Shadows, Ruins, and the Theater of the Mind – Lucia Bottegoni
When Lucia Bottegoni first picked up a camera during the pandemic, she wasn’t looking for a profession – she was looking for a release. What began as a way to pass time and distract herself slowly transformed into a ritual of exploration. With an old mobile phone and a restless spirit, she wandered into forgotten places, drawn by contradiction. It wasn’t the clean lines or picturesque views that moved her – it was decay, abandonment, and stillness that breathed of stories untold.
“I love everything that refers to the surreal and dreamlike world,” Lucia says. “Anything that can create a subtle disturbance.”
From the outskirts of central Italy, she stepped into derelict buildings, cracked corridors, and dust-covered hallways – each a stage for her theatre of emotion. These weren’t just spaces; they were characters. And in their shadows, she began composing portraits that sit at the intersection of discomfort and allure.
“I love everything that refers to the surreal and dreamlike world,” Lucia says. “Anything that can create a subtle disturbance.”
From the outskirts of central Italy, she stepped into derelict buildings, cracked corridors, and dust-covered hallways – each a stage for her theatre of emotion. These weren’t just spaces; they were characters. And in their shadows, she began composing portraits that sit at the intersection of discomfort and allure.
“The Contradiction is the Point”
There is a kind of tension in Lucia’s work—a fragile line between the static and the alive. Women stand in peeling rooms like ghosts or memories. Children read books in wind-blown fields as if on the edge of some imagined realm. Her compositions pull you deeper into the fog.
“I try to create a sense of mystery that motivates the viewer to explore their own shadows,” she shares.
She doesn’t just place her models into these forgotten worlds. She listens to the atmosphere, the weight of walls, the silence that demands attention. Her portraits are not just about the person – they are about the space around them, the story it once held, and the dialogue between presence and ruin.
“I try to create a sense of mystery that motivates the viewer to explore their own shadows,” she shares.
She doesn’t just place her models into these forgotten worlds. She listens to the atmosphere, the weight of walls, the silence that demands attention. Her portraits are not just about the person – they are about the space around them, the story it once held, and the dialogue between presence and ruin.
“Photography as a Mirror and a Mask”
Lucia’s connection with her subjects is layered. There’s empathy in every frame – a desire not to dominate or stylize, but to collaborate. Whether shooting friends or strangers, she offers space to become, not perform.
The process, she says, is fun and freeing. “Photography represents freedom and a deep empathy with the people I photograph. I’m not just capturing an image – I’m reflecting a hidden emotion, even one you don’t want to admit to yourself.”
Her approach to storytelling is intuitive but deeply intentional. The narration, she explains emerges from it. Each image holds something unspoken. A silence. A stare. A disturbance that refuses to be resolved.
The process, she says, is fun and freeing. “Photography represents freedom and a deep empathy with the people I photograph. I’m not just capturing an image – I’m reflecting a hidden emotion, even one you don’t want to admit to yourself.”
Her approach to storytelling is intuitive but deeply intentional. The narration, she explains emerges from it. Each image holds something unspoken. A silence. A stare. A disturbance that refuses to be resolved.
“Haunted Places, Honest Frames”
In a world obsessed with visual polish, Lucia’s images hold rawness. They are not for the feed. They are for the feeling.
Abandoned locations and ambient portraits have become her signature language. They let her play with contrasts – between stillness and motion, decay and youth, exposure and concealment. These places, once emptied of life, are revived through her eye and the presence of her models. A child reading in a field. A woman wrapped in sheer fabric beneath a blank sky. A silhouette at the edge of light.
They are surreal. But they are also real – fragments of emotion, frozen just long enough to be seen.
Abandoned locations and ambient portraits have become her signature language. They let her play with contrasts – between stillness and motion, decay and youth, exposure and concealment. These places, once emptied of life, are revived through her eye and the presence of her models. A child reading in a field. A woman wrapped in sheer fabric beneath a blank sky. A silhouette at the edge of light.
They are surreal. But they are also real – fragments of emotion, frozen just long enough to be seen.
“From the Forgotten to the Seen”
Lucia Bottegoni isn’t trying to impress. She isn’t trying to please. Her art is not made to decorate, but to disturb, to awaken.
And yet, what makes her photographs linger is not just the setting or aesthetic—it’s the intimacy. The way she looks at the world with eyes that are curious, honest, and unafraid to walk into places most would avoid.
In these images, we are asked not to decode, but to feel.
To enter the abandoned, and find a piece of ourselves.
To sit with discomfort, and see what it reveals.
To recognize the surreal not as escape—but as another way of telling the truth.
Lucia Bottegoni doesn’t chase beauty. She chases what’s underneath it. And that’s what makes her one of the rare storytellers.
And yet, what makes her photographs linger is not just the setting or aesthetic—it’s the intimacy. The way she looks at the world with eyes that are curious, honest, and unafraid to walk into places most would avoid.
In these images, we are asked not to decode, but to feel.
To enter the abandoned, and find a piece of ourselves.
To sit with discomfort, and see what it reveals.
To recognize the surreal not as escape—but as another way of telling the truth.
Lucia Bottegoni doesn’t chase beauty. She chases what’s underneath it. And that’s what makes her one of the rare storytellers.
The pictures and perspectives expressed above are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent the views of Rare Storyteller or its team.
to the world.