Jennifer Maiotti

Jennifer Maiotti is a Chicago-based documentary freelance writer, producer, and photographer whose clients include: National Geographic, Discovery, and History Channels. As a storyteller she searches for real moments of emotion and natural beauty. Jennifer received honorable mentions from the prestigious Moscow International Foto Awards and the New York Center for Photographic Art. Her photographs have been exhibited nationally and internationally. They have been published in Shots, F-Stop Magazine, Don’t Take Pictures, and Vogue Italia/Photovogue.

Presence of Absence

Presence of Absence looks at what is left behind both physically and emotionally during our lives, referencing both the here and gone. The foundation of this series comes from the Portuguese and Galician word “saudade,” which has no direct English translation. Saudade has varying definitions, one being a state of nostalgia for something that may never happen again. Frequently mentioned in music, saudade, has also been called by Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo, “a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy.” Presence of Absence aims instill in viewers the feeling of “other, ”of the intangible force that can haunt us all, whether from our past or an unknown future.

To view more of Jennifer Maiotti’s work please visit her website.