It’s like catching a tender breeze
Featuring Martina Bertacchi Part of WÜL Collective
Martina Bertacchi is a self-taught portrait photographer based in Italy and part of WÜL Collective. She is interested in discovering what lies beyond the initial perception of individuals. Understanding a person, their life story and their inner self is a process that requires time and involves building trust on set. This often requires the photographer to relinquish some control and power that comes from being behind the camera. As Martina puts it, “There’s a special magic when someone looks directly into the lens, almost like the camera dissolves, and it’s just us — two souls having a wordless conversation. I adore this moment, where the emotional layer of a photograph peels back effortlessly.”
In this interview, we discuss Matrtina’s approach to working with individuals and couples, focusing on peeling away layers of protection to uncover the authentic selves of her subjects. We also explore her passion for documentary photography, which allows her to capture fleeting moments and grant them eternal life, preserving these memories not only for the observer but for future generations. This thread in time connects the past, present, and future, enabling her to tell stories that endure, following the protagonists in their aspirations and transformations. By pausing the moment to reflect on what beauty is and how it could be perceived or interpreted with delicate curiosity, Martina’s images become uniquely compelling.
Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski
‘My journey into photography feels like a slow unfolding, like really watching a sunset go down. My vision was so romantic.’
My Narrative
Hi Martina, how are you doing? It’s lovely to have you for the interview with us. I find your path of discovering photography and deciding to make it your career a fascinating one. Could you describe your way into photography, looking back several years ago when you just started photographing nature to later on getting into portraiture?
Hello! My journey into photography feels like a slow unfolding, like really watching a sunset go down. My vision was so romantic. Years ago, I found solace in nature’s quiet beauty — chasing light on a misty morning, capturing how leaves seemed to whisper in the wind and those tiny drops of water, so perfect and fragile, reflect the world in a miniature, distorted, and beautiful way. Photography became a way to freeze the fleeting moments of the world around me. And yet, the deeper I wandered into this, I felt a pull toward something more intimate — people. The way a face can tell a story, how light caresses skin, fascinated me. It was no longer just about witnessing beauty but discovering it in the souls of the people I photographed.
‘It's not about orchestrating perfection but creating a space where the person feels seen, comfortable enough to reveal their authentic self.’
Portraiture
Let’s continue the conversation about portraiture and essentially working with friends, people on the streets, and later on models. What was your way to develop confidence in approaching people to make an image, and what have you learned throughout the way you apply to photo shoots with models today?
I see portraiture as a delicate exchange, less about freezing a moment and more about drawing out something authentic, not so much about capturing an image but coaxing out a truth. When I first started approaching people, I didn’t know if they’d be open or closed off, and that uncertainty was humbling. Over time, I realized it’s all about connection — seeing someone, not just with your eyes but your heart. Working with friends was easy; the trust was already there. Strangers taught me vulnerability, to be open to whatever essence they would offer. Today, even with models, I approach shoots with the same philosophy. It's not about orchestrating perfection but creating a space where the person feels seen, comfortable enough to reveal their authentic self. Confidence, I’ve learned, grows not from control but from trust — between the subject and the photographer.
‘There’s a special magic when someone looks directly into the lens, almost like the camera dissolves, and it’s just us — two souls having a wordless conversation.’
The Theme
Some of the main themes in your work are people, work with light, femininity, and subtle beauty. The way the themes are intertwined creates a connection between the subject and the viewer, especially through the work with a direct gaze into the camera. Another layer is images that capture couples, which enhance the emotional aspect of photography. When working with models, what is your preferred way to get to this emotional layer? Does it happen spontaneously on set, or do you guide the models in a conversation beforehand?
There’s a special magic when someone looks directly into the lens, almost like the camera dissolves, and it’s just us — two souls having a wordless conversation. I adore this moment, where the emotional layer of a photograph peels back effortlessly. With couples, it’s even more profound because there’s already this intricate language of love and connection between them. For me, that layer of emotion isn’t something I can force or plan. It emerges from the atmosphere on set, the energy exchanged. I often have a quiet conversation beforehand, sharing thoughts and feelings, opening that emotional space, sharing images in a moodboard to confront each other. Other times, it simply blooms in the stillness and at the moment of the shooting. It’s like catching a tender breeze — you feel it, but you can’t quite describe it.
‘I lean toward documentary, though, because it’s where my heart feels most full, where I feel I’m not just creating but witnessing, preserving moments that would otherwise slip away.’
Fashion to Documentary
We can divide the paths into two main options: fashion – working with magazines, brands, commercial projects, and documentary – focusing on long-term series, photo books, and prints. When thinking about the industry, what are you most interested in to develop your photography, is it the direction of fashion or documentary? Why?
This is a question that often sits with me, and I think it’s the question of a lifetime. Fashion and documentary feel like two parts of my soul, each pulling in different directions. Fashion gives me the freedom to create worlds of elegance where every detail can be sculpted to evoke a mood, a dream. Documentary work, however, feels like the marrow of life — the stories that exist whether or not I capture them. There’s a rawness in documentary that reminds me that beauty doesn’t need to be orchestrated; it’s already present, waiting to be discovered. I lean toward documentary, though, because it’s where my heart feels most full, where I feel I’m not just creating but witnessing, preserving moments that would otherwise slip away.
‘I try to capture moments between who we are and who we’re becoming.’
Upcoming Projects
What theme or narrative are you researching, and what can we expect from you in the upcoming months?
Right now, I want to explore how we evolve emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually through our everyday lives. This theme will take shape in both portraiture and documentary projects, focusing on personal growth, identity, and the silent resilience that we all carry. These are difficult and uncertain times. I try to capture moments between who we are and who we’re becoming.
