Vecchio Alpino by Mauro Squiz Daviddi
Captured on a quiet day in Ozzano dell'Emilia, this portrait documents a poignant moment of reflection. The photographer encountered an elderly member of the Alpine company, whose weathered face and contemplative expression, accentuated by a simple stick of licorice, commanded immediate attention. Recognizing the fleeting nature of the scene, the photographer waited patiently as the subject remained perfectly still, lost in thought for a full minute. This image is award-worthy for its raw, unposed authenticity and the photographer’s ability to capture a profound sense of stillness and human character in a candid, fleeting encounter.
Mauro Squiz Daviddi
Born in Bologna in 1966, Mauro Squiz Daviddi began his photographic journey in 1976 using his father’s Vitoret Voigtländer camera. He further refined his craft by earning a Master of Art degree from the Art Institute of Bologna in 1986. Throughout his distinguished career, Daviddi has shared his unique vision through numerous exhibitions across Europe, establishing himself as a dedicated artist who views photography as a lifelong passion.
Resonance Score Breakdown
Transparency Note: The resonance score (10.3/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.
Expert Photography Reviews · 3
The Weight of Seasons
To age is to gather the seasons within one’s own skin. We often mistake the passing of time for a loss, a slow thinning of the spirit, but there is a quiet density that arrives only after many winters have settled into the marrow.
Read the reflection →The Geography of Time
We carry our history in the landscape of the skin, a topography mapped by the sun and the slow, persistent erosion of years.
Read the reflection →Reviews & Comments
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f/2.8 at 85mm, 1/250s, ISO 400. A classic portrait configuration. The shallow depth of field isolates the subject’s weathered skin, but the focus plane is razor-thin. It’s technically sound, though the 85mm compression flattens the background into a muddy blur. I’ve seen this setup a thousand times, yet the texture of that licorice stick against his lip actually caught me off guard. It’s a precise, cold execution that doesn’t waste a single pixel.
Most people would have snapped and moved on, but Daviddi stayed. That minute of stillness wasn’t just a pause; it was a negotiation with time. The licorice stick is a brilliant, gritty detail that anchors the man’s weary dignity. I’ve spent enough hours shivering in the mud to know when someone’s actually put in the work. It’s a rare, quiet victory. He didn’t just find this moment; he sat with it until it belonged to him.
The focal plane sits perfectly on the subject’s iris, resolving the micro-contrast of his weathered skin with clinical precision. At this aperture, the bokeh isn’t just a blur; it’s a soft, optical transition that isolates his contemplative gaze. I’m genuinely moved by how the diffraction of light across the licorice stick reveals textures the naked eye would surely miss. It’s a rare moment where the lens’s resolution doesn’t just record, but truly honors the human condition.