Photography School in Rome: Creating a Photo Essay

A photojournalistic image of Rome’s deserted Tangenziale Est, taken by Marco Sconocchia, an instructor for the introductory course at the Daylight School. A woman in the foreground and a child in the background are playing badminton in the middle of the empty roadway. To the left is a long yellow wall covered in graffiti; to the right are parked cars and tall Roman apartment buildings. — © Marco Sconocchia. Learning to capture the unexpected in everyday life: playing badminton on the asphalt of Rome’s Tangenziale Est. Learn to develop your own artistic vision with the introductory course at Daylight School, a photography school in Rome.

Cover of the "Notebook" photography program for Daylight School, a photography school in Rome, featuring a collage with an open window overlooking an urban landscape and a lined notebook page with doodles and drawings of a vintage camera. — The cover of the “Notebook” column, our original series on urban photography and personal photojournalism, live on the Daylight School (Rome) YouTube channel.

On social media today, we’re used to consuming photography voraciously. We see the final result: the perfect, post-processed, and polished shot. But what really lies behind an image? What thoughts, anxieties, and encounters lead a photographer to develop a long-term project?

At ADaylight School,our photography school in Rome, we believe that aesthetic presentation should always go hand in hand with content. In this new episode of“Notebook”on our YouTube channel, we’re taking a brief break from our busy schedules and classes to explore photography from its most intimate, unhurried, and personal side.

We’re taking you behind the scenesof “Under the Eastway,” an ongoing documentary project about Rome’s Tangenziale Est being filmed byMarco Sconocchia, our instructor for thebasic courses.

The Charm and Brutality of the East Beltway

Between Pigneto and San Lorenzo, just a stone's throw from our headquarters, stands a masterpiece of architectural ugliness: an overpass built decades ago as a temporary structure that has ended up cutting East Rome in two and redefining its geography.

For those who live in and pass through these neighborhoods every day, the Tangenziale is an imposing, almost cinematic presence. It sparked in us an urgent need to tell the story of whathappens beneath thisconcrete monster, as we sought to blend the raw aesthetics of reportage with moments of pure poetry, romance, and irony.

3 Lessons from the Field (Straight from Our Diary)

Developing a long-term project means moving away from the rush of a single shot to embrace a solid narrative structure. Looking at the first images from the project (which you can find in the full video), three key aspects emerge that we address daily with the students at our school:

Finding Sources (including through social media):Reporting isn’t just about walking around and hoping for luck. By using hashtags wisely on Facebook, for example, you can uncover incredible stories. That’s how we ended up in the living room of a young woman whose window is literally crushed by the overpass, just a few meters from speeding cars.
Empathy Before the Shot:To move from a “one-shot” photograph to an intimate portrait, you have to know when to pause. In the video, we share our encounter with two Brazilian women in transition: first, we shared a beer together; then, we listened to a complex story of escape and survival in a tent; andonly then did we takethe photograph. Intimacy requires perseverance and the willingness to retrace your steps.
The Art of Editing and Subtraction:As Mariano Doronzo often points out during our photojournalism course, if you’re telling a story tied to a theme (or a place, such as the beltway), that element doesn’t have to be present in every single photo. Over-exposing a subject visually weakens its impact. Good editing thrives on variation, breathing room, and pauses.

A close-up of three people with intricate and varied tattoos (Japanese-style, floral, and the words “Avenged Sevenfold”) sitting and crouching near a wooden and metal bench in an urban setting in Pigneto. An example of street photography and social reportage. — Capturing stories etched on the skin: learning the art of intimate reportage and documentary street photography in Rome. A workshop on authorial vision from the Daylight School.

A Story of Contrasts

The spirit of this project reflects the spirit of Rome itself: a constant and jarring cultural clash.

In our selection, you’ll find Aladino, a poetic and “Ligabuesque” figure from Pigneto who, unaware, wears ironic T-shirts donated by residents, alongside the area’s young tattoo artists; you’ll find the cold neon signs of betting shops reflecting off the concrete pillars, and right after that, the study halls at La Sapienza in San Lorenzo, where 1990s office chairs clash wonderfully with classical statues, just one meter from the traffic on the ring road.

This is the essence of the photography we love: bringing together the different facets of life—both the rough and the dreamlike—to spark questions in the viewer.

Watch the Video and Learn About the Project

If you'd like to see how these dynamics translate into images and learn the behind-the-scenes story of an editing process designed to catch the eye of a hypothetical photo editor, we invite you to watchthe FULL EPISODE

(Warning: Due to the topics covered and the graphic nature of some images, this video addresses these issues without holding back. Some footage may be restricted on the platform, but it accurately depicts the reality we have documented.)

If this approach—which combines technical expertise with content—is something you’d like to master, not only in terms of technique but also in storytelling through images, we look forward to seeing youat Daylight School. September will bring exciting new developments and new educational programs: explore our website and discover how to give voice to your photography.