For the first time, the photo archive belonging to Vasil and Petri Ristani, father and son photographers who dedicated six decades to capturing Albanian history on celluloid, has been digitized and released to the public. The Ministry of Culture and ‘Fototeka’ collaborated to publish this collection, comprising 1,200 negatives spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s. These digitized images showcase rare moments, events, notable personalities, and historical scenes, preserving a valuable part of Albania’s heritage.

According to “Fototeka,” Vasil Ristani, born in 1908 in Lliar, Zagoria, not only worked as a studio photographer but also served as a photojournalist for the “Drita” newspaper. He held a significant role as one of the most prominent photojournalists of his time, meticulously documenting numerous crucial events in the country until the newspaper’s closure due to the Italian occupation.

Vasili passed on his passion for photography to his son, Petriti, born in 1942. Although Petriti graduated in Mathematics and Physics in Tirana, he pursued a career as a photojournalist at the Army Photographic Laboratory.

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