On Projection, Bad Faith, and the Need to Draw a Line

Every now and then, someone tries to turn me into something I am not. More often than not, into something they probably are.

Yestersay I received this comment on a very old post on this blog:

I am sorry but I think “he” deserved this tone in my reply. As you can see in the linked post moreover, they are not just photos of women, there is a group photo and a cityscape photo, but the weirdo/troll sees only photos of women there. Revealing that the “guy” has problems…

In cases like this, the dynamic is always the same: digging up an old post, isolating a single example among hundreds, desperately looking for something that might make me “waver”. Which, incidentally, already reveals a rather unhealthy level of attention toward my work and my person.

Let’s be clear.

I am a professional photographer.
I work with portrait and fashion photography, documentary photography and, since 2024, sports photography. This means working with people. Different people. Different bodies. Different ages. Different contexts.

On a personal level, I am a man who has been happily married for 16 years. A relationship built, among other things, on respect for women. That kind of stability doesn’t come from ideology, it comes from how you actually live and treat others.

As a man, I am resolved. Unfortunately, many are not. We see it every day in a world where women are still not respected, where violence exists in psychological, verbal and physical forms. Trying to lump everything together through lazy accusations is not only dishonest, it is dangerous.

I like to think that who I am in life is reflected in how I photograph.
My gaze is not objectifying. And I genuinely believe that my photographic gaze is not typical of what you often find in male photographers. Anyone willing to look can see it.

In the past, I have also worked with erotic photography. Always with absolute respect for the people who posed for me. Always aware of my role and my responsibility as a photographer. Always careful never to cross boundaries. Almost obsessively professional, one could say. Respect was never optional.

So when someone tries to “find something else” in my work, I tend to think the problem lies elsewhere. Often, these comments come from anonymous profiles or fake names, the classic troll-hater combination that prefers insinuation over accountability.

Anyone claiming that I “only photograph women” is either acting in bad faith or simply lying. My portfolio is public. Women, men, children, animals, urban elements, advertising, empty spaces. It’s all there.

What I cannot and will not accept are attempts to distort reality or to project personal issues onto my work and my identity.

So let me be very clear, once and for all: don’t try it. Don’t even think you can allow yourself to.

This space, my work, and my name deserve respect.