Pascarosa is a small village surrounded by countryside between Ostuni and the Valle d’Itria. A quiet, simple place made of secondary roads, trulli appearing unexpectedly, and spontaneous vegetation growing freely among dry stone walls and open fields. This is where we created this Love Journal with Ilenia and Saverio.

The Love Journal comes from the idea of telling a couple’s story in a natural way, without forced poses or artificial situations. It’s about slowing down, walking together, talking, watching the light change, and letting things happen as they are.

A series of romantic wedding photos showing a couple posing with a vintage red Fiat car in an outdoor setting.
A series of black and white candid wedding photographs showing joyful moments and laughter during a celebration.
A romantic black and white photo of a couple sharing a tender moment by a vintage car with its door open.
A couple shares intimate moments while posing with a vintage red car during a romantic outdoor photoshoot.
A series of vintage cars parked in front of white buildings against a cloudy sky during a wedding photo session.

We started the shoot in front of a few trulli, with a beautiful red Fiat 500 that immediately gave character to the images. The sky was quite threatening, full of heavy clouds, but instead of worrying we decided to go on anyway. In the end, that uncertain light turned out to be surprisingly fascinating.

Black and white photograph showing silhouettes of two people in conversation inside a car.
A sequence of black and white images showing a car's interior rearview mirror in different angles and positions.
Monochrome image capturing a side view of two silhouetted figures seated in a vehicle interior.
A person in a white dress sits in the back of a car during a wedding celebration.
Close-up black and white photo of someone adjusting a camera lens in low light.
Red car interior dashboard view through windshield showing steering wheel and gauges.

At the very beginning, we also had a small unexpected episode. A group of little dogs welcomed us in what seemed like a friendly way, then suddenly started barking and chasing us, almost biting Saverio. A brief moment of tension, followed by laughter. One of those situations that feels scary in the moment but later becomes a funny memory of the day.

A black and white photo series shows a dog walking down an empty street between white buildings and bare trees.
Cropped view of people's legs and feet walking together on a snowy winter sidewalk.
A black vintage car is parked on a dirt road in a black and white photograph.
A montage of people sitting in a vintage red car shown from different angles and perspectives.
Black and white photograph of two people seated in a vintage car on a rural road.
A red vintage Ferrari sports car parked on a gravel road lined with eucalyptus trees.

After shooting with the car, we moved along a quiet road, simply walking and talking. From there, we went into the spontaneous vegetation typical of this area. Fig trees, almond trees, carob trees, and other wild plants became the natural backdrop for the photos. No olive trees this time, just a rougher, less orderly landscape that felt very close to the kind of story I wanted to tell.

Black and white photo series showing silhouettes of people dancing and jumping in an outdoor setting.
Black and white photo series showing couple walking and holding hands on a sidewalk.
A series of black and white photographs showing people walking along a path in winter weather conditions.
A couple walking together on a tree-lined path in casual attire on an autumn day.
A series of black and white candid photographs showing people in sunglasses arranged in a horizontal strip layout.
A romantic couple embracing against a rustic stone wall and wooden gate in a natural setting.
A close-up black and white photo shows hands gently holding a small kitten with closed eyes.
A series of intimate close-up shots showing tender romantic moments between a couple.
Candid shots of a couple walking together on a street in casual outfits.
A series of black and white candid wedding photos showing intimate moments between couples during an outdoor ceremony.
A romantic couple embraces in a black and white photo series against a backdrop of trees and natural scenery.
A romantic black and white photo series showing intimate moments between a couple in a garden setting.
A couple sharing an intimate moment outdoors in a natural setting.
A series of black and white close-up profile shots showing an intimate moment between two people.
Black and white close-up photograph of a person wearing a white collared shirt with hand near their neck.

The images from this session alternate between black and white and color, following the mood of the moment rather than any fixed rule. When the light had almost completely faded, we ended the session with a few shots using flash in the middle of the road. Very direct photographs, pure reportage, spontaneous and unconstructed. This is the kind of approach I feel most connected to, and that I always try to bring into couple sessions as well.

A series of black and white photos showing a couple in sunglasses sharing intimate moments and laughter together.
A couple stands together in front of traditional trulli houses in Alberobello, Italy on a cloudy evening.
A series of black and white photographs showing two people posing together against a dark cloudy sky and buildings.
A sequence of black and white photos showing figures in motion performing skateboarding tricks on concrete ground.
A couple embraces on a dark street at night in black and white photography.
A romantic black and white photo of a couple embracing outdoors at dusk.

Ilenia and Saverio live in Reggio Emilia and will get married in 2026. Before meeting in person, we exchanged several emails and then got to know each other better through a few video calls. When we finally met face to face, everything felt very natural, as if we already knew each other. They are kind, enthusiastic, deeply in love, and they chose me to tell their story through both photography and film on their wedding day.

This Love Journal was the first chapter of their journey together. I truly can’t wait for their wedding day to continue telling their story, with the same simple and honest approach that guided this session.