New Year's Eve

On one New Year’s Eve in the city of Palermo in 2016, there was a special celebration filled with laughter, dancing, reunions, and an abundance of beautiful lights unlike anything I was used to. As someone who studied lighting design in Syria and now lives and works in Palestine, my eyes could hardly take in all that brightness and beauty. Amid all the joy and movement, my attention was drawn to the smile of a man in his fifties when his beloved arrived to celebrate with him after a long wait. I used a handheld zoom lens to capture this photo, aiming to preserve the atmosphere of the place, the festive decorations, and at the same time focus in on the man’s features — a man I believe was named “Lorenzo.”