Extension of the ‘i’ Interview
1 How did you get started in photography?
In my early days of life, since my father “exposed” me to his photography-ing through his many, many cameras, his darkroom and his 8mm filming and family projections. He gave me my very first camera when I was a small child, a half-frame Olympus EE2 he had found on the Ponte Vecchio (in our hometown Florence), which I still dearly keep and use once in a while.
2 Who and what are your influences?
My father as an amateur photographer. And also my mother, her parents and her brother, all painters and stained-glass makers of some fame in the 40s/70s. These people really have been my main influence: I breathed all this for my whole life, our house was full of paintings, sketches, drawings, photos; and then there was dad with his cameras, the darkroom, the projections of 8mm films for the family...
I never actually met my maternal grands since they died before I was born or could form proper memories of them, but they have been a strong presence nontheless, and I realise how much I inherited from them – the quest for colour, from example.
Other influences have been cinema and literature, way more than photography; I have always been an avid movie watcher and reader, while I was never equally attracted by photographers.
3 What draws you to the subjects you seek?
I don’t “seek” my subjects... the moment I try to do that, I become virtually blind. I shoot what comes to me: when I see a potential photo, I need to take it. I just keep my eyes open and if I see something, I click. This of course does not mean I am not selecting; on the contrary, I am quite aware of what pleases me and what doesn’t.
4 What is it about these subjects that you want to capture/communicate and ultimately convey in your images?
There is nothing like “wanting” in what I do, since my subjects are what I see. Or better, what shows itself to me. My subjects reflect my idea of what catches my eye and what I like to see.
I consider my photography as a way to present my way of seeing things.
5 How did you ‘settle’ on this subject?
You may call it “intuition” or “instinct”, so I guess what I did was to acknowledge, deal with and to a certain degree “educate” these on a daily basis.
6 Is there another are/subject that you would like to explore, if so, what and why?
Oh my… I could make you a list of don’ts, it would be much shorter! But I am always curious to see if I can shoot things I don’t consider myself good at. An example might be nature and panoramas, something I feel like I “don’t see”.
Or porn. I’d like to try that, it’s just very difficult to find the people and situations for that… and find the guts it takes, probably! ;)
7 Which photographers (not necessarily mobile photographers) do you most admire and why?
I’m afraid I tend to remember photos, not names. If you would know me personally, you’d know I am so incredibly impossible with names: people, places, anything!
Of course there are photographers I love and cherish and follow, but it’s not the “who” I tend to keep in mind, rather the “what”. As I said above, cinema and literature have been an influence on me more than photography, and this might be a reason behind not being really able to list photographers’ names. Rest assured I am deeply in love with some iPhonographers out there, though, and quite a few of them have been featured or will soon be in The App Whisperer.
8 Henri Cartier-Bresson is in many ways, the Godfather of street photography, even in the 1930’s he enjoyed using a small camera for discretion in order to capture people and tell a story – do you feel this way regarding mobile photography?
Not being seen when shooting is crucial in a street environment if you want to keep the subject real and natural. Telling someone you are going to take a photo of them changes everything. Mobile photography is such a huge help under this point of view, I am grateful for that.
9 Tell us about your photographic technique – do you rely on intuition or do you believe in a more formal/trained approach?
I rely on my intuition, which of course makes it impossible for me to be formal. There can be some training involved - there must be to a certain degree - but I finally surrendered to not be able to center on formalities. Of course, now and then some preparation is needed (a model shoot for a designers’ clothes line is one of those cases), but at the very end of it, what I always do is let the whole situation get… “relaxed” and see what comes
10 How has your photography evolved?
When I started, it was pure instinct. I was completely unaware of the “education” my eye had absorbed from all I had been exposed to in my family. Slowly, looking at my shots, I started noticing my eye for details and taking conscience of processes, techniques, tastes even. In short, I started seeing what it was I was capturing.
Flickr became important because it gave me a space to play with my curiosity while getting phenomenal feedbacks at the same time.
Then came a well-known French photographer who wanted me in his photoagency, but since I am not interested in being photoreporter, the collaboration didn’t go too far; for a couple of years he hugely helped with another big chunk of selfconscience and confidence, though.
11 Many of the great photographers, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Robert Frank , Henri Cartier-Bresson described only shooting images for ‘themselves’ – do you see this attitude with mobile photographers?
I believe the first audience of your photography is yourself. Is there anyone out there who can say they are not shooting for their own pleasure, urgency, obsession, curiosity or whatever? This is true for photography, all kinds of photography...
12 Do you take risks with photographs, push boundaries? If yes, please give examples, if no, why not, would you like to?
Trying to get a good shot out of something I can define only as “intuition”, every single time I click is like taking a risk and pushing my boundaries.
Also, taking photos of people in the street is a great deal for someone who is very shy, as I am.
Keeping always up-to-date and trying new techniques and softwares everytime I get the chance to, is pushing my boundaries.
13 What is your favorite picture, of your own and why?
As un-original as it can sound, there’s always two of them: the last one I have taken and the next, yet-to-be-shot, one.
Every photo of mine I like enough to keep is a satisfaction and makes me happy and proud; every photo I am waiting to shoot is the most fancied one.
14 Do you get emotionally involved with your photography?
I certainly do. Every single shot is a heartbeat: one that’s gained if the photo comes out good, one that’s lost if the photo turns bad. And every time I look at one of my “good” photos, I wonder “How did I do it?”
15 Does your life become entwined with your subjects?
Yes, my subjects are what I see, they are my own experience of my life, the way it presents itself to me, the way I perceive it. On the opposite, my subjects are something else (“ceci n’est pas un pipe”) so they are competely extraneous to me.
But I created them. So, again, yes! ☺
16 Do you have a special post-processing style?
I try and look for an “analogue” sort of feel most of the time, and I tend to keep the use of apps as minimal as possible since I rarely use more than two for a photo. Using analog film is amongst the most intense experiences of my life, and I am often looking for it in digital processes.
17 Do you have any tips for post-processing?
Not really… Everyone should try to find his/her own vision, a personal and unique style. If we were discussing analogue film, then I might have something to say (know your films, know how they react to chemicals, find the right lab for your photography and so on), but with digital and especially mobile… the only tip I feel like giving is maybe “find your own way”.
18 Do you have a digital workflow system to sort your images, if so what is it?
I am still working on it, and it’s possibly the hardest and most puzzling thing to define. It’ll take me forever…
19 How do you think photography has changed over the years?
Technical innovations have made it more accessible, allowing for a photography that with the years has become more able to follow and document human life and thought in truer ways.
20 As a mobile photographer you’re at the cutting edge of technology, do you ever hanker for the 35mm film days?
I may have already answered this question… and the answer is clearly yes. I do. A huge lot.
Can going analogue today even be considered as cutting edge – again?
In any case, there is nothing – and maybe there will never be again – like the warmth of analogue film, analogue tape, vinyl. I could rant forever about this, since I have been lucky enough to grow surrounded by analogue in pre-digital days and I have well carved in me the difference it makes.