Vol. xii · No. 03
Cosima Orsini · Photographer
Milano · Spring – Summer 2026
Editorial portrait of a young woman near a tall window in warm afternoon light
Still life of figs and linen on a marble surface
Plate 01 · Milano · 2026
N° XII

Portrait, still life, & the in-between.

Editorial photography made in Milan, on the Italian coast, and wherever the light happens to be. Available for commissions year-round.

By Cosima Orsini  ·  Working since 2017
I.

Selected portfolio

A working sheet · 8 frames · all collections
II.

Collections

Four series · 2022 – 2026
i.

Floræ

Portrait series Milano Spring 2024 14 frames

Six women, photographed in their kitchens and gardens in the weeks before Easter. Wild fennel, broom, peach blossom — what was in flower when I knocked on the door.

First shown at Galleria Bianca in May 2024.

Portrait with floral headdress
i. Lucia, with fennel — March 2024
Portrait against linen
ii. Beatrice, kitchen window
Red-haired woman against ochre wall
iii. Vittoria, in the courtyard
Woman near tall window
iv. Marta, end of afternoon
ii.

Tavola imbandita

Still life Various kitchens Summer 2023 18 frames

A long, slow look at what people put on the table when they are not thinking of being looked at. Shot in family homes across Lombardia and Emilia over a single August.

Published in Apartamento 32.

Pears and persimmons on dark wood
i. Late September
Still life with peaches and glass
ii. Peaches at noon
Open book and espresso cup
iii. After lunch, Bologna
Figs on marble
iv. Figs, the last of August
iii.

Sud

Landscape · documentary Puglia & Sicilia 2022 22 frames

Made on a long, looping drive south during the hot week between Ferragosto and the start of school. Coast roads, salt pans, and the small towns where everything closes at one.

Cliffside village at sunset
i. Polignano — last light
Coast at golden hour with single figure
ii. Marzamemi — the swimmers
Row of old olive trees beside an empty country path
iii. Verso Otranto — Strada del sale
iv.

Interno

Light studies · ongoing Milano & Lisboa 2025–2026 11 frames so far

A small, quiet series I started last winter. Empty rooms, the light coming in at a particular hour. No people — but the rooms are clearly somebody’s.

Still adding to it. The collection closes when it closes.

Light across a wooden floor
i. The afternoon
Soft linen curtain with tree shadow
ii. Tenda di lino
Sheer curtain in mid-afternoon sun
iii. Mid-March, 3:40 pm
Open shutters on courtyard
iv. Lisboa — the courtyard
III.

About the photographer

Born Bologna, 1989 · lives Milano
Self-portrait of Cosima Orsini in her studio
Self-portrait · Studio · Marzo 2026

I photograph things that look as if no one is photographing them. Portraits, still lifes, and the rooms where both happen.

I studied photography at IUAV in Venice and assisted in Paris for three years before returning to Milan and going independent in 2017. My clients are mostly editorial — magazines, small fashion houses, a few cookbooks. I make personal work in between, and the personal work is what the editorial work is for.

I shoot mostly on medium format film and print my own work where I can. I speak Italian, English, and a little Portuguese, and I travel for projects on the Mediterranean.

Selected clients

  • Apartamento'19–'26
  • The Gentlewoman'22–'25
  • Massimo Alba'23
  • Cereal magazine'21
  • Giorgio Cosulich Books'24

Exhibitions & press

  • Galleria Bianca — Floræ2024
  • FOAM Talent — finalist2023
  • Fondazione Sozzani — group2022
  • Photo Vogue — feature2021
IV.

Contact

Commissions · print sales · books

Let’s make something together.

Editorial, fashion, cookbook, and personal-portrait commissions. I usually reply within two working days. For urgent timing, please say so in the subject line.

Write to the studio →
Studio
Via Cesare Correnti 14
20123 Milano · by appointment
Agent (IT)
2DM Management · Milano
Prints
Editions of 5 · signed & numbered
30×40 / 50×60 cm · from €380