG VANDER ELST “How does my body hold me in this moment and time ?” With significant changes happening in my life I am returning to myself to find answers. How am I shifting and grappling with the change? What is the language of my body? What does this stillness mean? How does my body hold me? How do I make peace with myself? This sustained attention to examine my body leads me to examine myself. By this steady attention to my myself I am rekindling the lost friendship I once had and I am accepting how my body holds me in this moment in time. LOCATION New York UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Nikon Z7 WEBSITE https://www.mgvanderelst.com/ @MGVANDERELST_IMAGES FEATURES // How Does My Body Hold Me In This Moment And Time?

PICTORIAL STORY THE HOLY RIVER LIFE ALONG THE RIVER GANGES July 17, 2020 PICTORIAL STORY Photography and words by Pradip K. Mazumder Introduction by Karin Svadlenak Gomez SHARE Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link Pradip K. Mazumder is an American photographer of Indian origin, based in Northern Virginia, USA. He has documented life along the Hooghly River, in local tongues the 'Ganga', a tributary of the river Ganges and part of the Ganges Delta, in the city of Kolkata, one of the largest metropolitan areas of India and where he was born and raised. Pradip's vibrant colour photographs provide a glimpse into a world where the Ganges plays a central role. He specifically wanted to highlight the richness in the diversity and character of the people in Kolkata, whose lifestyle is very much intertwined with that of the river. What starts as a trickling source of frigid ice-cold waters of the Gangotri glacier, a Hindu pilgrimage site at about 13,000+ feet in the Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand, India, becomes the primary source of water for one of the major rivers of the world – the Ganges. From the snout of the Gangotri Glacier, springs the source of the Bhagirathi River, one of the primary tributaries of the Ganges River. The mighty Ganges is fed by multiple small streams on its journey towards its delta, a long run that takes it South and East through the Gangetic Plain of India and Bangladesh. After a journey of about 2600 km, the Ganges finally meets the Bay of Bengal, some 100 km south of Kolkata. The Ganges is a source of sustenance to millions of people, whose lifestyle, culture, religion, and habits have been shaped by the river for generations. Some of the biggest fairs in India, which attract millions of pilgrims and visitors, are located along the banks of the Ganges. One of the branches that the Ganges splits into downstream is the river Hooghly (also known as Bhagirathi or, locally, Ganga), which flows past Kolkata, today one of India's most populous cities. The wider metropolitan area has a population of about 14.8 million. It is here that I have photographed life along the river. THE CITY OF JOY The year was 1690. In the afternoon of a late August day, a boat belonging to Job Charnock, an agent of the British East India Company, drifting on the Hooghly River, had to make an emergency stop at the banks of the river due to heavy rain. The place, ruled by the Emperor of Bengal under Mughal dominion, consisted of three villages – Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading license, the area was developed by the Company into an increasingly fortified trading post. Thus, Kolkata was born. It served as the capital of British-held territories in India until 1911, when the capital was moved to New Delhi due to the growing nationalism movement in Bengal. Kolkata (previously Calcutta, the official name until 2001), nicknamed the “ City of Joy ” is regarded as the cultural capital of India. It played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and remains a hotbed of contemporary state and national politics. Following India’s Independence from Britain in 1947, Kolkata evolved into a center for modern Indian education, culture, science, politics, and sports. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER The most notable and historic landmark across the river Ganges is the ‘Howrah Bridge.’ When commissioned in 1943, it was the third longest suspension cantilever bridge in the world, connecting Kolkata with the city of Howrah, a major railway hub and industrial center. On average, it carries approximately 100,000 vehicles and 150,000 pedestrians daily. The bridge has been renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate. A second bridge, called Vidyasagar Setu, the longest cable-stayed bridge in India, was completed in 1992 to ease the pressure on Howrah Bridge. Life around the river Ganges starts early in the morning with the bathers and people offering prayers. In the Hindu religion, the river Ganges is considered sacred and is personified as the goddess Ganga. She is worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates 'Moksha' (liberation from the cycle of life and death). There are several temples and places of worship by the banks of the river. It is also a place for business and people’s livelihoods. Located adjacent to the Howrah Bridge, the Mullik Ghat flower market is the largest such market not only in India but in all of Asia, with over 4,000 vendors selling everything from roses, marigold, jasmine, rajanigandha (tuberose), imported lilies, to a host of other flowers. The place is a visual treat to watch, particularly for street and travel photographers. Kolkata is vibrant throughout the year, but more so during the weeklong, Durga Puja Festival, in October. During this time boats laden with piles of straw arrive in Kolkata. This straw is used to build the framework of large idols of the Goddess Durga, which are made out of wood, straw, and clay. Some are as high as 15-20 meters (50-60 feet). The festival ends with much fanfare when the huge idols of the Goddess Durga, along with her four children, are immersed in the river Ganges. © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder © Pradip K. Mazumder All this activity along the river is not without its problems. The Ganges is threatened by severe pollution and riverbank erosion due to the cutting of trees. The rich river ecosystem that sustains human life and wildlife is threatened, and the Government’s effort to clean the waters of Ganges has so far proven inadequate. This is an issue that needs the active support of religious groups, local authorities, and common citizens, as well as global awareness and support. Without this, India’s holiest river - and the livelihoods it supports - are likely to suffer irreparable damages. view Pradip's portfolio Read an interview with Pradip >>> Website >>> Instagram >>> Sources used in this story - Ancient History Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Britannica Wikipedia Times of India The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and are not necessarily shared by The Pictorial List and the team. read more stories >>> THE LIFE WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN Ten years after first seeing Larung Gar, Jing Wei returns to a changed mountain, finding continuity in faith, memory and the lives held within it. PROSCENIUM GHOSTS Said Manseur honors these young actors, their courage, and the unseen work they give to keep theatre alive against the odds. REGINA: BOARDING SCHOOL LIFE AND DREAMS A boarding school room becomes the frame for Cleopatra Joint’s portrait of ambition, instability, and a young woman’s search for freedom. LIFE ALONG THE RIVER Along the Hooghly, Shubhodeep Roy photographs Kolkata through faith, labour and memory, revealing a city shaped by water, inheritance and shared life. A HOME OF MEMORIES AND THE PRESENT Davide Santangelo returns to his family home by moonlight, tracing how absence, memory, and love continue to live within place, objects, and atmosphere after loss. THE PULL OF THE EARTH This is more than a record of rural Bengal. It looks at the bond between Sayan Biswas and the place that shaped him, even after distance has changed that relationship. ARE THOSE WINDS Along Istanbul’s northern edge, Ci Demi photographs the last water buffalo herders as they keep working, remembering, and staying put while the city closes in. COLORS OF HÜZÜN Through fragments and gestures, Pedro Vidal traces Istanbul as shared melancholy lingers in everyday life, the city unfolding slowly and refusing to settle into a single, definitive understanding. OUT OF PLAY An exploration of abandoned interiors in which Marco Lugli examines how objects, light, and space carry memory beyond human presence, establishing absence as a condition of material continuity rather than loss. REIMAGINING TALIESIN Form gives way to flux in Amy Newton-McConnel’s photographs, where architecture unfolds as a field of shifting relations and perception moves with light, geometry, and time. WHERE THE MUSIC BEGINS Before the strings, Jeevan Akash Jayavarthanan leaves the movement of the street for the rhythm of the workshop, where time holds, hands work, and each moment forms what will later be heard. LAND, LABOR, AND THE GOLDEN FIBER In West Bengal’s jute fields, Rajesh Dhar examines the systems of land and labor, tracing how a single material sustains communities and informs a changing ecological future. WITH GRATITUDE AND DEVOTION A quiet and intimate account of devotion in Zaraza, Venezuela, Rafael Ayala Páez reflects on faith, memory, and community through photographs and words that honor the enduring power of small gestures. SILVER AND BREATH Within this fragile space between looking and being seen, Eva Christina Nielsen has developed a practice that is both restrained and deeply attentive. RUPTURE REPAIR REMNANT In this reflection on rupture, Donna Bassin invites us to consider how grief settles into the body and the image, and how the slow work of witnessing becomes a form of repair. DELTA DUSK John Agather weaves image and text into a single current, tracing how music, memory, and daily life continue to move through the Mississippi Delta. SILENT BEAUTY Tamara Quadrelli photographs the world by slowing down inside it. There is no rush to explain what we are seeing. The pleasure comes from staying with it. SOLITUDE UNDER A TECHNIFIED SUN Tracing the space between movement and stillness, Héctor Morón reveals a city that persists as human presence slips by. 4320 MINUTES WITHOUT COLOR Moving between photography and narration, Mohammed Nahi traces a period in which sight could no longer be assumed as reliable, and attention shifted toward memory and duration. THE PAINTED VILLAGE OF LABANDHAR Anjan Ghosh’s photographs carry us to Labandhar, where painting becomes language, tradition stays present, and art grows through shared ground. ORDINARY GRIEF What endures when everything else is uncertain? Through photography, Parisa Azadi asks us to see Iran not as story, but as feeling. THE EVERYMAN Eva Mallis uncovers the quiet strength of overlooked lives, capturing everyday encounters in Mumbai’s industrial districts as intimate portraits of labor and resilience. IN BETWEEN LIFE AND AFTER In Cairo’s City of the Dead, families carve out ordinary lives among centuries of tombs — Paola Ferrarotti traces the fragile line between memory and survival. UNFIGURED Nasos Karabelas transforms the human body into a site of emotional flux — where perception fractures and inner states become visible form. VISIONS OF ICELAND FROM ABOVE Massimo Lupidi takes flight above Iceland — capturing nature’s abstract brushstrokes where land, water, and sky blur into poetic visions beyond the ordinary eye.

STREET HEARTBEAT Passionate Azerbaijan street photographer Joshgun Suleymanov feels if he doesn't take photos it is as if his heart does not work. STREET HEARTBEAT August 9, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Joshgun Suleymanov INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Joshgun Suleymanov is a street photographer from Western Azerbaijan who has been walking the streets and capturing unique moments for the past ten years. Through his projects such as 'The Darkness Inside Me', 'Retro Baku' and 'Joshgun Street', he has managed to showcase his work in Argentine Spanish and is now preparing for even more amazing publications. Joshgun is also a member of the Azerbaijan Photographers Union and his passion for street photography has enabled him to create stunning images. With each photograph, Joshgun captures moments that are both beautiful and deeply meaningful, as if he was able to freeze time itself. His pictures tell stories, revealing something unique about the places he visits. His work is not only visually stunning, but also emotionally evocative, providing viewers with an insight into the beauty and darkness of the world around us. “The perfect scene for me is the one I look forward to the most and feel that moment will happen. I am inspired by a lot of things...it can be in a song or a movie sometimes it plays a role in my mood or some of my worries.” IN CONVERSATION WITH JOSHGUN SULEYMANOV THE PICTORIAL LIST: Joshgun, when you take pictures, do you usually have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? Describe your process. JOSHGUN SULEYMANOV: I think the concept is very important...then you will always have development. Such as looking for an abstract scene on the street and then waiting for the right person to enter the scene. TPL: What were the difficulties you encountered when you first started out in street photography? JS: When I first turned to this genre, I didn't have much experience. I had a large camera and the bulky bag to carry it in...it was torture! And learning to overcome angry glances from people after I took their photo. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists and photographers? JS: Artists such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. Photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Matt Stuart, Alex Webb, Vivian Maier and Fan Ho. TPL: What are your thoughts and feelings about shooting individually with company when out on the streets? JS: I rather shoot alone. The reason is because I am a heavy hunter on the street and distractions can ruin a unique shot. When I don't take photos, it's as if my heart doesn't work...my eyes can't see..my life is very ordinary. TPL: Talk to us about your equipment you use. Do you have a favourite focal length that you use? JS: I am very pleased with the equipment I use at the moment. I use the Fujifilm X100s camera with its fixed 23mm f2.8 lens. It's a retro looking compact camera that is almost always with me. Sometimes I also use the Canon 6D with 24mm, 70mm f2.8 lenses. Using zone focus makes my work almost comfortable. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artists or photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? JS: To have at least three exhibitions in the state big museum and a small book to print. Five years later, to find myself in a similar agency. TPL: Can you talk to us about your series of images of found objects on the beach? What are you communicating to your viewer? JS: I try to go to the beaches every year when there are no special conditions...and a feeling almost makes me come there sometimes toys or a toy hanging from a polluted sea takes me away...and makes me pull them...I think people need to know the value of this temporary world given and given to them. They have to give up plastic waste...they have to leave a clean world for the future. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? JS: I currently have a project and this project is both art and photography using a mixed technique. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… JS: When I don't take photos, it's as if my heart doesn't work...my eyes can't see..my life is very ordinary. 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.

THE UNPREDICTABLE André Lobão leans towards social documentary and storytelling, detaching himself from the objective reality of the world. THE UNPREDICTABLE April 16, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY André Lobão INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE For those interested in social documentary and storytelling, André Lobão is a photographer worth taking note of. As an autodidact street photographer, André has used the camera as an instrument of self expression, offering up thoughtful reflections on the world around us. His interest in photography was ignited in 2019 when he first encountered the work and writings of Henri Cartier-Bresson. André quickly found himself captivated by Cartier-Bresson’s humanist vision and poetic geometry, leading him to delve further into the works of other old masters such as André Kertész and Robert Frank. Fueled by a deep appreciation of the power of the lens to capture moments and stories, André photographs with the intention of detaching himself from the objective reality of the world. He invites us to take a journey with him, engaging with his photographs to explore the world in a new light. “I am originally from Portugal and I have been living and working in London since 2017. My first contact with photography started when I was 12 years old and my father gave me a Pentax film camera. As time passed, I pursued different fields of creativity while studying arts and architecture, and only rediscovered this passion three years ago when I bought, first, an instant film camera, and later, a mirrorless one.” IN CONVERSATION WITH ANDRÉ LOBÃO THE PICTORIAL LIST: André, where do you find your inspiration to photograph? ANDRÉ LOBÃO: In philosophy and literature, mainly. Then in music and other forms of art. In reality, everything is connected and whatever makes me think, inspires me. It can be a dead poet’s book, a brand new song or a simple conversation between strangers I heard at the bus stop. The source doesn’t really matter, it’s what you do with your thoughts, I suppose. TPL: What is it that you enjoy about street photography? Explain your technique? What do you want to express through your photography? AL: I like the unpredictability, you never know what you are going to get. I also like the challenge of capturing unposed moments, the ability to blend into your environment while staying aware and curious. I think the ultimate - and today’s most forgotten - goal of photography is a true form of humanism. If you look to the world and understand that we are all here together, then something meaningful can potentially emerge from inside you, no matter the type of work you are trying to create. You need to make it personal and it needs to be subjective, but the real value of your work will always be in someone else's emotional response. I hope to include in my photographs that reaction, first, by using visual composition, to eliminate distractions, and, second, by implying more than the visible. I believe it is important to leave room in the frame for the viewer’s heart and imagination. TPL: Do you have any favourite spots to go photographing? How has the pandemic affected you personally and your photography? AL: No, I do not. I started photographing consistently in the beginning of the pandemic simply because before that I did not have a camera with full manual control. I made plans for seven trips abroad last year and only managed to do one of them. Like everyone else, I wanted to travel as much as possible and make great pictures. With my photography, the pandemic situation was a complete U-turn and ended up pushing me into my immediate surroundings: first my city, then my neighbourhood and, lastly, my own house. It was a tough change of plans, but, eventually, it taught me that very often a good photograph is just around the corner. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists and photographers? AL: Between the classicism of Henri Cartier-Bresson, the poetic vision of ordinary life from André Kertész and the rawness and bold impulse of Robert Frank. 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? AL: Not really. I see the camera as only a tool. Same way as I see a pencil. You can use it to write your grocery list or to write a poem. I use a budget Olympus E-M10 Mark II with a 35mm full frame equivalent lens these days. However, most of the pictures here on display were made with a 28-84mm kit lens. On a personal level, the pandemic showed me how important it is to create ways to truly reconnect with other human beings. TPL: When you go out photographing, do you have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? AL: It depends. If I am out for street shooting, I try to be like a sponge: I want to absorb the moments that catch my attention. If I am out shooting for a specific documentary or storytelling project, I am more intentional. Usually I draft a list of shots I need to get in order to complete the narrative. They are two completely different mindsets. One is mostly random, the other needs to be more rational. TPL: Have you ever been involved in the creative world before photography? AL: I have been a creative person since an early age. I wrote poetry, drew and played in some underground rock bands. All of those to different degrees of success. Photography is my newest (and hopefully last) creative endeavour. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist? Where do you see yourself or hope to see yourself in five years? AL: The only possible goal is to aim to create meaningful work that resonates with people. I want to grow technically and conceptually in order to achieve it. I also hope to keep developing my own documentary projects and publish them in books. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? AL: I am currently working on two long-term projects that are in different stages of development. One is conceptual, the other thematic. I am planning to share them, at the right time, in the future. In the meantime, I have also self-published a book called “Oblivion/Revelations” that summarises the best work of my first year of street photography. TPL: "When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… AL: Live fulfilled." Thank you. I would like to express my gratitude to The Pictorial List Team for this opportunity and for doing such an extraordinary work building up this community. 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.

THE RAW AND GRIT OF HAWAII Hailing from Hawaii, Tim actually defies all that beauty of Hawaii to instead showcase the raw and gritty photos of the streets. THE RAW AND GRIT OF HAWAII March 15, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Huynh INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE From the vibrant streets of Hawaii to the gritty cityscapes of New York City, Tim Huynh has become an inspirational figure for street photographers across the globe. His eye-catching images of the streets have captured the attention of many, leading to his directorial debut with the documentary FILL THE FRAME. As an ardent street photographer himself, Tim has worked tirelessly to showcase the raw and honest beauty of city life through his lens. Inspired by Vivian Maier's captivating photographs, Tim set out on a journey to explore the streets and document the lives of its inhabitants. Having traveled from Hawaii to Chicago and ultimately arriving in New York, Tim has had an incredible journey that has shaped his work and his outlook on life. From short documentaries to feature films, Tim's story shows how determination and passion can lead to great successes. Today we take a look at the story of Tim Huynh, a passionate street photographer and talented filmmaker, as he shares with us his awe-inspiring journey. Through his words, we will gain insight into both his life and his work on FILL THE FRAME, which follows eight contemporary New York City street photographers as they strive to tell their stories through their art. Join us as we travel with Tim and discover how he found success in photography and film. “Because I shoot mainly in Honolulu, I wanted to showcase a different side that not many people see. Hawaii isn’t all waves, palm trees, and beach bodies. The real side of Hawaii sometimes isn’t all that pretty. Over the years, times have gotten hard, there’s more homeless on the street and folks just living very modest lifestyles. These are the stories I capture in my photos.” IN CONVERSATION WITH TIM HUYNH THE PICTORIAL LIST: Tim please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography and filmmaking? TIM HUYNH: I’m a first generation Vietnamese, born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and currently still residing here. I didn’t grow up surfing waves like most of my friends, or play youth sports. I spent most of my time taking extra math lessons, playing out on the streets in my neighborhood of Kapahulu, and watching professional wrestling. Pro-wrestling such as the WWE (then WWF), was a big part of my childhood, I always loved storytelling, drama, capturing the attention of the audience. This and street photography are probably the two topics I know really well or at least am very passionate about. Interesting enough both are very niche in their industries. In grade school I was the class clown, I enjoyed making others laugh even if it meant making an ass out of myself. I still do it to this day. I was never the smartest kid or the hardest working kid. And I was nowhere near being naturally talented. However, if I discover something of interest and I set a goal, I go full attack mode. I’m not afraid of failure and I’m not afraid of shame. I embrace those two things as it pushes me to never experience those feelings ever. I got into filmography as a senior in high school when I took a video making class for my elective. I had plans to go to college at the University of Hawaii but at the time had no idea what to major in. Luckily, UH had just launched their film school and their program got approved by the time I started. While studying in the Academy of Creative Media at UH, I took a documentary class that really positioned me on this journey. I’ve always loved documentaries. I like being presented with facts and finding out the truth about a subject. But also I hate to follow the herd, so while the majority of my peers gravitated towards fiction cinema, I decided to go rogue. It turned out to be the right direction as I had produced a short documentary on my handicap uncle and it won Best Short Documentary at the school’s year end awards program. After graduation I did a few other short docs but it soon became a burning dream to produce a feature documentary. In 2010, I was in Chicago interning at a small production studio and one of the fellow interns was telling me about Vivian Maier. He showed me her website and told me the whole back story on how his friend John Maloof bought these negatives from an auction and started scanning them and uploading the images on the internet. Her images had inspired me, it was so raw and full of life. I thought to myself, if I’m in Chicago where many of these images were produced, I can do that too. I started walking around Rogers Park and Michigan Avenue just snapping away. What resulted was a bunch of out of focus images, mainly of the homeless. Already I had a greater appreciation for Vivian Maier and what she was able to capture. From that week of shooting I had a greater appreciation for her photographs and what she was able to capture. She made it look so simple and easy, but of course it wasn’t. TPL: How did the idea for the documentary FILL THE FRAME come about? What was the process behind making the movie and finding the photographers? TH: I was very determined to make a full-length documentary. Usually in documentary film, you need to have some sort of connection with the subject matter. As my interest in street photography continued to grow, I realized this was it! There weren't many other films out there (other than the most notable “Everybody Street”), yet there are so many people around the world that pursue this form of photography. I let the idea brew for a couple years, just to ensure that I would still feel passionate about it. After a while I decided instead of daydreaming about this documentary, I needed to put my ideas into action. My original idea was to highlight a street photographer in different parts of the world but knew realistically that would not be possible with a limited budget. So I just narrowed it down to New York City. The location has such a rich history and contained a mix of seasoned and new street shooters. I then contacted photographers that I was already following on Instagram and sent them a questionnaire asking them to detail a little more about their own personal back story. Many didn’t respond to my emails, others I did not find too interesting, and few did not want to be involved. Can you blame them? They must have been thinking who’s this kid from Hawaii doing a documentary on New York City street photographers. I’m very happy with the eight photographers casted in the film. All are excellent photographers with amazing backstories. To me these backstories help bring their photography to life. Taking nice pictures isn't enough, there was more of the story to unveil for these photographers. So I was up for the challenge. TPL: What were the challenges in making the film? In the end, what did you learn and take away from this experience? Would you do anything different next time? TH: Of course the biggest challenge was not being a New York native. When I went to film, it was actually my first time visiting the city. There was a lot of research to be done, and filming continued even after I returned home to Hawaii. Initially, I did not want to shoot too many Q&As with the cast on the streets. I originally thought it would feel more like a YouTube video, but looking back, I would have liked to add more footage of the interview while on the street. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? TH: People in my life inspire me. My mom inspires me. My wife and kids inspire me. Paul Kessel, who in his 80s and motivated to capture his next best shot, inspires me. TPL: What happens when you go out with your camera? Do people respond positively to you, or do you sometimes get negative reactions? If yes, how do you handle it? TH: Luckily, I’ve never experienced any serious confrontation. Most of the time I’ll ignore or pretend I don’t speak English. I guess that’s the benefit of living in a tourist trap. I’m not afraid of failure and I’m not afraid of shame. I embrace those two things as it pushes me to never experience those feelings ever. 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? TH: Recently I’ve been using the Ricoh GR III street edition camera. You can watch and subscribe to my light hearted videos on my YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/wordonthestreetphoto Prior to the GR III, I was using Olympus EM5 Mark ii for six years. It’s a small discreet camera, which makes it easy to take photos on the go. I have lots of memories with that one. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance? TH: My favorite street photographer is probably Vivian Maier because she was my discovery into street photography. She started me out on this street photography journey. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? What are some of your goals? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? TH: Currently, I’m just trying my best to promote FILL THE FRAME. I feel like there is a larger audience who has not yet seen the film. I also am looking to get back into producing YouTube content. Without a professional publicist, I’m personally reaching out to magazines, bloggers, podcasts and doing my own PR to help get the word out on the film. I think there’s much to enjoy when watching Fill The Frame. It’s not just a film about street photography but rather a film about the hope and dreams of the people in the film and how the past connects to the present and future. This film is not just for avid street photographers or fans but it focuses on a more human element. Anyone who has been bullied, who had a career change, or experiencing the unknowns after retirement can resonate with the film. In five years, I see myself producing another FILL THE FRAME in another city. I need to get on the hype train while there’s still room. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… TH: Spend time with my family! That’s what keeps me occupied these days. PORTFOLIO VIDEO TRAILER 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.

THE BIGGER PICTURE To Stefan Hellweger, human presence in photos adds interest, and he enjoys walking about the streets of his home town and documenting life. THE BIGGER PICTURE July 3, 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Stefan Hellweger INTERVIEW Karin Svadlenak Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Photographer Stefan Hellweger finds inspiration in art, science, music, and the photography of others. He thinks that having a personal or emotional connection to a scene or subject helps to get good pictures, if you can translate that emotion into your photographs. To Stefan, human presence in photos adds interest, and he mostly enjoys walking about the streets of his home town and documenting life. Beyond that, content is important to him, and he seeks to use his photography to draw attention to particular causes or issues. If your pictures are not good enough you weren't close enough. - Robert Capa “This might be the most quintessential quote for everybody in street and documentary photography. Although I think it is often misunderstood. It is not only about physical closeness (which is a good thing in these genres) but being closely related to the scene and the atmosphere you are about to show in your photographs.” IN CONVERSATION WITH STEFAN HELLWEGER TPL: Stefan, when did you start getting interested in photography? SH: Like probably many I was taking pictures of traveling, parties, family events and so on all my life. First with analog film cameras, later digital but always in auto mode. The passion grew when I bought my first camera with easy access to all the basic settings for exposure, a Fujifilm X-M1. It was very soon when I realized two things. First, almost every shot gets instantly more interesting if it shows some kind of human presence. Second, learn how to use every camera setting to your benefit and read as much as you can about composition. TPL: Where do you find your inspiration? SH: In art, science, music, other photographers...Pretty much everything that surrounds me in daily life. To name one thing specifically, maybe news. When reading newspapers or seeing the news on TV or the internet I often ask myself what moments I would like to capture if I were there. TPL: Do you have a favourite genre of photography? SH: Definitely street photography and documentary photography. But although I am really not good at it, I also enjoy seeing good landscape photography, which is quite hard to find in my opinion. TPL: Has your style of photographing changed since you first started? SH: When I started doing street photography I was scared as hell to get too near to my subjects. I accepted that it is part of the game to be near the people you are taking pictures of, and so I got closer and closer. Meanwhile I try to take a step back again and get more of the context into the frame as well. TPL: Do you have a favourite place(s) to photograph? SH: Not in particular. I think you can take great pictures almost anywhere. Just make the best of it. Even if you hate a place. Hate is a strong emotion. Use it in your photography and show the viewer why you hate that place. TPL: Do you prefer to photograph alone or with friends? SH: That depends on my mood. I love going out shooting with one or two friends, usually from the Munich Street Collective. But there are also times when I have to put my headphones on and roam around on my own. Almost every shot gets instantly more interesting if it shows some kind of human presence. TPL: Often you focus really closely on people in your street photography. How do you go about it? SH: Actually it is just something you have to get used to. A lot of people won't even realize that you are taking pictures of them when you are that close. TPL: Do you have a preferred lens/focal length? SH: Definitely 35mm, in my case, as a Fuji shooter the Fujinon XF 23mm f2.0 TPL: There are so many different rules about what you can and cannot photograph in different countries. Are you ever worried about legal issues when taking street photos in Germany? How do you deal with it? SH: I try to simply not care about it. I never got in any trouble, and even if people don't want to have their picture taken you can still delete it. TPL: What characteristics do you think you need to become a 'good' photographer? Any tips or advice for someone just starting out? SH: Patience and persistence. It can be a little bit frustrating walking around in a city for a whole day and not to get even one good shot, but that's just part of the game. Then there will be days when you get one shot after another. Try to find your flow with some "easy" shots like silhouettes and work your way up from there. And try to stick with the classic focal lengths for street photography between 28mm and 50mm. When starting out it is tempting to use a telephoto lens, but it is actually quite hard to take good photographs with long focal lengths in this genre, most shots will just look like you are a creep. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on? SH: I'm thinking about how I could help the Black Lives Matter movement with photography. TPL: “When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… SH: Love being outdoors with my dog, thinking about this and that.” 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.

A CURIOSITY ABOUT LIFE Documentary and street photographer Eduardo Ortiz approaches photography with a curiosity about life and his love of light. A CURIOSITY ABOUT LIFE June 7, 2021 INTERVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY Eduardo Ortiz INTERVIEW Melanie Meggs Facebook X (Twitter) WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Copy link SHARE Eduardo Ortiz is a cook and street photographer from Valparaiso, Chile. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, Eduardo lost his job, and with it, his sponsor to stay in Sweden. Among the few countries open for tourism at that time, Turkey stood out as the best option for Eduardo. Without hesitation, he booked a flight from Stockholm to Istanbul. What started as a simple way to escape, evolved into a deep love for this country. Eduardo approaches photography with curiosity about life and his love of light. Travelling taught him to embrace light and shadow, and to feel deeply the influence it has had on his way of seeing and approaching the world. “While travelling I felt the need of sharing what I was seeing on my trips with my people back in Chile. Little by little I fell in love with the art of photography and began to study the ‘rules’, concepts such as balance, composition, etc. I tried all kinds of photography and then gradually became more and more interested in street photography. Now it is the sort of photography that best suits my way to see and approach the world.” IN CONVERSATION WITH EDUARDO ORTIZ THE PICTORIAL LIST: Eduardo please tell us about yourself. How did you become interested in photography? EDUARDO ORTIZ: I am a thirty-year old music teacher, street/documentary photographer and cook born in Los Angeles, Chile. Although I grew up in San Antonio I considerer Valparaiso to be the place where I woke up as an artist. It was in Valparaiso, the most cultural city in Chile, where I studied music and met artists of different disciplines from all corners of Chile. Now, I am currently living in Istanbul, a perfect playground to keep growing as a photographer. When I finished my career I felt that traveling was going to be the best way for me to keep learning and growing as a human being. At present, I haven't been back to Chile in almost 5 years, and lived and worked in countries such as Morocco, Sweden, Germany, France, among others. While travelling I felt the need of sharing what I was seeing on my trips with my people back in Chile. Little by little I fell in love with the art of photography and began to study the "rules", concepts such as balance, composition, etc. I tried all kinds of photography and then gradually became more and more interested in street photography. Now it is the sort of photography that best suits my way to see and approach the world. TPL: You shared your series of images called 'Pamukkale' below and for your portfolio. Tell us more about this. What inspired the concept? How did you approach producing the series...why black and white over colour? EO: Pamukkale is a place that gave me that feeling of "I am right where I should be", It felt something I would describe as a long "deja-vu", a feeling of "there is nowhere else I wish I was instead". Not long before being there I lost my job due to the outbreak and lost my visa to stay longer in Europe. At that time, Turkey presented as one of the few countries still open for tourism. When I got to Pamukkale, to my surprise, days of masks and restrictions seemed long forgotten. Covid-19, for me and those present, was merely a fragment of a nightmare. It was a normal day, with a surreal touch. I approached this series as I approach photography in general, with curiosity about life and my love of light. I chose black and white in this series to highlight even more the surrealism of Pamukkale. Pamukkale means "cotton castle" in Turkish, a name that I found spot-on, choosing a monochromatic colour scheme helps the viewer to easily imagine the cotton likeness of the salt piles. And last and not least, people usually dream in black and white, suppressing the colours helps to emphasize even more the oneiric quality of this place. TPL: Where do you find inspiration to create? EO: I find myself often chasing light and interesting moments, elements that can be found anywhere. TPL: What do you want people to remember about your photography? EO: I want people to remember that there is beauty everywhere. TPL: When you take pictures, do you usually have a concept in mind of what you want to shoot, or do you let the images just "come to you", or is it both? Describe your process. EO: I usually try to go out with an idea or concept in mind beforehand, It might be something I want to express in particular or a series. Although I sometimes have no option but to let the images come to me, in that case, I just improvise. I find myself often chasing light and interesting moments, elements that can be found anywhere. TPL: Do you have a favourite place(s) to go photograph? EO: Hard question, how could I possibly choose one? I tend to show preference to places based on their mood or atmosphere. Pamukkale captured me because in a moment of fear and distance there seemed to be one bubble of the world unaffected. 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? EO: I think the equipment doesn't matter till it matters. I use Fujifilm cameras for their size and shooting experience. I have an x-pro2, an x-e3 and an x-e2, all of them suit my way of shooting, at the same time their size makes them way less intrusive than any full-frame DSLR for example. Also, the dials help me to easily set the triangle exposure. I mainly use 18mm, 35mm and 90mm (28mm, 50mm and 135mm full-frame equivalent approximately). 28mm is by far my favourite focal length, leave me on a desert island with it and I will still be happy. TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us? EO: I do, among my favourites, there are photographers like Ernst Haas, Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Alex Webb, Fan-Ho, Fred Herzog, Saul Leiter, to name a few. I also find inspiration in painters such as Joaquin Sorolla, Claude Monet, Emile Claus, Guillaume Van Strydonck, among others. TPL: What are some of your goals as an artist or photographer? Where do you hope to see yourself in five years? EO: My current goal is to learn to monetize my photography work. I hope that in five years I will be able to make a living out of my passion and will have seen many more places and cultures. TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about? EO: I am currently working on series about life in Istanbul. TPL: When I am not out photographing, I (like to)… EO: I like to play music, learning languages, studying photography and wandering around. 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.

I photograph all around me, so my work encompasses multiple genres. I have an MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where I was greatly influenced by my teachers and classical photography. I began as a black and white film photographer. Being in the darkroom was my favorite place. Later, I began to paint on my photos. My conversion to working solely in digital color was a slow evolution, but here I am. SANDRA FINE I photograph all around me, so my work encompasses multiple genres. I have an MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, where I was greatly influenced by my teachers and classical photography. I began as a black and white film photographer. Being in the darkroom was my favorite place. Later, I began to paint on my photos. My conversion to working solely in digital color was a slow evolution, but here I am. LOCATION Manhattan UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Sony A7R2 @SANDY10011 FEATURES // New York Visions