Diego Torres: A Fixed Lens and an Unfolding Vision
There's a peculiar fatigue that sets in when you've been immersed in photography for decades. You scroll through thousands of images, attend countless exhibitions, watch trends cycle through like seasons. At some point, you wonder: haven't we seen it all? How many more black and white street photographs can possibly offer something new? How many more candid moments, shadow plays, silhouettes against windows? And then you encounter work like Diego's, and you remember exactly why photographers matter.
Diego’s upcoming exhibition at Galería Lisabel in Madrid (opening October 30th) arrived in my inbox at a moment when the world feels particularly heavy. Politically fraught, genocide, environmentally precarious, and socially exhausting. We have infinite visual access yet somehow see less than ever.
Diego's photographs do something essential: they make you stop.
His path into photography follows a familiar arc—travel, a father's camera (a Canon EOS 500D), YouTube tutorials on aperture and composition. He lived in New Zealand and Australia, initially photographing landscapes and tourist markers the way most of us do. But something shifted during his year-long journey through Southeast Asia. With a new Fujifilm X100F in hand, he discovered he wasn't interested in documenting places. He wanted to document people.
Not posed. Not performed. Just living.
This evolution, from landscape to humanity, from color to primarily black and white, from tourist to witness—is where photographers either become technicians or artists. Diego chose the latter path, drawn to what he calls "candid, everyday moments," approaching subjects "subtly without disturbing the scene."
His influences read like a masterclass syllabus: Fan Ho's geometric poetry of light in Hong Kong, Henri Cartier-Bresson's decisive moments, Sebastião Salgado's dignified humanity. Among contemporary photographers, he cites Alan Schaller, Craig Whitehead, Josh Jack, and Gustavo Minas, artists who understand that street photography isn't about stealing moments but honoring them.
What strikes me about this list is its coherence. These aren't photographers chasing trends or viral aesthetics. They're all committed to a similar philosophy: that ordinary life contains extraordinary beauty, that light and shadow can reveal truth, that patience and respect yield more honest images than aggression or spectacle.
A Visual Language of Light
Diego's work centers on strong contrasts, negative space, and silhouettes. He wants images that "could feel like artworks on a wall"—aesthetic, clean, structured. But not empty. There's always humanity at the core, even when rendered as pure silhouette.
This is harder than it sounds. Many photographers prioritize either aesthetics or documentary truth, creating either beautiful emptiness or meaningful chaos. Diego aims for both: images that are "easy to look at, attractive, and aesthetically pleasing, while capturing candid moments respectfully and honestly."
That word—respectfully—appears throughout our conversation. He's adamant about avoiding exploitation, about not photographing vulnerable people without consent, about celebrating rather than embarrassing his subjects. In an era when street photography often feels predatory, when photographers treat strangers as content, this ethical grounding matters enormously.
The Magic Moment
He shared a story from Vietnam that perfectly encapsulates his approach. He was studying light and shadow near a shop window illuminated by late afternoon sun—photographer's golden hour. A young man approached holding a water bottle and positioned himself between Diego and the window "as if he was a model—without any conversation or instruction." Diego took a few shots. In one, the young man is drinking water with an expression of pure satisfaction. It's become one of his favorite photographs and will be central to the Madrid exhibition.
What I love about this story is its spontaneity, its collaboration without words, its ordinary magic. A photographer practicing light. A thirsty person. A moment of satisfaction. Nothing dramatic or designed, yet absolutely perfect. This is what great street photographers do: they notice what the rest of us miss. They wait for convergences—of light, geometry, human gesture, timing—that happen constantly around us but disappear unseen.
Diego believes "the role of a photographer remains much the same: to document humanity and our times." In theory, we're all photographers now, armed with phones that shoot better than professional cameras from a decade ago. We take billions of photos daily. So why do we still need people who dedicate themselves to this craft? Because seeing is a skill. Because aesthetics matter. Because ethical attention to other humans is increasingly rare. Because the difference between a billion casual snapshots and one considered photograph is the difference between glancing and truly looking.
Especially now—especially when the world feels "so icky," as the kids say—we need photographers who can show us that beauty and dignity persist. Not as escapism, but as evidence. As testimony that even in difficult times, light still plays across city walls, strangers still pause in graceful silhouettes, everyday moments still contain visual poetry.
The Exhibition
Diego's first public exhibition opens October 30th at 8pm at Galería Lisabel (Dr. Fourquet 17, Madrid) and runs through Sunday, November 3rd. He describes it as potentially "an unforgettable and magical experience, whatever happens."
That uncertainty—that openness to whatever the exhibition brings—feels characteristic of his whole approach. He's not chasing fame or virality. He wants his work "seen, critiqued, and appreciated." He wants to improve and keep creating. His dream projects include Brazil (inspired by Gustavo Minas), New York, Tokyo (he cites Tatsuo Suzuki as a major influence), and Cuba—places rich with street life and visual storytelling. If you're in Madrid, go see this exhibition. Support a photographer who understands that his mission is "to celebrate everyday humanity through thoughtful, candid, and meaningful images."
See more of his work on Instagram: @diego11atm
