The 79th Locarno Film Festival: Red Carpets, Portraits and the Art of Festival Photography
The 79th Locarno Film Festival: Red Carpets, Portraits and the Art of Festival Photography
Every August, the small Swiss town of Locarno becomes one of the great meeting points for international cinema. From 5 to 15 August 2026, the 79th Locarno Film Festival brings filmmakers, actors, directors, producers, journalists and cinema lovers to the shores of Lake Maggiore. (Locarno Film Festival)
For me, as a photographer, a film festival is fascinating for a reason that goes beyond the films themselves. It is an extraordinary concentration of people, personalities, fashion, anticipation and fleeting moments. And when everyone is moving quickly, photography becomes a wonderful exercise in observation.
The images in this article are a small selection from the 79th Locarno Film Festival, including red-carpet arrivals, Awards, portraits and candid moments around the festival.
Why Locarno is so interesting for photographers
Locarno has a very distinctive atmosphere. The festival’s famous Piazza Grande transforms into an enormous open-air cinema, while the surrounding streets, hotels and festival venues become meeting points for the international film industry.
The official festival programme includes photocalls, screenings, awards, special events and activities spread across the city, creating plenty of opportunities for photographers to work with very different environments.
For a portrait photographer, this variety is particularly interesting.
One minute you might be photographing someone against a traditional festival backdrop; a few minutes later, you may find a much more natural opportunity in the street, in a hotel or while someone is interacting with journalists.
This is where knowing how to work quickly becomes important.
Red-carpet photography: the pose is only the beginning
A red carpet might look glamorous and effortless from the outside, but photographing someone there well requires quite a lot of attention.
The subject may have only a few seconds before moving on. There can be dozens of photographers competing for the same moment, artificial lighting, changing expressions and very little opportunity to give detailed posing instructions.
This is why I think simple posing ideas for red-carpet photography are often more effective than complicated ones.
A small change in the position of the shoulders, where someone places their hands, the direction of the face or the timing of the shutter can completely change a portrait.
The goal isn’t necessarily to make someone look posed. It is to make them look comfortable, confident and recognizable.
I often find that the best frame is the one immediately before or after the obvious pose: a smile, a glance to the side, a moment of interaction or a relaxed expression.
For photographers interested in improving their own work, I’ve also written about red-carpet poses and portrait photography, with practical ideas that can be applied well beyond film festivals.
From Locarno to the Venice Film Festival
Although Locarno and Venice have very different personalities, photographing a film festival in Switzerland has many parallels with working at the Venice International Film Festival.
Venice adds another extraordinary element: the city itself.
The Lido becomes a temporary world of premieres, press conferences, red carpets and celebrity appearances, while the rest of Venice provides an almost limitless collection of backgrounds for portraits.
As a photographer in Venice, I particularly enjoy the contrast between the formal atmosphere of a red carpet and the much more relaxed portraits that can be created away from it.
A celebrity portrait doesn’t always need a dramatic backdrop or complicated lighting. Sometimes a quiet corner, beautiful Venetian architecture and a few minutes of attention are enough.
Celebrity photography is about people, not just famous faces
Photographing celebrities can be exciting, but the real challenge is the same as with any portrait: creating an image that feels alive.
The person in front of the camera may be extremely experienced with photographers, or they may have only a few seconds available. Either way, I find that establishing a comfortable atmosphere is essential.
A good portrait should tell us something about the person.
It might be elegant and carefully posed. It might be spontaneous. It might be playful or intensely serious.
The important thing is that the photograph feels intentional without becoming artificial.
This is also why I enjoy portrait photography in Venice outside the film festival. The same approach works for actors, artists, designers, entrepreneurs and visitors who simply want a more sophisticated portrait of themselves in the city.
A photographer’s view of festival fashion
There is another reason film festivals are so enjoyable to photograph: fashion.
Red carpets compress an extraordinary amount of visual information into a very small space. Dresses, suits, jewellery, textures, colours and silhouettes all interact with the festival environment.
But photographing fashion on a red carpet is different from photographing a fashion editorial.
You have to react to what is happening rather than completely control it.
The photographs in this gallery are therefore not simply about documenting who attended Locarno. They are also about observing how people present themselves when they know that hundreds of cameras are watching.
Sometimes the most interesting image is the perfectly composed portrait.
Sometimes it is the slightly unexpected one.
What Locarno can teach a portrait photographer
For me, one of the biggest lessons of a film festival is the importance of being ready.
The decisive moment can last less than a second.
You need to understand your camera, anticipate expressions, recognise good light and know when to press the shutter without overthinking it.
But technical preparation is only part of the job.
You also need to watch people.
A great festival photographer is constantly looking: at expressions, body language, interactions, backgrounds and the changing light.
This is particularly useful when photographing at the Venice Film Festival, where opportunities can appear unexpectedly.
Bringing the festival experience to Venice
Working around the film world has also influenced the way I approach portrait photography in Venice.
When I photograph someone during the Venice Film Festival, my aim is not simply to create another photograph of them in front of a branded wall.
I look for ways to combine the personality of the subject with the character of Venice.
That could mean an elegant portrait near the Grand Canal, a more spontaneous image in one of the city’s quieter streets, or a fashion-oriented series inspired by the atmosphere of the Lido.
Venice gives us something that very few festival cities can offer: an instantly recognisable visual identity.
And that makes it an extraordinary place for celebrity photography.
Locarno today, Venice tomorrow
The 79th Locarno Film Festival is another reminder of why I enjoy photographing the world around cinema.
The films are obviously at the heart of the festival, but surrounding them is another fascinating story: the people arriving, preparing, posing, laughing, talking to journalists and stepping onto the red carpet.
For a photographer, those moments are irresistible.
And while these images were made in Locarno, they also connect naturally with my work in Venice—as a Venice Film Festival photographer, celebrity photographer and portrait photographer.
If you’re interested in the visual side of film festivals, you can also explore my guides to red-carpet posing ideas, celebrity and portrait photography in Venice, and my work photographing personalities during the Venice Film Festival.
After all, whether it is Locarno, Venice or another great film festival, the challenge remains the same:
You have only a few seconds.
Make them count. Contact your photographer
