Multi-award winning photographer, Marco Panzetti, has invested significant periods of time making images that matter. His work on migration was exhibited in Tunis in November, as part of the successful OPEN Media Hub-led International Convention of Journalism, in which 800 journalists and citizens gathered together to discuss the role of the media.
The photography exhibition, The Idea of Europe, took place in the epicentre of Tunis cultural scene, Le 4 me Art, and showcased Marco's commitment to photography on an extremely complicated and quick-moving global story.
But what it really stood out for is for what it lacked: photographs of obvious suffering and distress.
I decided to put aside many pictures of people suffering and in poor conditions because I prefer to show a more dignified version of the subjects, explained Marco ahead of the exhibition.
For me, it's about the human story. Giving names, voices and faces to the refugees who have faced horror on their journeys to Europe.
In line with elevating the perspective of migrants and refugees, Marco's posed portrait of a pregnant woman at the entrance of a Red Cross tent in Settimo Torinese, Italy, was indelible. The whole pose is confirmed in shadow - the woman a silhouette.
I saw the red, the tent and the silhouette and I thought: that's the picture I have been looking for.
The photograph formed part of Marco's 2017 reportage series Life After Hell, a follow-up to Troubled Waters, which won him first place in the video category in the OPEN Media Hub-supported Migration Media Award that same year.
For the story, Marco journeyed to five different refugee centres in Italy, from the alpine village of Vedeseta in the north, to the Sicilian city of Messina to the south.
The series combined a lot of heart and subtlety, quiet scenes, simple gestures and habits of daily life that do well to humanise the subjects.
The need to survive Exhibited against a crimson red backdrop, Marco juxtaposed images of the rescue of a boat a few miles off the coast of Libya at night, with an almost regal portrait of a 25-year-old Nigerian migrant, Kelvin Eguavoen, on board a rescue vessel on a calm, still morning.
At the heart of these images was the need to survive - the root of nearly all migration.
That also came across in the title of the series, Life After Hell.
Marco's long experience covering migrants has given him a keen appreciation of the desperation that fuels their journey. But, he added, there are emotional obstacles inherent in his work:
Sometimes you get too attached to some of the migrants and their stories and you lose the bigger picture.
You hear awful stories about their terrible situations and these horrible backstories and you reach saturation point - you cannot stand more suffering.
He also sees photography as having a special problem in the mainstream media.
There is a certain predictability in the media. Migrants in boats struggling to get life jackets and waving their arms in desperation are the images that really sell.
You could present 100 images to a newspaper or magazine editor, and these are the ones that would most often get selected.
I prefer to show a more dignified version of the subjects.
Marco Panzetti, Migration Media Award winner
But that's OK. The media desires a particular kind of picture. Those dramatic ones can often lead people to exploring the quieter' pictures on your website, or a more in-depth piece or 360-video that you've created and this is a good thing.
When asked how he would define the different types of migrant, Marco says: At some point a distinction must be made between migrants and refugees, but who can say that fleeing from the persecution of war is worse than starvation at home?
Both migrants and refugees deserve better lives and a better future.
To learn more about Marcos long-term work on migration, visit the dedicated The Idea of Europe section on his website.
All images are the copyright of Marco Panzetti.
-- Play
-- --
Life After Hell follows up on the story Troubled Waters which won first place, video category, in the 2017 Migration Media Award
Free courses
Reporting on Migration An OPEN Media Hub course dealing with the complex issues of migration.
The Ethical Journalists Toolkit How to cover sensitive subjects and tackle ethical challenges.
The Photographers Ethical Toolkit Understanding the importance of ethics in photography.
Related content
Were in this together The gathering of 800 journalists and citizens in Tunisia to discuss media freedom
Overcoming a distorted narrative Moderating a high-level debate on migration at the UN General Assembly
Migration Media Award Acknowledging the best, and often bravest, in migration coverage across the spectrum
Sara Loane Communications Manager
About: Sara is responsible for the creation and delivery of engaging and effective messages, campaigns, publications and print and digital design concepts that support and promote the foundation.
We get around. Explore our project map
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
Multi-award winning photographer, Marco Panzetti, has invested significant periods of time making images that matter. His work on migration was exhibited in Tunis in November, as part of the successful OPEN Media Hub-led International Convention of Journalism, in which 800 journalists and citizens gathered together to discuss the role of the media.
