Photographic art

The third story of beauty is Caterina’s. A photographer, she teaches us how to see ourselves reflected in the lake.

My name is Caterina. I first encountered the lake many years ago. I discovered the lake through my passion for photography, and I must say that it is a magical place that has taught me a great deal. It is a place that has taught me to stop, to listen and to look—or rather, to see. I love photographing the lake at all times and in every season. But I do have a favourite season: winter. Because winter strips everything back to its essence. The lake sheds its brighter colours and its contrasts. The trees lose their leaves and remain bare and alone. And it is almost as though they call to me then. That is the moment when I truly perceive beauty at its purest, in its essence, in its nakedness. It is in winter, above all, that the lake reveals this to me. I often say that this lake is very much like me, and beneath its surface I see many aspects of myself. The lake is a magical place. What I am able to feel and translate into images through photography is something that, in a way, all of us can experience, if we approach this place differently. Not by rushing. Not by coming here with the need to do something—a Sunday outing, a picnic, a run, a swim or a boat trip—but simply by stopping, looking at it, trying to listen to it and to see it in its essence. Because there is something profoundly essential about the lake. And if we stop and wait, we may truly be surprised. In its silence, it offers us a new image. It also offers us a deeper understanding of ourselves. It is a place that invites silence, meditation and reflection. For once, let us stop. Let us not rush. Let us listen and look at this lake, in its silence and in its essence.