Valery Rizzo: Wonderland

Valery Rizzo: Wonderland by Aline SmithsonMarch 22, 2025

©Valery Rizzo, Book Cover of Wonderland

When I started out as a photographer, one of the communities that I connected with was the world of toy camera devotees. It was a warm and welcoming group of photographers, sharing information and work. Valery Rizzo’s photographs always stood out – she was truly creating art with with a $15 camera. I have watched her create the project, Wonderland: Brooklyn 2007 – 2023 from the beginning and am thrilled that Kehrer Verlag will be soon publishing her book under the same title. Valery has created a Kickstarter to help fund the book and I hope you consider supporting her book.

©Valery Rizzo, Opening Spread of Wonderland

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Valery Rizzo is a commercial and editorial portrait, food and lifestyle photographer, with a special interest in agriculture. Her work appears across the globe. Valery is co-editor and principle photographer for her first book, Urban Farmers, published by gestalten. Her photographs have been exhibited at The Museum of the City of New York, MTA Arts for Transit, Photoville, The powerHouse Arena, Soho Photo, FotoDC, United Photo Industries, The Somerville Toy Camera Festival, Rayko Photo Center, Umbrella Arts, and Trieste Photo Festival. Her work is part of the Permanent Collection of the Museum of the City of New York and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives.

Instagram @valrizzo

Instagram @kehrerverlag

©Valery Rizzo, Spread from Wonderland

Wonderland: Brooklyn 2007 – 2023 is a book about Brooklyn at a time when things were just starting to really change, the new cohabiting with the old. Through my native Brooklynite eyes and the aesthetic of toy cameras and medium format film, I tried to preserve what I could of its rebellious and uninhibited character as it transformed.

The book comprises photographs I made with plastic toy cameras in Brooklyn during the years of 2007 – 2023 with a foreword by award-winning photographer Claudio Edinger, co-founder and distiller at Brooklyn’s Kings County Distillery. This is a project very near and dear to me as a native Brooklynite and something I’ve been working on for over 15 years,

I’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign so that I can make publishing Wonderland: Brooklyn 2007 – 2023 by Kehrer Verlag possible. My goal is to raise half of the funds for the book through the Kickstarter by April 3, when the campaign ends. It’s my hope that sharing these images helps to preserve what I cherish so much about this one-of-a-kind borough and the place I call home.