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Rino Pucci

Rino Pucci

Photographer and writer specialised in portraiture • Taking portraits | Talking portraits

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Portfolio

Karpodini-Brownlee-Walker_by_Rino-Pucci
LocationMusic

Pianists Lefki Karpodini and Mikey Brownlee Walker

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Gamze Derinoz (by Rino Pucci)
B&WNatural LightStudio

Gamze Derinoz

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Mante Grikienyte (portrait by Rino Pucci)
ChiaroscuroFashionStudio

Mante Grikienyte

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Tineke Ann Robson by Rino Pucci
ChiaroscuroEditorialInformalLocationNatural LightStudio

Tineke Ann Robson

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Marco Giarratana by Rino Pucci
EditorialInformalNatural Light

Marco Giarratana

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Zarnab Amin Yasmeen (by Rino Pucci)
InformalLocationNatural LightPersonal

Zarnab Amin Yasmeen

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Maria Zachariadou (portrait by Rino Pucci)
MusicNatural LightStudio

Maria Zachariadou

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(Yeohan Kim by Rino Pucci)
InformalStudio

Yeohan Kim

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HeadshotStudio

Katarina Altmaier

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Emilië Mostert (by Rino Pucci)
ChiaroscuroInformalStudio

Emilië Mostert

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Full FigureMovementStudio

Kaisha Dessalines-Wright

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Shlomy Dobrinsky (portrait by Rino Pucci)
HeadshotMusicStudio

Shlomy Dobrinsky

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Nirusha Wijayamohan (portrait by Rino Pucci)
CorporateLocation

Nirusha Wijayamohan

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Alice Martucci (portrait by Rino Pucci)
FashionInformalLocationNatural LightPersonal

Alice Martucci

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Owen Hunte (portrait by Rino Pucci)
InformalLocationNatural Light

Owen Hunte

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Harry May (portrait by Rino Pucci)
InformalMovementStudio

Harry May

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rinopucci

Manchester portrait photographer & videomaker
Thoughtful, story‑driven portraits for creatives & freelancers
Book in the making: @_when.in.manchester

Rino Pucci | Manchester portrait photographer
Portrait of Simone Lomax by Rino Pucci Rino write Portrait of Simone Lomax by Rino Pucci

Rino writes:

I have a soft spot for the black-and-white portraits of old Hollywood: the carefully shaped light, the drama, the aura. Of course, times have changed, and there’s so little room for that tradition in today’s headshot portraits for casting purposes. That’s why I very rarely work in black and white in the studio.

But whenever I’m not constrained by the grammar of a headshot, I aim to give my clients a black-and-white studio portrait. When we’re building a modelling portfolio, I always feel it deserves a place.

I love this portrait of Simone Lomax for precisely that reason. The absence of colour brings everything back to the essential: her gaze, her expression, or, to use a word I love, her engagement.

Looking into the camera and showing engagement aren’t quite the same thing. Many do the former with ease; fewer manage the latter. For me, that engagement is a dialogue without words between sitter and photographer, and whoever sees the resulting portrait can sense it, as if they’d been there.

© Rino Pucci 2026
An empty room, in a building living on borrowed ti An empty room, in a building living on borrowed time. A woman keeping something to herself. Has someone just left, or is someone about to arrive? And what isn’t she telling us?

These four images offer a glimpse into the thriller-like narrative of PROPERTY., my first book.

These days, you’ll hear me talking a lot about When in Manchester, my ongoing project that will become a book. (Head over to @_when.in.manchester to find out more.)

But that will be my second book. My first, PROPERTY., was published in 2023: a multi-layered, tactile photo-thriller.

It began as a site-responsive art project: a collaboration between me, a photographer and writer, and model and artist Diana Christine Keller. Over a series of visits, we explored a building in London living on borrowed time, destined for demolition. It no longer exists.

The building inspired our work together. Later, after moving to Manchester, I decided to bring those photographs into a book. I invited 11 wordsmiths to contribute short stories and poems in response to selected images, without giving them any information about the setting or the person portrayed.
What intrigued me was the process: first making the photographs in response to a place, then opening them up to other people’s imaginations. Their words added new layers to the narrative.

The book also contained newspaper clippings, pieces of fabric, drawings, mysterious letters and envelopes. These tactile elements made the book itself a precious object, and keeping the edition small made it special.

I curated and published PROPERTY. in a very limited edition, and there is a chance it will be republished at some point.

#photobook
#artistsbook
#narrativephotography
#cinematicportrait
#independentpublishing
Portrait of Becky Kershaw by Rino Pucci Rino writ Portrait of Becky Kershaw by Rino Pucci

Rino writes:
Becky is the 95th sitter of the “When in Manchester” project, and without a doubt one of the most engaging to work with. We wandered around Victoria Station and, on a whim, stepped into a barber’s. The people there were very kind to let us in – thank you.

I loved the mosaic tiles on the floor and the old-fashioned barber’s chair with its chrome footrest. And, of course, for a touch of modernity, the ring light that every barber’s now has – a homage to Instagram, and to the people willing to take photos for it.

I took this portrait from outside, through the shop window, while Becky was reading her newspaper. I guess she was looking at the bus passing at that very moment (do you see the big “Scary Movie” advert?) when I clicked the shutter. If you look closely, you can spot the photographer in the reflection, as well as a passer-by who probably stopped to check what we were doing – though I have no recollection of that. Thank you, Becky, for being a great sitter (pun intended).

“When in Manchester” is now almost complete in terms of production, but if you would like to take part, please get in touch by message or comment. And if you know anybody with a strong connection to Manchester and an interesting story to tell, please pass this on.

Thank you.

#wheninmanchester #manchesterphotographer #portraitphotography #blackandwhitephotography #manchester
Nelson Nsofor came to the studio early this week f Nelson Nsofor came to the studio early this week for a series of portraits to enhance his modelling portfolio. We are both very pleased with the images we created. In this particular one, I love the honesty of his gaze.

Stay tuned for more portraits from his session.

#portraitphotography #studioportrait #modellingportfolio #manchesterphotographer #manchesterportraitphotographer

© Rino Pucci, 2026
My mum died in May, and only today I have felt abl My mum died in May, and only today I have felt able to come back here and share a photo of her that I found while looking for something else in a drawer, in her now silent flat. In doing so, I want to honour her memory. Her name was Vittoria.
***
This is the top-left passport photo in a group of four. Photographer unknown – but I can picture her in her black boots, going to the local photographer after she had finished teaching for the day, needing a photo for a new ID card. Early 1980s, I’d say.
If my mum had known Instagram, it’s an easy guess that she would have found it futile – so I have to ask her posthumous forgiveness for posting her photo here.
***
A cruel illness slowly changed the way she remembered, understood and expressed herself. Busy as we were trying to cope with the hard task of her care, we are only finding time and space now to realise how hard the last few years must have been for her. And now is also the time to look back at her whole life.
***
A mother never truly fades away.
She lives on in the dignity of her life, at work as within her family. She lives on in the memory of her steady, quiet presence – the care she never ceased to give to those who needed it. She lives on in the strength of the values that, deep-rooted as they were, she handed down to her loved ones and to the generations she taught.
***
Books were very important to our mother. Just before the coffin was sealed, my sister placed a novel in her hands – following a tradition in southern Italy, where the dead have to be accompanied by objects they might need on their journey to the afterlife.
***
My mum did not like being photographed. Whenever I asked her to pose, she would dismiss my request with sharp words and a wave of her hand. Here, though, needing an official photograph, she had to keep a straight, slightly stern expression – one I recognise completely as hers.
As I sit here staring at her, and her staring back at me, I cannot help reflecting on the power of photographs to bring the past so close. I feel as if time has not passed, taken back to a season of my life when I would never have imagined that my mum would not be around any more.
***
Sit tibi terra levis.
Tony Coughlan  |  Headshot by Rino Pucci Rino w Tony Coughlan  |  Headshot by Rino Pucci

Rino writes ✒️: Loving this headshot of Tony Coughlan from a recent and very enjoyable portrait session. It’s a reminder that a strong headshot should stay simple and essential, letting the actor’s expression do the talking.

Tony is a very experienced Manchester-based actor, with credits across film, short film, commercials and corporate work, as well as voiceover.

Many of my clients are on Spotlight, the platform casting professionals use to find performers for theatre, television and film projects around the world.

Headshot sessions start from £90, with a discount available for student actors. Get in touch for a free consultation.

#portraiturewithconnection
#thoughtfulportraiture
#headshotphotography
#manchesterphotographer
#headshots
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All content and images © Rino Pucci 2021 (unless otherwise stated). Reuse or reproduction without express permission forbidden.

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