Nicolas Bruno: Surreal Self-Portraits from Sleep Paralysis and The Somnia Tarot

American photographer Nicolas Bruno, born in 1993 in Northport, New York, creates dreamlike and unsettling self-portraits drawn from his experiences with sleep paralysis. His images feature hooded figures, blindfolded characters, and ghostly settings that emerge from the nightmares and hallucinations associated with the condition, which involves a temporary inability to move during the transition between sleep and wakefulness. To translate his terrifying visions into photographs, Bruno personally constructs sets, costumes, and props, drawing on the imagery of 19th-century Romantic painting, occultism, and dream symbolism. Among his most notable projects is 'The Somnia Tarot,' a series of 78 photographs inspired by tarot archetypes and symbols, through which the artist reworks his nocturnal visions. Bruno studied at Purchase College in New York, where he earned a degree in Photography in 2015. His work is documented on his website nicolasbrunophotography.com and Instagram @nicolasbruno.