Thomas de Franzoni

I’m Thomas de Franzoni, a fine art photographer from Italy. I first approached photography through my love for landscapes, but over time I became more interested in what could be expressed through simplicity, silence, and atmosphere. Today, photography is my way of slowing down and translating what I feel into an image.

I often return to silence, solitude, and the passage of time. I’m drawn to quiet landscapes, solitary forms, and fleeting moments of light and mist. These subjects allow me to explore emotions such as melancholy, contemplation, and serenity through a minimal visual language.

For me, it is the combination of minimalism, atmosphere, and emotion. I try to remove everything unnecessary from the frame and leave only what is essential to the feeling I want to convey. If an image feels quiet, timeless, and slightly mysterious, it probably feels like mine.

I wouldn’t say there was one particular person or experience. It was rather my continuous relationship with nature and quiet places that gradually shaped the way I see the world. Spending time in landscapes taught me to look beyond what is immediately visible and to appreciate silence, simplicity, and atmosphere.

Preparation and technical knowledge give me the freedom to follow my intuition. I usually have an idea of what I’m looking for, but I also leave room for unexpected light, atmosphere, or moments. The final image comes when technique becomes almost invisible and intuition takes over.

I was photographing flamingos in the lagoon when I noticed this particular gathering. The soft light, still water, and the way the birds came together created an almost surreal, abstract scene. I waited for the right moment, when their shapes and reflections formed the composition I had envisioned.

What caught my attention was how the flamingos stopped looking like individual birds and became almost abstract shapes within the landscape. The repetition, reflections, and empty space created a sense of balance and stillness. At that moment, I knew the image was about something more than the birds themselves.

I would like the image to leave a feeling of quietness and contemplation. Perhaps, for a moment, the viewer can forget that they are looking at flamingos and simply experience the shapes, reflections, and silence of the scene. For me, that sense of stillness is the real subject of the photograph.

Photography has taught me to slow down and to pay attention to things I might otherwise overlook. It has changed the way I see places and everyday moments, making me more aware of light, silence, and small details. In many ways, it has taught me to look more deeply rather than simply look.

Perhaps the idea that beauty can be found in silence and simplicity. I’m interested in creating images that invite the viewer to pause, breathe, and look beyond the obvious. If my work can create a moment of stillness in someone’s mind, I feel it has achieved something.

Receiving recognition from 12AWARDS was a very pleasant surprise and, above all, a meaningful confirmation of my photographic journey. I was genuinely happy to see my work appreciated by an international platform. It gave me renewed motivation to continue exploring my vision and pushing my work further.

At the moment, I’m focused on continuing to develop my visual language through quiet, atmospheric landscapes. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I have planned several short photographic trips to Slovenia, Abruzzo, and, of course, the Dolomites. I’m looking forward to exploring these places through mist, changing light, and the minimalism that has become increasingly central to my work.

My experience with 12AWARDS has been very positive. The platform is professional, welcoming, and beautifully presented, with a clean and pleasant design that makes the whole experience enjoyable. I honestly don’t have any particular suggestions for improvement at this stage—I think you have created a very nice platform for photographers and artists.

Perhaps the importance of evolution. My photography has changed considerably over the years, from more traditional landscape work toward a more minimal and emotional language. I believe that staying curious, experimenting, and allowing your vision to evolve is one of the most important parts of an artistic journey.