About
Emiliano Cuadrado Rodriguez is a Spanish street photographer based in Toulouse. The encounter with street photography in 2019 opened a new creative direction for him, transforming the observation of everyday life into a constant artistic pursuit.
His work explores the relationship between people and the urban environment, with a strong emphasis on fleeting moments, geometric structures, humorous juxtapositions, and subtle narratives that emerge from ordinary scenes. Street photography has become both his medium and his way of engaging with the world.
Despite being relatively new to the genre, Emiliano’s work has received numerous international awards. He has been recognized by Life-Framer, LensCulture, the Street Photographers Foundation Awards, the Leica Street Photo contest, and several international festivals. His photographs have been included in group exhibitions in London, Rome, Seoul, Johannesburg, Tokyo, the United States, Lisbon, Pisa, Vienna, and featured in various online/physical magazines, including Theguardian.com
Artist Statement
I photograph the street because it helps me realize the world around me. What attracts me most are small moments that other people usually walk past; a gesture, a shape, a bit of light that briefly lines up with something unexpected.
I pay attention to geometry and structure, but I’m equally interested in the unpredictable side of the street. I am also drawn to humorous juxtapositions and images that create a sense of cognitive friction, moments where the ordinary suddenly feels different or slightly off.
My approach is simple: I walk, I observe, and I try to stay open to whatever unfolds in front of me. Some days nothing happens; other days everything does. What matters to me is capturing those brief connections between people and the city; the ones that disappear a second later but stay with me long after I’ve taken the photo.
Awards & Recognitions
2021
- 2nd Prize – Urban Life, Life-Framer (Judge: Martin Roemers)
Featured in The Guardian - Grand Winner – Urban Street Art, Paris Street Photography Awards
- Finalist – Paris Street Photography Awards
2022
- Best Geometric Photo – Pisa Street Photography Awards
- Honorable Mention – Reflections, Paris Street Photography Awards
2023
- Finalist – Urban Photo Awards
- Honorable Mention – Street, Refocus Awards (World Photo Annual)
- Honorable Mention – Urbex & Minimalism, Paris Street Photography Awards
2024
- Finalist – 13th Leica Street Photo
- Finalist – Dublin Street Photography Festival
- Editor’s pick - LensCulture Street Photography Awards
- Jurors’ Pick – Street Photographers Foundation Awards
- Finalist – Pisa Street Photography Awards
- 3rd Prize – Macadam Awards
- 1st Prize – Urban Life, Life-Framer (Judge: Angela Connor)
2025
- Finalist – Rome Photo Lab
- Finalist – Lisbon Street Photo Fest
- Finalist – Photo Global – Street Photography Awards
- Shortlisted – Planet Earth, Life-Framer
- Editor’s pick - LensCulture Street Photography Awards
- Finalist - LensCulture Street Photography Awards
Publications & Interviews
His work has been featured in various online and print publications, including:
- Soul of Street Magazine — Issue #41
- Street Photography Magazine — DSPF 2024 Finalists: Layers & Perspective
- Edge of Humanity Magazine — Finding Order Amidst the Chaos of Street Life
- Progressive Street — Featured in the IG section
- DOCU Magazine — Street Macadam Awards 2024
- MASS Magazine — Connect
- Street Photography Artists — International Photographic Collection, Volume Quattro
- URBAN – Unveils the City and Its Secrets — Volume 09
Additionally, an in-depth interview with him is available on Life-Framer, and Shotkit.com features a detailed overview of the gear he uses.
Group Exhibitions
His work has been included in group exhibitions at:
- Xposure 2024 — Dubai
- MMXGallery — London
- Officine Fotografiche — Rome
- The Reference — Seoul
- Pisa Street Photography Festival — Pisa
- Tokyo Street Photography Festival — Tokyo
- Leica Gallery — Vienna
- Leica Store — Warsaw
- Dublin Street Photography Festival — Dublin
- Tehran Street Photography Festival — Tehran
- Livorno Photo Meeting — Livorno
- FotoZA — Johannesburg
- Reminders Photography Stronghold — Tokyo
- FAR Center for Contemporary Arts — Bloomington
- Rome Photo Lab — Rome
- Lisbon Street Photo Festival — Lisbon
Here a city dweller finds his or her way through an uninviting urban environment – a world of concrete and closed shutters. With wonderful lighting, a limited color palette and use of reflection, it has a strong graphic quality, eloquently describing the feeling of loneliness in the city.
– MARTIN ROEMERS
I chose this image for its intriguing visual complexity. Each time I revisit the photograph, I discover new elements I hadn’t noticed before. This process of constant discovery is what makes the image so captivating — it transforms me from a passive viewer into an active participant, inviting me to engage and “work” to unravel its meaning...
– ANGELA CONNOR
Finding the right spot, waiting for the perfect moment, sensing the story; that’s what photography is all about. This image is proof that nature is and will be behind everything we build, everything we are. The complementary tones of blue catch the eye, inviting the viewer into a paradisiac landscape. Lines, perfectly aligned, converge into the same intense focal point. Look beyond the horizon and embrace Planet Earth.
– LIFE FRAMER
