Pink Lady, Burano, Italy

When I visit touristic sites, I love shooting the locals’ daily life as it will tell me more about the place than what is in front of my eyes.

Burano is a stunning colorful fishermen’s island next to Venice whose colors are recognizable from afar. But when I visited the jewel, it was pouring, and the site seemed to be unguarded. It suddenly turned into a ghost town: visitors were running around to find shelter against the rain, and terraces and shops remained empty.

I appeared to have dived into a diamond that showed its vulnerable beauty in a shy and modest way to the brave tourists who weren’t scared to fight the storm and discover the city’s true self. I could feel it wasn’t used to show that part, which made its discovery even more intense than expected.

The result is worth a thousand words as I think I caught the isle’s real story and identity and underlined the harshness and emptiness a storm can bring upon its inhabitants and elements.