In Photography on
21 September 2009 tagged 50mm, Architecturals, Black and White, Cigarette, Clothings, Europe, Gees Court, London, Man, Mobile Phone, Objects, People, Places, Shoes, Shop, Shop Window, Stock categories, Street Photography, technology, Things, United Kingdom, Woman with no comments
One of the most important characteristic for a photographer, in my opinion, is the capacity to see a photo before pressing the shutter, before even framing the scene. When I started going around London with my camera I felt frustrated, as I was not able to see interesting things and those I saw I was not able to capture in time. For a long time I attributed this to the fact that I was not “gifted” with the “photographer’s eye”: I was wrong. There are people who have this attention to details as an innate capacity, but for everyone else exercise and practice can fill the gap! So if someone tells you that you do not possess the eye a photographer must have, don’t listen, but take your camera and go out shooting: if photography were an exclusive of the “naturals”, we would not have seen so many fantastic and iconic images.
“The devil is in the details” is a quote from V for Vendetta, if I am not mistaken, and it summarise the truth behind the “photographic eye”. We are snowed under a tons of visual information while we are out and around, and we generally avoid noticing all those details who are not important enough. I believe we do so because we are lazy, because our culture made of TV and computers wants us to eat pre-digested details and because there are so many details that our culture do not require us to pay attention to all of them. I was exactly like this: I did not notice a particular pair of shoes, or something someone was wearing because I thought it would have been to complex to keep everything in mind (a sort of “Buffer Overflow” for the geeks like me out there).
I was wrong!
Our mind is fantastic and is able to see and analyse an incredible number of details and whilst in the day to day life this may help giving a better flavour of life, in the photographic world this is the difference between a snapshot and a great photo. The details are the difference between the photo of a nice woman and the one of an interesting one. Giving time, this attention to detail will start unconsciously shout in your mind “Bring the camera to your eye. NOW!” Believe me, there are times when I feel the urge to frame something particular, without a conscious reason. Many times I have dismissed this feeling, losing too many great moments. Our subconscious, if trained enough, will be able to direct you before things actually happen. You can call this sixth sense, photographer’s eye or simply great attention to human patterns and details, but the really important thing from a photographic perspective is that you start learning to trust your senses and, given enough time, you are able to capture great images. There are few things thought, that you have to do in order to gain this degree of skill.
- You have to look around. Even when you do not have a camera you have to notice things, details, actions and moments.
- You have to be confident. If you see something interesting, worth documenting you need to take the photo. Every time you do not press the shutter the moment is gone.
- You have to TRUST your senses. In the beginning you will feel stupid (“Why should I frame THAT bloke?”… just to realise too late he was going to do something REALLY interesting) and many times, especially in the first periods, this sixth sense will fail, but you need to give it time to develop.
- Have a camera always with you!
…and always remember…
Practice makes perfect!
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20 September 2009 tagged Colors, Europe, Girl, London, Oxford Circus, People, Street Photography, United Kingdom with no comments
I admit that I love Black and White photos. They are incredibly expressive and, in particular when taking street photos, there is nothing better than black and white to document the streets as I see them. Even if I would love to say “My entire spectrum of street photographs is in black and white” I am not a man of extremes and when facing a photo whose colours are integral part of the society I have crossed my path with, then black and white must make space to some few bright colours.
In the past years, living London and its multi cultural inhabitants, I have learned to recognise the veil certain women cover their hair with as black. There are many cultural differences though and I admit my ignorance saying that I do not know if there are any cultural meaning behind the veil colours. Nevertheless I enjoy seeing women wearing bright veils, as they concur to colour the city.
In Photography on
19 September 2009 tagged 50mm, Black and White, Europe, London, Man, People, Places, Regent Street, Street Photography, United Kingdom with 2 comments
I have asked myself many times what is the meaning of being a Street Photographer and I have given myself different answers in different times. Answering has been a long process and not always I have been able to answer correctly to other people, but in the last weeks things have become clearer and clearer and today I can say that I have a good answer, one of those who generally stick for a while. Maybe it may sound stupid, like the answer on how to quit smoking could be “just do not light another one for the rest of your life”, but it is my answer, and with me it is working.
Being a Street Photographer is a personal attitude. It is the pleasure of documenting human society.
Many may disagree with me, bringing different values to the discussion, and I will be glad of listening to them and to analysing their replies, nevertheless there is a good start I can discuss on. Please try focusing on the fact that it is an Attitude and that it must be a Pleasure! It is amazing that something so simple took so long to go under my skin. It is amazing that it took me two years, countless hours spent walking the pavement of London to get to the state of mind I am in today. Yes, you read well: state of mind.
Street Photography is, first and foremost, a state of mind.
Today I found myself interested in documenting what I was able to see, what caught my attention, what was interesting in a frame. I hesitated few times and some others I did not take enough time to frame as I should have, nevertheless I found myself to be invisible. Yes, I wanted to document a Saturday afternoon of London and so I did.
Invisibility is, in this case, a very relative notion. In the end it is not so important to be invisible to your subjects, but blindly trusting to be invisible is what makes the difference between taking a shot and hesitating and losing the moment. Invisibility is the state of mind that makes you press the shutter every time you want a frame; if then you realise you have not been as invisible as you thought you were you can simply choose between thousand of different escapes.
“Hope you do not mind I took a photo of you!” I said today to a guy who caught me while I photographed him smoking. I was just very natural when I told him so, smiling and pretending.. no better: knowing that I hadn’t done anything wrong. I did not apologise, I did not ask if he wanted me to delete the photo: that was the photo I wanted and that was the document I had.
Tomorrow, the day after or next weekend or whenever you will feel the camera in your hand, you just have to become invisible and go and document what you see and what you think important.
DO NOT think what the others may think about you. Even better: DO NOT THINK. Just enjoy, document your path, your life. Yes, YOUR life, because the people we meet every single day are just another piece of it. And next time you will read some mixed feeling in the eyes your subject, just remember that what you are doing is just documenting the human society and that your camera is no more than an extension of your eyes, just on a 35mm.
If you are around London and you want to come with me around the streets of this beautiful city documenting the reality of every day, just give me a shout, and I will be glad of walking with you, happy to demonstrate that Street Photography is just a State of Mind
In Photography on
18 September 2009 with no comments
I am a Lucky man. There are many reason behind this, but one in particular is more important than the others: I have a Muse! Every day I have the immense privilege of waking up with her at my side, always ready to smile to me and to support me. Yes, I am a Very Lucky man indeed. We have been walking together for a long time now, leaving many things behind, living the good ones and learning and strengthening our relation with the bad one. One of the most important thing is that we are like two parts of the same apple, we complete each other. When I am troubled I know I can find the light in her, and when her world is a little bit cold I am always warm for her. This is something that does not have a price tag on it. Oh, yes: Lucky!
Please, don’t let her fool you all though: hidden behind my chatty facade, behind every single photo I have taken, behind everyone of my words you can find her. She is not only the source of my inspiration, but the repository of raw gold: she does not like to be the front runner, but she is the Gifted One.
My luck is also reflected in another very important point: she is my Muse, but she is my wife as well. Being the exception that proves the rule I do not need to stare in awe to a muse too far away to be reached, one that lives in the dreams and that fuels the creativity through inner pain.
My Muse is my Life, my Muse is my Wife.
In Photography on
16 September 2009 tagged Black and White, Notting Hill, Notting Hill Carnival 2009, Woman with 1 comment
When I was thinking to a title for this photo I took at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, I thought about the distractions from time to time you have in your frame, and how much they can be used to create a better photo. When I was thinking so a song, Beautiful Distraction from Crazy 6 came to my mind, therefore I let my mental associations drive the title.
When you are shooting in a non-controlled environment, as a street or an event, isolation and distracting element are two of the most important things you need to control. Your subject, the light and the environment matter, but you need to keep your eyes open for people crossing your frame or everyday objects that remove the attention from your real subject. Sometimes you have the time to plan things carefully, some other times you just have the time to bring the camera to your eyes and shot one or two frame before the moment is gone.
I shot this frame very close to Notting Hill Gate on Monday afternoon while leaving the carnival. I was quite tired, but when I saw that woman and the light that hit her I decided to take a photo. The moment was vanishing pretty quickly, so I just had the time to take two frames before she stood up, but in one of the frame someone, as you can see, walked right into my frame. It happens… When I started reviewing the shots from the day I realised that that distraction, the shadow of the man walking inside my photo, was interesting to me. In the end I decided to keep the photo with the distraction, without the clean frame of the first shot.
Sometime you just have to be bold!
PS: For those of you interested in the song I used for the title, have a look at http://crazy6.com It is in the “Crazy6″ album from 2005, but you can listen to Daryl Irvine’s new album as well! Enjoy!
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15 September 2009 tagged Black and White, London, Man, Mobile Phone, Reflection, Street Photography, Walking with no comments
Hi, I am Carlo and I am a dreamer.
I have always been one and there are no doubts on the fact that I will always be one. Moreover I am one of those stubborn people to which dreaming during the night is not enough, I am one of those who cultivate their dreams, doing everything to make them real. It is not an easy task, believe me: there is a huge clash between reality and dreams. Like everyone in my state, we tend to look for something better day after day, and for us reality is a tight dress. It happens, from time to time, that this duality become a source of huge frustration, but dreamers know that this is only a moment. It will pass and the dreams, magically, will remain.
In my life I have met many people, and only few were believer, and I can count in the fingers of a single hand those who are still dreamers and have overcome every frustration to see their dreams become reality. Many of us are lost in the middle of the path, generally killed by the responsible persons the society want us to be. What many do not realise is the fact that being a dreamer is not an aggression to the maturity of a person.
Yes, dreamers can, from time to time, be found lost in their thoughts, dreaming a better world.
Yes, some dreams require more effort than sometime it is possible to invest.
Yes, some dreams are utopias.
Nevertheless killing your dreams only because they are not easy to reach is one of the saddest things I know and, unfortunately, one of the most common I see every day. Cultivating dreams does not mean to forgot life, to live in a non existing world. Cultivating them means spending some of the time that is generally devoted to the television or some other brain-killer activities to work for a better world. Catching a dream is one of the most rewarding things that can happen in a lifetime, don’t be scared by the steps you need to do to get there.
So, Cultivate your Dreams, or just be another one won by the sadness. Spend some free time trying to make dreams reality, or just watch another episode of that TV Series that so well kills your brain cells.
Cultivate your dreams, or just be another one who bit the dust.
Hi, I am Carlo and I am a dreamer.
In Photography on
14 September 2009 tagged Bangkok, Black and White, Honeymoon, Man with no comments
Different cultures always intrigued me. For someone born and raised in a small border town in Italy, where multiculturality is not exactly known or easily accepted, moving to London has been like opening a box full of surprises. It is not only the difference in people appearance, but in their lifestyle and culture as well. I love to meet people coming from a background different from mine and I believe that discussion and information sharing is the key in order to understand and accept each others’ differences.
Our honeymoon in Asia was a really exciting period for more than one reason. Apart from the significance of the holiday itself, Fabiana and I managed to get into a reality that is completely different from the one we are or were used to live in. The multiculturality of London cannot even resemble, in its asian ethnical parts, the streets of Hong Kong or Bangkok. The “britishness” of this city will always pervade every aspect of the place we are currently living in, even in chinatown, and did not prepare us to the colours and sounds of what we met there.
Asia is, from a certain perspective, more relaxed and more fast-paced at the same time. From a human perspective it seems you can chill out and take it easier than you can do in UK, while zooming out a little, every big city we visited was a continuous movement, day and night. The fears the “civilised west(!)” has instilled in its citizens in the last years seems not to have touched Bangkok, while some others did not hit us, but them: can you spot what I am talking about in this shot?
In the end the contact with different cultures has been, as always, extremely interesting and gave us the possibility to reflect a lot on what is going on at home.
In Photography on
7 September 2009 with no comments
I strongly believe in the "Positive Thinking". I think that if you smile to life, generally life will smile back. Pretty simplistic approach, but you got the logic, right? There are times, though, when you have to resist and keep up the smile even if life goes through hard times and does not have the time to smile back. It is in those periods when, from time to time, a voice inside you would like to start screaming with all the air in the lungs. Unfortunately it is not as liberating as it may seems. Yes, in the end a good laughter is better than this.
In those times it is easy to start focusing only on the bad things that are happening, living for the things that are not happening, the train we missed and the luck we do not have or achieve. It is simple to fall in it, and the negative-thinking is self sustaining, it fuels itself spiralling you down.
If you want to scream, do it, but do it properly. Shock everyone around with it and let everything out. If you really have to do it, at least do it well! Otherwise you can start taking care of your thoughts and words, trying to stop every sentence or thought that deal with negative issues. If you think this is an easy task, I would advise you to think again: you need to work hard on yourself, ponder your words and, more importantly, stop watching the world behind a black curtains that too many times seems invisible. Are you thinking this is almost impossible? That thought is the curtain, the impossibility of things.
Returning to photography, this photo was taken few weeks ago at a photographers’ meeting, where the theme was gothic, alternative. An interesting experiment, even if there were far too many photographers to be a balanced event. The models were great and this one in particular was incredible. Mind my words, I am not talking of her physical appearance, that is something I do not value very much, but her acting: that was stunning. In front of the cameras she was at ease and she was able to bring emotions. Fantastic.
So Fabiana decided to ask her to scream and she just replied, very professionally, asking what kind of scream she was after. Fabiana went for a "scared scream" and the model was able to deliver such a realistic, powerful scream that all the photographers around stopped immediately, running towards us. An amazing performance!
So, if you had to scream to push things out, do it properly and scare everyone around, otherwise just Think Positive!
In Photography on
6 September 2009 with no comments
Fabiana and I have organised a Workshop for next Saturday in London. It will be targeted to basic lighting and how to deal with models.
In my first attempt, few months ago, I realised that I love teaching, and that I have learned how to deal with lights and strobes pretty quickly. Shaping Lights will be the first of a series of different workshop we are going to hold in the coming months, but I do not want to spoil it any more.
Obviously I have learned a lot of lessons while preparing this one, some obvious and some more subtle and, honestly, sad. Many of the spots I had reserved were free again after many people decided to have other commitments. Indeed I am now reserving a place only after the payment of the small fee is done…
If you are interested in a Workshop, give me a shout, there are still free slots
You know how to use a camera, but you feel that there is a barrier that you need to go through?
Do you look at your photos and see that there is "something" missing in comparison with the cover of Vogue?
Have you ever felt that the light is not exactly as you would like it to be in your frame?
Did you try to use your on-camera flash, without being remotely satisfied with the unflattering results?
If so you probably want to move your skills a little further and you might find a foundation course in lighting extremely useful!
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN FROM THIS WORKSHOP?
At the end of the "Shaping Lights" workshop you will be able to take your camera and use the light, available or through flashes, to take better photos. You will know how to move the flash away from your camera to give depth to your portraits, how to deal with models and how to set up the lights to obtain the portraits you want. While this workshop will cover primarily portraiture, you will be able to apply the same experience to every type of photography.
And it will be FUN!
WHAT DOES THE WORKSHOP COVER?
We believe that "Practice makes perfect", therefore we have structured our one day workshop in lighting foundation in two parts, one theoretical and one practical.
- Going Manual: how to control the camera 100%
- Light: understand flash
- Gears: how to make the most from the studio tools
- Gears-revisited: inexpensive tools to recreate studio lights
- People: how to light them
- People-revisited: how to deal with them
- Lights and Shadows: why both are important and how to use them
- Rules of Photography (and how to break them)
