ally & alessandro | golden hour in trastevere & l’isola tiberina
When I first met Ally in August of 2024, during orientation week for our Master’s program in Art History here in Rome, I remember being immediately struck by the grace with which she carried herself. Something about her breezy, chic style and mosaic of intricate tattoos combined with her easy laugh and kind eyes is gently magnetic, and spending the next two years with her in our classes and writing our theses has been nothing short of a gift.
With a background in the arts—she worked at a bronze foundry, fabricating monumental bronze sculptures for artists in Philadelphia in the US before moving here to Rome!—Ally’s specialized knowledge of artistic technique and ideation, together with her unflappable curiosity, generosity, and flexibility, made learning together an absolute joy and deepened my own modes of inquiry and study in ways I am just beginning to understand.
Meeting Alessandro was no different than meeting Ally; an incredibly talented videographer himself, Ale has a kindness, ease, humor, and gentleness that is an immense joy to participate in. Ally and Ale met a few years ago through mutual friends on one of Ally’s trips to Rome, and dated long distance until she moved overseas to study for her Master’s degree. Truly, they are the kind of couple that you meet and think, “ah, yes—of course.”
Ally and Ale met me on the banks of the Tiber early one evening in May for a couples photoshoot that immediately had me exclaiming in delight and awe from behind the camera (and for the entire evening). We began on the banks of the Tiber River, down at the Ponte Sublicio near Testaccio, and wandered slowly north through the cascading greenery and flowers on the embankments as the sun slowly began to set. This first set of photos is just the beginning of the simultaneous sweetness and elegance that would characterize our entire shoot.
The angle of the setting sun slanted just perfectly as we arrived at the Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island) and… my god, these photos. I practically ran around, in between, above, and below them as we circled the cement banks of the Isola, playing with shadows and colors and hands and hair. Alessandro had a full Grease-style model moment, Ally’s stunning green eyes caught the golden light in the most striking way, and the two of them together in these photos are somehow both tender and editorial. Enjoy their jaw-dropping beauty…!
We “finished” on the Isola, but of course as we made our way back through the softly blue post-sunset light of Trastevere (en route to a favorite bar for an aperitivo with a group of our good friends), we paused in a few corners to snap just a few final photos. This short set feels deeply Roman to me—from the nasone fountain to the textured terracotta walls of the Trastevere alleys—and sometimes it is the final photos from a shoot that really speak to the essence of a person. I am so grateful to Ally and Ale for being willing to “try just a few more things on our way,” and love this handful of photos so very much!
Ally and Ale, the way that you two cherish each other is evident in every glance and every caress. Thank you for allowing me to document just a few of the moments that encapsulate your story and your love for one another—I treasure you both so deeply, and could not be more honored to have photographed you in May. Vi voglio tanto bene!