Where the Magic Happens, Bálint in Milan

There is something about Milan that keeps bringing me back to photography in its purest form

Maybe it is the light. Maybe it is the pace of the city, the people I meet there, or simply the feeling that something unexpected can happen at any moment. Every time I photograph in Milan, I come back with more than pictures. I come back with stories.

It has slowly become one of those places where, for me, the magic happens.

I photographed Bálint during one of those very hot Milan summer days. Strong sunlight, deep shadows, blue skies and almost no need to overthink anything. We worked between the apartment, the balcony and the city, allowing the light to dictate a lot of what happened.

I have always been interested in that kind of photography: when everything feels simple on the surface, but there is still something happening underneath. A gesture, a shadow crossing the body, a face disappearing into darkness for a second. You stop trying to control every detail and start paying attention.

And then, somewhere in the middle of the shoot, something happened that I definitely wasn't expecting.

I was drinking mate while we were photographing, as I normally do, when Bálint suddenly started talking to me about it.

Mate.

For a second I thought I had misunderstood him.

This Hungarian model standing in front of me in Milan knew exactly what I was drinking. Not only that — he told me he used to drink mate in Hungary.

I couldn't believe it.

So there we were, sharing mate between photographs: an Argentine photographer and a Hungarian model, in an apartment in Milan.

And I remember thinking how completely absurd and wonderful that little scene was.

Not long before, Bálint had been walking for Dolce & Gabbana. Now we were sitting there drinking mate together while making photographs.

Life has a strange sense of humour.

Those are the moments I love most about photography. Of course I care deeply about the final images, the light, the sequence, the editing, all of it. But photography has also given me these completely improbable encounters throughout my life.

Two people from opposite sides of Europe and South America meeting somewhere in between.

A camera.

Some sunlight.

A mate being passed from one hand to another.

And somehow, for a few hours, everything makes perfect sense.

In this post, you will also see some of the analogue photographs I made with my Mamiya 645J.

At that point, I was still finding my rhythm with the camera — taking a little longer to focus, checking everything twice, learning to trust the process and the slower pace that medium format demands.

Bálint was incredibly patient through all of it.

While I adjusted focus, changed settings and took my time with each frame, he was always there with the same smile, the same warmth and the same calm energy. There was never any pressure to rush.

And maybe that is another reason why I remember this shoot so fondly.

Film asks for patience, and so do people.

When both are given the space they need, something special can happen.

Maybe that is what I mean when I say Milan is where the magic happens for me.

It isn't only the city.

It is what seems to happen every time I pick up my camera there.

And this story is not over yet.

Bálint and I will meet again soon — this time in Budapest.

I am already looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Bálint Szobonya photographed in Milan.

Photography by Nico Quinteros

Model: Bálint Szobonya