I can’t say it enough: I love taking pictures of musicians and artists in general. So when Raffaele came to me asking for some pictures to complete his singer profile, I was more than happy to help.
As I learned from him during our introductory conversation over a lovely cup of green tea, he’s a singer specialised in Baroque repertoire. Continue reading →
Celia is a wonderful girl I met by chance while attending some group guitar lessons in south London.
She is an actress, now specialising at London Central School of Speech and Drama. Continue reading →
When you’re not satisfied with your post production (and you know that you’re reasonably skilled at it) two are the options:
1) Throw away your photo, because if it needs a lot of post production, or it’s a complex look that you want to achieve, or the photo is too weak.
2) Don’t look at your photo for two to three days, in order to see if you like the photo at first sight. If you don’t like it at the very moment you see it, throw it away.
3) Golden rule: If you don’t like one of your picture at first sight throw it away, out of precaution, in order to avoid spending a lot of time doing useless post production.
4) Rule of the weak: if that “not amazing” photo is ESSENTIAL and you’re sure that an unreasonable amount of time spent in post production will save it (and your butt) do it. But know you’re doing WRONG and you’ll have to atone for your sins thinking about what had gone (obviously) wrong during the shooting in order to never been in this situation again.
Needlessly to say, I’m not the most skilled photographer around, but these tiny rules, constantly applied, have saved me from headaches, frustration, and awfully-bad-picture-that-I-was-thinking-were-so-good-but-they-weren’t.
What about you instead, what are your golden rules/useful tips?
I met the beautiful Elisa almost one year ago at a dear friend wedding. After e brief chat, having just known that I was moving in London to become a photographer, she asked me if I was interested in organising a shooting with her. “Of course!” I said. But in that period I was overwhelmed with things to do related to the move and I said to her that at the first occasion we could menage our shooting.
The occasion happened early this August in a hot Milan. Even if I hadn’t lot of time I was in need to make some shoots (too much time without photography can make me experience some withdrawal) and I ask to her on a whim if she was free. Not also she was free but she was enthusiastic.
In an african hot day she reached my house (in which I prepared some lights and some locations) with a suitcase full of clothes, make-up and ideas. I let her free of taking the clothes she liked and I’m glad I did because she come up with some nice pieces that really fit her figure. She combed her hair and she made her own make-up in a very professional way, I couldn’t have been more lucky.
But, above all, she revealed herself as a very professional model even if her true job is another.
She did all I was asking to her, from huddle herself up in a dirty corner of my balcony with a more than tiny dress, to looking directly at the setting sun without shades (burning her retinas in the process, I think) and jumping and screaming at my command and so on. She did everything with love, patience and without the slightest complain.
On a side note: she’s also really fun and we laughed a lot (probably missing some good shot in the process but, who cares? The images of me uncontrollably laughing clung on a ladder and of her laughing as well with her hairs combed to be knotted just under her nose -itchy!- is in itself priceless)
So, thank to her incredible help I have been able to make some beautiful (and very diverse) portraits.
Click here if you want to see them in all their glory at my 500px Portfolio.
