Aerobatic formation trailing tricolour smoke, Festa della Repubblica, Rome

VivRiccardo

Holding Time Still Through Photography

Selected Work

Aerobatic formation trailing tricolour smoke over Rome — Rome, Italy Tricolour over Rome

Gulls silhouetted against a fiery sunset sky above St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City — Vatican City A sky on fire over St Peter's

Stone street in Pompeii with Vesuvius in the background — Pompeii, Italy The road that outlived its city

Baroque cathedral tower in Salamanca seen from below — Salamanca, Spain Looking up from the cloister

A man walking a Vizsla past the green dome of the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford — Oxford, England The dog leads, Oxford follows

Old wooden shutter and window lit by warm afternoon light, Florence — Florence, Italy The hour the light turns honey

Painted carousel horse with Salamanca's old university buildings behind — Salamanca, Spain Galloping in place

Cloister arches framing a bright, cloud-streaked sky, Florence — Florence, Italy A square of borrowed sky

Detail of a gold-ground Madonna and Child panel painting, Florence — Florence, Italy What the centuries couldn't dull

Vendor pushing a postcard cart through a busy Oxford shopping street — Oxford, England The city, four for five pounds

Salamanca skyline at dusk with cathedral towers and a lit carousel — Salamanca, Spain When the lamps take over

Ruins of the forum at Pompeii with visitors walking through — Pompeii, Italy Where the city gathered

A line of people on a walking tour passing the Brewer Street corner, Oxford — Oxford, England Single file past Brewer Street

Hundreds of starlings lined along a terracotta tiled roof in Salamanca — Salamanca, Spain The roofline holds its breath

Detail of a ceiling fresco depicting the Holy Family among angels — Florence, Italy Still airborne after 500 years

Ponte Vecchio and its reflection in the calm Arno at golden hour, Florence — Florence, Italy The old bridge, doubled in the Arno

Liberty Bridge over the Danube with sightseeing boats passing beneath, Budapest — Budapest, Hungary Two boats, one bridge, the Danube between

Purple and orange sunset over a rocky shoreline with palm silhouettes, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka The day burning down over the reef

Large street mural of San Gennaro towering over a narrow Naples street hung with laundry — Naples, Italy San Gennaro keeping watch over Forcella

Plant-filled, graffiti-covered courtyard of a Budapest ruin bar with people at tables — Budapest, Hungary Afternoon in a ruin bar

A spider on its web against a green, sunlit background, Christ Church Meadow, Oxford — Oxford, England An architect at work in the meadow

Liberty Statue on Gellert Hill against a blue sky crossed by a jet contrail, Budapest — Budapest, Hungary A jet rules a line past Liberty

Blurred passersby on a sunlit Florence street with one seated person in sharp focus — Florence, Italy Everyone moving but the girl with the phone

Hanging bundles of dried oranges and pomanders at a Budapest market stall — Budapest, Hungary Dried oranges, keeping their colour

Row of yellow auto-rickshaws parked before two tall, colourful Hindu temple gopurams, Tamil Nadu — Tamil Nadu, India Chariots in their modern translation

An elderly woman in a sari bending to spread drying crops in a shaded grove, Tamil Nadu — Tamil Nadu, India The slow arithmetic of harvest

Hazy orange sunset with the sun breaking through cloud over the Western Ghats, Thekkady — Thekkady, India The sun, negotiating with the cloud

Silhouetted line of schoolchildren walking across a vast hazy beach at low light, India — India A small migration across the sand

Panorama of Viterbo with a domed church, umbrella pines and a green park under a blue sky — Viterbo, Italy Viterbo keeps its dome to the sky

Several white candles burning with pooled melted wax against a dark background, India — India A vigil the dark can't put out

A pigeon in flight crossing in front of the Eiffel Tower above crowds on the lawn, Paris — Paris, France The pigeon got there first

Black and white view of Francois Rude's La Marseillaise relief on the Arc de Triomphe, Paris — Paris, France Two centuries mid-shout

Paris rooftops stretching to the horizon under an overcast sky with a red crane, Paris — Paris, France Zinc to the horizon

Gilded bronze sculptures on the Pont Alexandre III against a grey sky, Paris — Paris, France Gilded against the grey

Crowds in silhouette on Krakow's main square at sunset with the lit Cloth Hall, Poland — Kraków, Poland Dusk over the Rynek

Pigeons perched on a winged lamp fixture against a clear blue sky with one landing, Krakow — Kraków, Poland A parliament of pigeons

Silhouetted spires and flags of Krakow's old defences against a blue dusk sky, Poland — Kraków, Poland Spires cut from the sky

A person in red walking along a sandy beach seen through a frame of bleached driftwood branches, Ireland — Wexford, Ireland Framed by what the sea spat out

Glendalough Upper Lake between green and rocky mountains under a bright sky, County Wicklow, Ireland — Glendalough, Ireland The valley holds its breath

A mallard duck dabbling at the pebbly edge of a sunlit river, Glendalough, Ireland — Glendalough, Ireland Low water for a duck

Hikers walking a gravel path through the Glenealo valley at Glendalough with a distant waterfall, Ireland — Glendalough, Ireland Small against the glen

Carved wooden relief of a family with bowed heads saying grace around a table with fish, Cebu, Philippines — Cebu, Philippines Grace before the catch

A tethered cow looking at the camera from behind a tree trunk in roadside shade, Andhra Pradesh, India — Andhra Pradesh, India An audience of one

Sacré-Cœur basilica illuminated at dusk with crowds sitting on the steps below, Montmartre, Paris — Paris, France Montmartre at dusk

Worshippers standing before a crucifix altar while a passer-by blurs through the frame, Basilica del Santo Niño, Cebu — Cebu, Philippines Passing devotion

Children reaching up to coin-operated binoculars at the Chocolate Hills viewpoint, Bohol, Philippines — Bohol, Philippines Seeing the hills

Castle Square in Warsaw with Sigismund's Column, Christmas decorations and a decorated tree, December — Warsaw, Poland Christmas at Castle Square

Medieval carved wooden relief of the Lamentation of Christ displayed on a museum wall, Warsaw — Warsaw, Poland Lamentation in wood

Illuminated lattice arch bridges reflected in the Vistula river at night, Kraków — Kraków, Poland Iron over the Vistula

Two contrails crossing in a blue winter sky framed by bare tree branches, Kraków — Kraków, Poland A crossing overhead

Balancing acrobat sculpture suspended among red-lit steel struts of the Bernatek footbridge at night, Kraków — Kraków, Poland The balancing act

The green Penna river running through the red rock canyon at Gandikota, Andhra Pradesh, India — Gandikota, India The Penna's slow work

Two marble statues on carved brackets against the wall of Milan Cathedral, one inverted, with hard shadows — Milan, Italy The Duomo's cast

The Gothic spires and pinnacles of Milan Cathedral rising against a blue sky with light clouds — Milan, Italy A forest in marble

A hiker with a backpack descending a narrow mountain ridge path in the Apennines under low cloud — Monti Simbruini, Italy The ridge line

An old yellow bicycle painted with a bike shop's hand-lettered advertisement, chained to a green railing in Paris — Paris, France Gepetto's signboard

A calm reservoir surrounded by densely forested green hills under a blue sky in the Basque Country — Loyola, Spain Basque green

Looking straight up at the underside of the giant Maman spider sculpture, its legs radiating against an overcast sky, Bilbao — Bilbao, Spain Maman, from below

Fra Angelico's Crucifixion with Saints fresco under a vaulted ceiling, San Marco, Florence — Florence, Italy The chapter house

Fra Angelico's Annunciation fresco with the angel Gabriel and Mary under painted arches, San Marco, Florence — Florence, Italy At the top of the stairs

Detail of Fra Angelico's Last Judgment showing angels and the blessed dancing in a garden, San Marco, Florence — Florence, Italy The dance of the saved

Detail of Fra Angelico's Last Judgment showing the tiered punishments of hell, San Marco, Florence — Florence, Italy The other verdict

Looking straight up at the ornate crossing dome and ribbed vaults of Salamanca's New Cathedral — Salamanca, Spain The stone iris

White chalk cliffs above a pebble and sand beach at low tide on the Normandy coast — Normandy, France The alabaster coast

A juvenile gull flying low over breaking surf on the Normandy coast — Normandy, France Working the surf

Symmetrical stone bay windows with leaded panes on an Oxford college facade — Oxford, England Keeping rank

A gondolier pushing off a canal wall with his foot while steering passengers down a narrow Venetian canal — Venice, Italy Narrow water

A young boy lighting a taper candle at a votive candle rack inside a dark Venetian church — Venice, Italy A small flame

A carved wooden sculpture of an old bearded face emerging from driftwood in a Venetian shop window — Venice, Italy The driftwood elder

People in winter coats walking along the Giudecca waterfront promenade with San Giorgio Maggiore behind, Venice — Venice, Italy Giudecca in winter

Three wooden water taxis crossing paths on green canal water seen from above, Venice — Venice, Italy Rush hour

A gondola with passengers crossing the Grand Canal among water taxis and work boats, Venice — Venice, Italy The canal's errands

The Grand Canal waterfront by Venice's railway station with ornate lampposts, the Scalzi bridge and a green church dome — Venice, Italy Arrivals

A weathered Venetian palazzo facade with arched windows and peeling plaster rising from canal water — Venice, Italy To the waterline

View down the Grand Canal from the Accademia bridge toward the domes of Santa Maria della Salute in winter haze, Venice — Venice, Italy Toward the Salute

The British Museum Great Court's glass lattice roof casting diagonal shadows on the curved Reading Room wall — London, England The lattice prints itself

Visitors seen from above crossing the British Museum Great Court floor through a net of lattice shadows — London, England The shadow net

Tower Bridge over the Thames with kayakers paddling in the foreground under a cloudy blue sky, London — London, England Holding its pose

A young man seen from behind sitting on a bench checking his phone in front of a Gunpowder Plot banner, London — London, England The quieter plot

A man and a woman pulling suitcases past a wall frieze of black line-art walking figures, London — London, England Keeping pace

Sunrise breaking over a forested ridge in Kerala with dramatic rays fanning through clouds — Kerala, India Seven in the morning

A Ryanair jet on approach passing behind a ruined Roman brick arch against blue sky, Rome — Rome, Italy Both on approach

A vast bicycle parking lot with thousands of bikes in rows outside Amsterdam's station — Amsterdam, Netherlands The bicycle sea

A rider in a blue jacket and striped helmet crossing a cobbled square on a pale blue Vespa, Anagni — Anagni, Italy At walking pace

An elderly couple holding hands walking away down a cobbled street in Anagni, Italy — Anagni, Italy In step

A stone portal silhouetted from below with a sunstar breaking over its carved pediment, Atri — Atri, Italy Crowned at noon

A small twin-propeller Islander aircraft on wet tarmac under dramatic clouds, Ireland — Ireland Nine seats west

The full circle of the London Eye against blue sky and clouds with County Hall beside it — London, England Counting clouds

A street performer in a gold dress and red sunglasses reclining mid-act on the South Bank pavement, London — London, England Holding the pose

Southwark Bridge crossing the Thames with Tower Bridge and the city skyline behind, London — London, England Green and gold

The west front of St Paul's Cathedral with its two towers and clock against deep blue sky, London — London, England The west front

A man photographing giant carved marble theatre masks on pillars among umbrella pines at Ostia Antica — Ostia Antica, Italy The audience of masks

Looking up at the curved upper arches and corbels of the Colosseum against deep blue sky, Rome — Rome, Italy Still standing guard

A Monti street in Rome with trattoria sign, ivy wall, cafe terraces and the dome of Santa Maria Maggiore beyond — Rome, Italy Downhill to the basilica

A dense wall of overlapping green ivy leaves filling the whole frame, Karnataka — Karnataka, India Given to green

An orange sun setting through silhouetted bare tree branches in Karnataka, India — Karnataka, India Through the branches

An open lectionary on a lectern facing the gilded apse and twin clocks inside St Peter's Basilica — Vatican City Before the first word

Two spotted doves perched close together on a power line among silhouetted palm trees, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka The morning conference

A carved stone relief of a serene female figure in a niche on a Sri Lankan temple wall, warm afternoon light — Kelaniya, Sri Lanka Keeping her smile

Golden evening light striking an arched doorway inside a dark stone fort casemate with a grass courtyard beyond, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka The chosen arch

A golden reclining Buddha statue beneath a painted checkered cave ceiling at Dambulla, Sri Lanka — Dambulla, Sri Lanka Under a painted sky

Sigiriya rock fortress rising from forested plains seen from Pidurangala rock with a boulder in the foreground, Sri Lanka — Sigiriya, Sri Lanka Lion Rock holds court

The dome of St Peter's Basilica seen through a gap in dark garden foliage in the Vatican Gardens — Vatican City Through the leaves

Weathered wooden door panels with an iron lion-head knocker and ring, Palermo — Palermo, Italy Lion on duty

Sunlit apartment facade with rows of balconies, shutters and air conditioners, Palermo — Palermo, Italy Applied evenly

White surf churning over dark flat rocks seen from above on the Palermo coast — Palermo, Italy The sea insists

Thousands of parked bicycles filling a station square at sunset with office buildings behind, Amsterdam — Amsterdam, Netherlands Ten thousand, lit

Half-timbered gabled houses and a church spire around the Römerberg square at dusk with crowds, Frankfurt — Frankfurt, Germany Römerberg, last light

Railway tracks converging at a set of points with overhead wires and a wooded hillside behind, Germany — Germany The points

Silhouette from below of Nandor Glid's bronze memorial of emaciated figures entangled in barbed wire against a blue sky, Dachau — Dachau, Germany International Monument

Silhouette of bare, leafless tree branches against a golden and orange sunset sky with dramatic clouds, Normandy — Normandy, France The sky catching fire

White daisies backlit against a blue and orange dusk sky, with tall grass and water in the blurred background, Normandy — Normandy, France Daisies past sundown

Silhouette of a large tree against a deep blue dusk sky overlooking the sea horizon, Normandy — Normandy, France The blue hour

White chalk cliffs and a coastal town seen across a wide bay, with wind turbines on the hill behind, Dieppe — Dieppe, France Chalk face, rooftops, turbines

Close-up of ripening wheat ears with a spider web strung between the stalks, hedgerow blurred in the background — France Claiming the tallest ear

Rows of skulls above a carved stone plaque bearing a nineteenth-century French inscription, Paris Catacombs — Paris, France The ossuary's epitaph

White modernist sculptural installation with carved symbols and mathematical notation, overlooking a hilltop town with castle, clear blue sky — Almonaster, Spain The symbol-keepers

Frost-covered sparse vegetation backlit against bright blue sky, creating white crystalline silhouette against clear background — Corteconcepción, Spain The frost line

Silhouetted flowering branches and foliage backlit by golden sunrise, creating warm amber glow through plant structures — Corteconcepción, Spain Flowers catching fire

About

I photograph the places I pass through —
ruins, doorways, ceilings, and the weather
that happens to be there that day.

A Jesuit. Based in Rome, shooting between cities. This is a working archive of frames worth keeping, added to as I travel.

The photographer's shadow with a camera, cast on an ancient brick wall at Villa dei Quintili, Rome

The Grey Lens

A second life, in shadow.

Away from the travelling archive I keep a quieter practice — shadow photography, where the subject is whatever the light leaves behind. It lives on Instagram, added to as I find it.

Follow @the_grey_lens

Get in touch

Licensing,
or just to say hello.

hello@vivriccardo.com