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The Bystander
Standing in the Grand-Place at night, I waited for something—anything—to break the near-perfect symmetry. Then he arrived. The man didn’t pose. He just paused in the middle of the cobbles, framed squarely between the elegant baroque façades and the soft reflection of lamplight on wet stone. His silhouette gave scale and narrative to the grandeur behind him. Alone but not lonely, motionless yet in transit—he became the photograph’s axis. I shot handheld at high ISO. Noise was a concern, but the Nikon sensor held up. I retained the grain because it added texture to the shadows without crushing the blacks. Technically, this is a symmetrical composition, but it’s also layered:…
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Max Casacci – Live@Circolo Aternino, Pescara
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Alone
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A Shooter
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The Quiet Riot
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Los Niños y El Tocaor
The guitarist was Pedro Navarro, and he played with the kind of intimate conviction that can silence a room without demanding it. I took the shot during a flamenco recital in a modest Spanish cultural venue, one of those places where chairs creak and plaster flakes off the walls, but the soul is palpable. What caught me wasn’t just the precision of his fingers on the strings, or the deliberate slowness of the opening compás—it was the quiet appearance of the two boys at the back. Dressed like miniature adults, suspended in a corridor of sound and formality, unsure whether to stay or move on. One places a hand on…
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Ramón Jarque, tocaor
I have always found that photographing musicians is less about the performance and more about the moments in between — the quiet exchanges between player and instrument. In this portrait of Ramón Jarque, I wanted to strip away the spectacle and capture him in a state of private dialogue with his guitar. The composition is simple, almost understated. I framed Ramón in profile, letting the lines of his arm and guitar neck lead the viewer’s eye diagonally across the image. The background, with its blurred wine bottles and textured wall, is just present enough to provide context without intruding on the intimacy of the moment. Depth of field is shallow,…
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Damned Pidgeons…
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The Aperitif
This image was taken quickly, just as I passed the window. What struck me wasn’t the act of drinking — which is unremarkable in itself — but the multiple surfaces at play. A woman in profile, lifting her glass; a man absorbed in his phone; reflections of pedestrians I didn’t see until after the shutter clicked. And then the writing — bold, cartoonish, childish even — floating across the image like subtitles with no film. I shot through the glass deliberately, without trying to erase myself or the distractions. The transparency becomes part of the narrative. The drawing on the window, playful and crude, contrasts with the subdued tones inside:…
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Matching Nails
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Conversation
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Natural Silohuette
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The Glassmaster
I took this photograph in a small workshop where the air was thick with heat and the faint scent of molten silica. The man at the bench was a veteran glassblower, his movements so fluid they seemed choreographed—every rotation of the blowpipe, every precise turn of the wrist, shaped the glowing mass at its tip into something delicate and exact. In composing the image, I wanted to give space to the environment. This wasn’t simply a portrait; it was a record of a craft. The cluttered benches, the brick furnace, the scattered tools—these were as much a part of the story as the craftsman himself. I framed him slightly off-centre,…
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Interpreti Veneziani – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Live@San Vidal
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The Spectators
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The Commuter
He was already asleep when I boarded. Head bowed, earphones in, hands gently clasped over a leather bag as if the weight of his entire week rested beneath his fingers. The sun had just begun to bleed through the train window—flat and indifferent—casting the kind of unflattering, directional light that most photographers instinctively reject. But I didn’t. I raised my phone and shot. This isn’t a grand composition. It’s quiet. Framed tightly, perhaps even uncomfortably so, with the seat backs hemming in the edges and drawing the eye into the compact geometry of his body folded forward. The line of the armrest cleaves the image horizontally, a visual interruption that…
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Three Legged?
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Gary O’ Toole
Photographing live music is an exercise in timing, anticipation, and luck — and this frame of Gary O’Toole behind his kit captures all three in motion. I shot this during a concert where the energy on stage was matched only by the enthusiasm in the audience. Gary, in his element, was caught mid-expression, the sort of look that comes only when a musician is entirely at one with his instrument. Compositionally, the image works through a layered perspective: the guitarist’s back in the foreground leads the viewer’s gaze directly toward the drummer, framed by the gleaming brass of the cymbals and the forest of hardware. That over-the-shoulder view adds intimacy,…
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Nick Beggs
Nick Beggs isn’t just a musician—he’s a presence. Capturing him live isn’t about nailing the perfect frame, it’s about riding the wave of his performance and locking it into a split second. I took this shot during one of those dense, layered passages where the light is moody and the mix is full. He stood immersed in the music, double-neck bass cradled like a weapon or a relic, commanding and concentrated. Technically, this photo walks a tightrope. Stage lighting can be merciless—strong contrasts, saturated colours, and constant shifts. I went for a low ISO to preserve detail, knowing I’d have to push shadows in post. The main light hit his…
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Nad Sylvan
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Steve Hackett – Live@Teatro d’Annunzio
The photograph captures Steve Hackett in a moment of concentration, his gaze lowered towards the guitar as if the instrument itself were dictating the next phrase. The Les Paul glows under the stage lights, its golden surface reflecting the intensity of the performance, while Hackett’s expression remains measured and inward, suggesting a musician wholly absorbed in sound rather than spectacle. Framing is tight, keeping focus on Hackett and his guitar. The background, blurred yet luminous with stage reflections, provides atmosphere without distraction. It isolates him in the act of playing, the performer reduced to essentials: hands, instrument, sound. Technically, the exposure handles difficult stage lighting competently. The blue tones of…
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Addicted to (Nintendo) Switch
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Portrait of a Cosplayer
I shot this in a crowded open-air market during a cosplay event. No studio, no setup, just natural light and a quick pivot to catch the moment before the crowd closed back in. The subject stood out instantly—not just for the outfit, but for the commitment. Every element was deliberate: the scarlet coat, the black waistcoat buttoned to the collar, the oversized goggles perched over an expression of studied calm. And the hat—sharp, theatrical, finished with a red trim that echoed the coat. Stylised but not cartoonish. This wasn’t a costume; it was a persona. I composed tightly to focus on the mid-frame, letting the subject fill the space without…
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Waiting for the Shinkansen – 2
Tokyo Station is a place of constant movement, a rhythm of arrivals and departures so precise it borders on choreography. Yet, in the midst of this perpetual motion, there are moments of stillness — moments like this one. The young woman stands against a marble column, a vivid pink handbag in one hand, a green tea bottle in the other. The shinkansen, sleek and cream-coloured, is a quiet presence in the background, its windows reflecting the muted tones of the platform. Her gaze, directed somewhere past the camera, is calm yet unreadable — a mix of patience and expectation. From a compositional standpoint, the frame benefits from its vertical alignment.…
