There's a reason why I often interview photographers about their personal projects.

Not only do I think it will provide a good point from which to start a conversation,

but because it's an essential part

of any photographer's career. The majority of work that most professionals produce is assignment

work and helps pay the bills, but the best personal projects are born from a more intimate

and passionate space. These aren't photographs that need to be

made. They have to be made. Sometimes it's over weeks or months. Sometimes it's years.

Sarah Hadley has been working on her project on Venice, Italy, for over a decade. And her new

book, Lost Venice, is the culmination

of all that effort. The photographs are a very subjective interpretation of the city and doesn't

resemble the typical postcard images you've likely seen. It's a collection that is as much about

love and loss as it is transformation.

I think that it just took me a long time to really figure out what the meat of it was and the heart of it was.

You know, Venice is also so blindingly beautiful in a way, and I resisted making a project for so long because there are a million

photographers there. And it's so over photographed. I shouldn't say over photographed. It's

photographed because it's beautiful. So to make something that was deeply personal, that really

felt like it resonated with what I wanted to say and kind of was reminiscent of my time there,

which was a long time ago.

I mean, that's the third of loss is that Venice doesn't look like what I portrayed it to look like now.

It's a very idealized version of Venice.

It's the 80s version, as they said, of when you could walk around and there would be nobody on the streets.

That's hardly the case anymore.

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