From the very first day he experienced parenthood, my father became obsessed with photographing every moment of his three daughters’ lives, as if he were trying to stop time. I remember reading in a book once that it is actually very common for men to immediately take up photography when they become fathers in o… Read More
From the very first day he experienced parenthood, my father became obsessed with photographing every moment of his three daughters’ lives, as if he were trying to stop time. I remember reading in a book once that it is actually very common for men to immediately take up photography when they become fathers in order to document their childrens’ lives. I used to love posing for him and observing his every move when he took the pictures. He was also the person that exposed me to art the most. His entire life he has been collecting monographs, as well as catalogues for art exhibits that he has attended in Italy and many other parts of the world through his travels. I feel that I inherited his passion for painting, design, and visual arts in general, and it is likely that this is why I also began making art as a child.
By the time I was five, I had developed some problems with my leg, which greatly limited the amount of time I spent on my feet for several months and also forced me to spend most of my time at home. During that time, I found the best entertainment for me was painting and drawing. I began drawing on paper, on pieces of cardboard, on walls, on tables around the house, and even on the balcony floor with chalk. I guess I felt that I didn’t need to move much if I spent all day drawing and coloring the world around me. But at night, my mom would catch me secretly walking and moving around in my room. These events defined what I wanted to do with my life: make art and keep moving.
At the age of eighteen, I took a course of Black and White film photography while I was studying for my Bachelor’s degree in Painting. By that time, I never stopped framing my picture of the world. My artworks became a combination of photography and painting. By painting and drawing on photographs, I used to create a coexistence of reality and surrealism. Later on, I realized that what I wanted to focus on was photography as a different approach to making visual art preserving images that capture my attention and get stuck in my mind all day.
Once my journey in photography started and I began gaining more knowledge about photographers, I understood that the camera could be used for much more than reproducing reality; I could also use it to stage and recreate my own version of reality. All my past experiences have shaped and developed my artistic being and my visual sensibility for colors, composition, and visual elements. It is thanks to many trips abroad that I have collected amazing experiences, the changes of the surrounding environments and culture, shaped my vision, and kept awake my curiosity for everyday life’s small details.
I applied to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco to continue improving my skill, to learn how to effectively build a career in photography, and also to master other important aspects of the trade, such as working under pressure or with specific assignments, paying attention to the creative process, and finding solutions for the execution of a variety of themes and concepts.
During these two years in the graduate program at AAU, I have consolidated my knowledge of lighting, composition, camera settings, digital printing, photo-retouching software, and developed a personal visual and verbal representation of a photographic project. After trying different styles of photography as well as different subject matters and approaches, I found my true passion for architectural and interior design photography. I chose this as my field of emphasis because I love to share with others how I perceive architecture. Read Less
