Visual Diaries in Milan’s Smoking Area - Axis Magazine
My name is Mason Francis.
Originally I’m from the UK, but I moved to Milan five years ago. My pronouns are he/him. I work commercially as a creative for an agency by day, but am a party photographer by night.
I got my first DSLR camera in the Tumblr era of the 2010s (initially to take emo pictures of myself in the bathroom of my family home), but this inclination seems to have paid off, as I’ve now been creating visuals professionally for the past ten years. The way I explore creative production has gradually evolved over time, originally from dance to photography to film, then to animation, design and now back to photography. It’s giving anxious attachment style. I know. But hear me out. Gradually, it is becoming clearer to me that these outlets are all branches coming from the same tree. I believe to be an artist is to find a creative outlet in order to express your point of view. The outlet can change, but the source is the same.
Alex Consani, DSquared2 #Obsessed2 30th Anniversary Show, Milano
In my photography, I usually go for candid shots of subjects, but I’m also partial to a dramatic pose, so long as it feels real and not manufactured. My lens gravitates towards props like lollipops or cigarettes, tattoos, interesting rings or manicures or accessories. I think art direction is also a really important piece that I think about. “The internet’s Creative Director” @Orenmeetsworld has some great videos on YouTube on Art Direction in photography. The basic principle that he communicates is to pick one distinctive theme or concept to layer into your photos. It’s a lesson I’m still trying to integrate into my own practice but this idea of layering things in helps me to continually think about how I can enrich the photos and make them stand out on people’s timelines.
Working in creative production for an agency has also taught me a lot about generating inspiration, such as mood-boarding or saving content that catches your eye to refer back to later. But one of the things I love about photography is just how present I can be in the moment. When I’m at an event, there are infinite moments that can be captured. When I’m present, it’s all about scanning the room for the best thing happening at any given moment and capturing it.
I also shoot in RAW, which allows me to go back and work on the imagery in Lightroom and get the best results. I love this part, as it allows me to add my own style to them. But perhaps most importantly is the curation process. Sometimes I take a thousand photos at an event. The curation is such a key step as it means I have to choose, let’s say, ten of the strongest photos and put them in a strategic order to tell a compelling story. I want the energy of each image in the sequence to change. A mixture of faces, outfits and moments. I don’t want a carousel. I want a story; a mood-board made up from individual notes, personalities, flavours.
Boiler Room: Milan 09/05/25
Boiler Room has always been a dream event for me to shoot. Since I was 18, I’ve always been somewhat adjacent to the techno scene. It attracts a particular demographic that I would say is neither queer nor heteronormative, and neither alternative nor mainstream, but rather carves out an interesting space in between these cultural touchstones. As a queer man I feel safe there, which isn’t always the norm in spaces largely inhabited by intoxicated men. The focus of these parties tends to be on music and hedonism, but there seems to be a vein of respect for one another that runs through and connects everyone. I love the interesting dynamic that this set of circumstances creates. Visually, but on a deeper level also. People are there to let go, and I think it shows in photos.
Yasmine Wijnaldum, Dsquared2 #Obsessed2 30th Anniversary Show, Milano
In terms of inspiration, I love Matt Weinergerr’s photos (@mweinbergerr). He has a distinct, golden, party-flash style that oozes personality, not to mention the notable faces you see within the photos! I think there is a lot of space for imperfect photos in this cultural climate, leaning far away from the high-resolution, pristine looking photos of the 2010s. People want more grittiness. And now clients want it too.
Another huge inspiration of mine is Julia Fox. She has shape-shifted through several creative endeavors, as I have, but she also talks about how her life itself is a form of art. When reading her autobiography ‘Down the Drain’, this idea really began to sink its teeth into me and got me thinking about my own approach. I had previously kept the different facets of my life in their respective silos: the commercial creative work on one end, and my own social life in Milan on the other. At times this has felt like a creative fracture of sorts. I’d always wanted to achieve a stronger sense of alignment but could never work out how. Now, rediscovering photography as a creative outlet has allowed me to bring everything closer together; to merge my technical creative abilities with my personal life and thereby express my lifestyle itself.
If the wisdom of prophet Julia Fox is correct, the lifestyle in my photos is the art, the photography is just the looking glass in which we view it through.
In terms of upcoming projects, if you happen to be in Milan, I may be lurking in a smoking area near you!
Written by Mason Francis