What am I even doing here?

My growing fatigue for the photography industry.

It’s been a while since I last wrote this newsletter. I don’t really know why it took me so long. I guess I felt like I didn’t have anything interesting to say, with a long-term project (and book!) wrapped up and already covered here a million times, and nothing solid to show from my latest projects just yet.

Overall, last year tested my passion for the medium in many ways. I’ve been insecure, unsure about my self-worth, and, most importantly, painfully aware of my worsening relationship with the business side of photography.

What am I even doing here? What am I trying to say in a space where most photographers constantly share their accolades, while I just felt numb and stuck? After months of soul-searching, I realized that I find the photography industry toxic, elitist, depressing and, frankly, not really suitable for my fragile mental health.

To say the quiet part out loud: I love taking a photo, not anything that comes after. Interacting with editors, gallerists, and everyone who gets to decide whether my work should be seen anywhere besides my own hard drive. I loathe all of it. I truly hate marketing myself.

It’s extremely hard for me to admit this publicly, in a world where we’re all faking it until we make it. But this year, I think I’ve reached the coveted “don’t give a fuck” phase of personal growth, and it feels genuinely liberating to let go of all that baggage.

I’ve found that when I remove the pressure of turning photography into a profession, and the dreaded expectations of success, I still enjoy photographing things. Very much. I am now officially a hobbyist photographer, and in the spirit of being an amateur again, the essence of this newsletter will also shift into a lower gear. It won’t be about commissions, exhibits, or awards as a way to prove that I matter. It will be about the work, the experience, and, crucially, my process.

And it will be dedicated to you: the real person my photography must have touched in some way. You’re the reason I keep sharing my work online, so thank you for being here. So, what have I been working on lately?

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JASPER

Last fall, I returned to Jasper National Park to document the slow regrowth of the land after the terrible wildfires that ravaged the region in 2024.

This is the second year of a project I hope will continue for many years, tracing and examining how the landscape recovers after a forest fire. I finally got around to scanning some medium format photos from my 2025 visit, sharing them below.

If you’re interested in seeing more from the project, I also made a short video about it, which you can watch right here.

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DESERT SOLITAIRE - PART II

I’m now in the second winter of my self-powered artist residency in the deserts of the Southwest. I say self-powered cause no one is really paying me to do it or hosting me in any way. I set some funds for it every year, trying to be frugal and living off the top of my Jeep. Wild camping in those landscapes enables me to live and breathe in them, not just seeing them briefly. The landscape becomes my home, there’s a familiarity to it which I really enjoy. Because of this project, winter is becoming my favorite time of year.

Some of these landscapes feel like family at this point. I feel the need to see them, be with them, and photograph them as I grow older. This bond has produced some strong images in the past, and it’s shaping up into a new body of work. A few images from this project, taken over the years, are below.

Thank you again for being here, reading this quarterly blurb and supporting my (slow) work. 🖤

Chiara