These photos want you to celebrate the weirdness inside you

At a time when social media threatens to make us all look and sound the same, Fotómetro – a London-based photography duo comprising Rona Bar & Ofek Avshalom – are using the camera to celebrate our differences. Their new project, Proof of Existence, aims to “normalise the weirdness within us, showcasing that we’re all strange characters who make up society,” explains Bar.

Having struggled with body image in her formative years, Bar always found herself drawn to the more unconventional, underdog-like characters that wouldn’t traditionally receive the spotlight. Their new series turns this concept on its head by including and highlighting young queer designers, often seen in their own creations. For its casting, the duo also worked with Zebedee Talent Agency, which represents models with visual and physical impairments.

“Through our work, we want to challenge the way we view others,” says Bar, adding that the series blurs the line between fantasy and reality. In fact, the duo not only use characters for storytelling, but also crafted surreal landscape images to emphasise the thin line between the bizarre and the everyday.

The couple first combined their photography practice in 2020 to commemorate yet another theme that holds them together: romantic love. They also published Us , a photo book that celebrates couples in their homes and are gearing to publish their second, Proof of Existence in 2025. Below, we catch up with Bar and Avshalom about their new series, what inspired it, who helped bring it to life and what makes it inclusive.

Fotómetro: We're both from a music background actually; we studied it when we were younger but eventually looked for another medium to express ourselves and photography came to us naturally. We met in 2018, via Instagram, Rona was looking to collaborate with other creatives in Tel Aviv, and we thought it might be a good idea to try to create something together. One collaboration led to the other, and after a few months we decided to team up officially as Fotómetro. A year later, and just a few days before the first Covid lockdown in Israel, we became a couple as well.

Fotómetro: Proof of Existence was conceived as an investigation into the quirkiness of everyday life. Just like its title – which redirects the attention onto the protagonists of the series and their subjective experiences – this collection of photographs aims to transport viewers into a surreal, parallel dimension. Think of an alternative version of reality where all rules and conventions have been subverted to give way to a free-spirited, whimsical space. This series works as proof that this universe exists.

Fotómetro: The series really blurs the line between reality and fiction, making each image a unique exploration of individuality and the human experience. The result is an engrossing look into everyday life, captured in an unfiltered, authentic and sometimes strange way. We shot Proof of Existence in 2023 in London and some other parts of the UK, which also influenced the look and feel of the images.

Bar: Growing up, I was constantly exposed to mainstream media, which affected the way I perceived beauty. My struggle with body image drove me to promote a more inclusive and diverse perception of beauty standards. Many years later, I haven’t lost my love for the unconventional, in fact my exploration of these themes has helped me in my own journey to self-acceptance. As photographers, we believe that one of our missions is to use our lenses to capture and communicate what we believe, with the aim of encouraging social awareness and changing the way we view others.

Fotómetro: Our creative director Bessy Huang worked closely with young and emerging designers from London to create the fantasy world of our dreams. Some of those designers are also photographed in the project, wearing their designs. One of them is Min Ji Kim (@minjikimstudio), who is seen with her cats in her home. We also used her designs in other images like ‘Nan on their way to work’, where Nan is wearing Min Ji’s large tie, or ‘Fikayo goes shopping’, where Fikayo is wearing Min Ji’s enormous suit in the mall. Another designer we photographed wearing their own design is Myah Hasbany (@myahhasbany). We also used their design in another image: ‘Az going swimming’, where Az is photographed wearing Myah’s pink feathery hat in front of the beach. It was a great, collaborative process.

Fotómetro: Myah’s designs really stood out to us, and the images featuring them are a crucial part of the project’s vision. In one picture, Myah wears their own design inspired by the battle between their religious upbringing and queer identity, photographed in their home. These characters fearlessly showcase their unique identities and [how they can] break free from societal norms and expectations. We hope their willingness to challenge the status quo inspires people to tap into the boundless potential of your own human spirit for creative expression and individuality.

Proof of Existence will be published by KAHL Editions during Photo London fair in 2025