Spirit of Place is an ongoing series of photographic travel books that explore how identity, atmosphere and belonging emerge from the character of specific locations. Each book is a visual study of a place — not through description, but through feeling. The work focuses on mood, light and detail, capturing how certain spaces linger in memory long after they are left behind.

The project moves away from the conventions of travel literature and guidebooks, which often impose narration or fixed meaning. Instead, it proposes photography as a way of being with a place — where rhythm, colour and texture speak more eloquently than explanation. Each landscape, alley, coastline or interior becomes both subject and companion, revealing how environments hold a quiet essence that is felt rather than defined.

Rooted in the idea of genius loci — the spirit inherent in place — each series has its own distinct tone and rhythm. What is found in one may differ entirely from another: the warmth and density of Naples, the sharp geometry of Hong Kong, or the reflective calm of Lisbon. Through this, photography becomes a form of dwelling, where attention and lingering reveal presence instead of delivering account.

The project continues an ethos of attentiveness over spectacle and subtlety over declaration. It shares affinities with photographers who have turned feeling into a form of knowledge: Joel Sternfeld’s expansive portrayals of American life¹, Martin Parr’s sharp and humorous reflections on the everyday², Wolfgang Tillmans’ sensitivity to light and social texture³, and Elger Esser’s meditative landscapes that transform the familiar into reverie⁴. In this lineage, Spirit of Place treats each location as unique, shaped by its own atmosphere and emotional register.

The books are designed to be tactile and portable — companions for journey and reflection. They invite readers to dwell with the images, to notice what remains partial or suggestive, and to sense the world as a continuum of places where meaning is always unfolding.