In Plain Sight
My street photography journey in Malta’s capital city began over eight years ago without any grand ambitions or clear project goals. It started as an excuse to wander through the city’s streets, taking in architectural details and observing people as they went about their daily routines. Photography, for me, has always been about capturing fleeting moments, the spontaneous and unplanned interactions that are the essence of street photography.
Valletta, with its layers of history and distinctive character shaped by centuries of resilience, provided the backdrop for this journey. Yet it was never just about the city itself. My lens was drawn to the people, the actors, spontaneously cast against the urban stage. While the city’s walls hold the history, it is the people who bring life to these streets, creating an unchoreographed performance that unfolds day after day.
As time marched on and my collection of images grew, I began to see the potential for an extended project. Slowly, the idea of creating a book of sequenced images took shape, a visual narrative of people’s activities unfolding in plain sight. Locals carried on with their routines, while tourists sought to capture their own interpretations of Valletta as visual records of remembrance. Each group played its role on the city’s stage, performing in ways that reflected their sense of place. In many ways, street photography mirrors this dynamic, a delicate balance between the performance of daily life and those unguarded moments when authenticity breaks through.
The unpredictability of street photography brought both frustration and inspiration. I spent countless hours walking in this small capital city, often coming away with no images worth adding to the collection. Yet, over time, I learned to embrace this unpredictability. It is precisely in those moments of uncertainty, when nothing seems to align, that photography challenges you to see the familiar in new ways. Valletta’s urban landscape, with its deep shadows and intense Mediterranean light, taught me to adapt quickly to changing conditions, to embrace imperfections, and to find beauty in the unexpected performances that happen every day.
The choice to use black and white for this project was intentional. By reducing the images to tones of grey, the focus shifts to form, texture, and timelessness. The monochromatic palette removes the distractions of colour, allowing the viewer to engage more deeply with the image, to look beyond the surface, and to discover the subtleties of the scene. In the same way that Valletta’s stone facades conceal layers of history, these photographs reveal the often-overlooked ordinary moments.
As a photographer, you are not just an observer but an active participant in the scene. Every image reflects a moment of decision, what to capture and what to exclude, framing reality and pressing the shutter to consign a moment to history. In this sense, photographing becomes a way of navigating the tension between performance and authenticity. Street photography captures fleeting moments when people, obvious of the camera, reveal something on the stage of everyday life.
Over the years, I became increasingly aware of the shifts taking place within the city. Tourism brought visible changes to the urban landscape as long-standing businesses gave way to boutique hotels and restaurants aimed at tourists. This juxtaposition between the local and the transient became a recurring theme in my work. Tourists moved through the city seeking to document their experience, while locals, absorbed in their routines, seemed to navigate the same space with a different kind of awareness. This contrast between searching for authenticity and witnessing its slow erosion subtly influenced my imagery and the roles played by the people who populate this stage.
Beyond the practical challenges, In Plain Sight also tested me emotionally. Over the years, I witnessed familiar streets evolving, long-standing businesses closing, and faces that once populated the city gradually disappearing. Capturing these transformations through my lens became a bittersweet experience, reminding me of the impermanence of all things. In street photography, we document what is fleeting, knowing that every moment we capture is already gone. This awareness shaped my approach, teaching me to appreciate the subtle, often unnoticed aspects of life that unfold around us. These performances may be fleeting, but they carry meaning.
As I bring this project to a close, I have been reflecting on what street photography means to me. At its heart, it is about storytelling, being patient, open, and ready to capture moments as they unfold. Printing these images in a book feels like the right way to give them life beyond the screen. There is something special about holding a book, engaging with the photographs in a way that allows for a deeper connection with the details and textures that might get lost in a digital format.
While In Plain Sight is finished, my journey in street photography is far from over. Every city has its own stories waiting to be found. I am excited to explore new places, capture new moments, and continue seeing the world in fresh ways. These images have shown me the value in the fleeting, the overlooked, and the everyday, reminding me to appreciate the small things that often go unnoticed.
As you continue your own photographic journey, I encourage you to think about the connection you have with the spaces and people you photograph. Each environment shapes the stories we tell, and in capturing these moments, we often walk the line between performance and authenticity. Street photography offers us a unique way of looking at the world, helping us see past the obvious and find the hidden stories that play out around us every day.