Three photographers, united by friendship and a shared passion for the medium, are bringing their artistic visions together in a new exhibition at Bizzilla Art Space in Floriana.
Bernadette Carabott, Martine Ellul and Tessa Mercieca met a few years ago through The Malta Photographic Society, where they attended weekly meetings, various courses and workshops. A strong bond developed along the way, and just over a year ago, they decided to exhibit together.
The result is Triple Exposure, an exhibition of 24 powerful portraits, landscapes and abstract images that invite visitors to slow down, look closer and discover “beauty, emotion and detail” from a fresh perspective.
Intentional camera movement
Each photographer approaches the medium from a distinct angle, yet they are all driven by their commitment to storytelling through the lens.
Bernadette describes her photographic style as bold, colourful and immersive, “often filling the frame”.
“This is especially evident in my macro works, where I use a prime macro lens and frequently shoot at a 1:1 ratio to reveal intimate, detailed perspectives,” she shares.
Alongside macro photography, she has long maintained a strong interest in street, architectural vaults and documentary work.
Her early inspiration came from the photojournalist Reza, whose powerful imagery in the National Geographic magazines helped shape her visual sensibility and creative direction. More recently, she has been exploring intentional camera movement (ICM), which has become a defining part of her practice.
“Influenced by Kaisa Siren’s painterly approach, I combine mindset, camera settings, deliberate movement and timing to create expressive, unrepeatable images. This process is rooted in experimentation and chance, with each successful frame emerging through a balance of intuition and technique,” she explains.
Architectural and macro photography
On the other hand, Martine started her photographic journey as a street photographer, using mainly prime lenses.
“This genre enabled me to really connect with so many different characters and to capture candid moments along the way. I have slowly transitioned more into architectural and macro photography. Having worked for many years with architectural firms, my love for this genre was only natural,” she says.
After completing a course in macro photography and purchasing her first true macro lens, she has also discovered the joy of capturing the tiniest of details even in the simplest of subjects and bringing out their raw beauty through the use of light and shadows.
Like Bernadette, she has also started experimenting with ICM photography, which allows her to create abstract and dreamlike images, and says she prefers black and white photos.
“I truly love monochrome images as this format allows me to understand how light interacts with my subjects without colour to distract my eyes. In fact, I tend to favour monochrome images in most of my photography,” she says, adding that two famous photographers who have had an influence on her style and whom she admires are Henri Cartier-Bresson and Fan Ho.
‘Bird and wildlife photography’
Tessa’s photographic journey actually began with a background in drawing portraits and nudes, so transitioning to portrait photography “felt natural”.
“However, I quickly realised I wasn’t drawn to posed studio shots, which led me to the streets. Back then, I was far too shy to ask strangers for permission, so I shifted my lens towards landscapes,” she says.
When the pandemic hit and travel stopped, Tessa returned to street photography and environmental portraiture − this time alongside her friends Martine and “Ben”.
“Navigating the streets as a trio made approaching subjects far less daunting, and it became a genre we deeply shared.”
Her lifelong love for nature eventually took her in a new direction. “A year ago, I invested in a macro lens and a 600mm telephoto lens, and I’ve been immersed in bird and wildlife photography ever since. In a way, this is my newly found love for ‘portraiture’,” Tessa says.
“Being out in nature brings me an absolute sense of peace; even after the most stressful week, stepping into the wild puts me right back in my element and completely renews my energy.”
Despite the different subjects and themes, the trio say their shared training, influences and friendship have created an underlying coherence that connects the exhibition as a whole.
“Our different perspective and way of seeing things, ties it all together, even if so different,” Bernadette says.
“We have all been trained together, pretty much doing most of our courses together too. In this context, we see things in a similar way, but our approach differs as we venture to express our own style.”
“We have tried to retain a certain cohesiveness in the exhibition as regards colours, style and orientation to be aesthetically in tune with one another,” Tessa continues.
Even though the three have exhibited before, they are feeling “a rollercoaster of emotions” as this is their first collective effort and they also curating the show.
But beyond the excitement of bringing the exhibition together, the trio hopes it will help reinforce photography’s place as a legitimate and valued artistic medium.
“We would like to demonstrate how even the simplest subjects − a building façade, a dog on a walk, or a colourful trail − may be reimagined as compelling artistic expressions,” Martine says.
As regards visitors, they would like them to leave the “intimate” Bizzilla Art Space with “a renewed eye for seeing the world a little closer and in a more detailed manner, to slow down and truly observe the world”, Bernadette says.
“We would like the memories of our images to linger and entice other artists to take the plunge in their artistic journey.”
The stories behind their favourite images
The three photographers share the images they feel most connected to.
Bernadette Carabott
Among my featured works are two photographs that hold particular significance for me. Careless Whispers was inspired by The Eternal Couple, a monumental sculpture by renowned artist Igor Mitoraj, encountered at the Neapolis Archaeological Park in Syracuse. The image captures an intimate moment suggested by the sculpture’s forms, evoking the sense of a whispered exchange frozen in time. The title, as with many of my works, was inspired by music.
Also featured is Chakras, created using intentional camera movement (ICM), a technique that transforms light, colour and motion into an abstract expression. From the moment of its creation, I felt a strong connection to this image, making it one of my most personal works in the collection.
Martine Ellul
I would say that Shadow Play and University Grid are two images close to my heart. Shadow Play because I feel I have married my love of architectural and street photography in a monochrome format using the harsh diagonal light and shadows which in turn contrast with the soft curves of the human form and the rigid and hard lines of the building.
University Grid, on the other hand, is a visually, satisfying architectural image. I feel I have managed to create pattern and repetition in a kind of juxtaposition style of crisp, sharp grid lines of metal glass panes against the organic stained surface of the masonry below.
Tessa Mercieca
My two favourite photos are definitely The Hunter and The Silent Sentinel. The Hunter reflects my love for animals and my desire to challenge traditional composition rules. By intentionally cropping out half of the dog’s face, I wanted to break the standard mold and draw the viewer’s gaze directly into his eye. It creates an instant, raw connection − the exact same feeling of intensity I experienced when I felt the dog watching my every move.
The Silent Sentinel holds a special place for me because it was the very first photograph I captured with my new camera set-up. It marks a turning point in my journey; it was the catalyst that made me fully realise my love for nature and landscapes, driving me to discover completely unfamiliar, untouched parts of the island during the pandemic, and leading me to my love of birds, wildlife and animal/pet photography.
