Interview: Photographer Francesco Verolino (Italy)
How and when did you get into photography?
It happened a long time ago. Then in 2017 I decided it had to become my job. In my first life I was a business consultant, in my second life I am a street photographer.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography is a complex art. It is necessary to study it for years before obtaining results and recognition. For me it is an opportunity to communicate with others and tell what I see. Street photography offers me the opportunity to convey stories and emotions.
Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.
I like to call it Life photography. It is an anthropological street photography that tells the story of the relationship between the individual and the environment.
My photographs are in high contrast black and white.
Where do you get inspiration from?I don't have a real reference in photography. I studied Fan Ho, Berengo Gardin and other photographers for years. Today I prefer not to be influenced and I study aspects of other arts that can give me a different point of view: Gestalt psychology, Itten's contrasts, etc
Do you think in advance what you want in the picture?
Always. I go out to take a single photograph. I usually don't shoot unless I previsualize.
Studio, on location or both?
My studio is the street.
Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?
I am a professional photographer. But I know that I must never stop having fun. This is why I organize Photo-experiences in Naples and London.
What has been your most memorable session and why?
In Morocco. From Italy I previewed a photograph of an Arab woman on the cliff overlooking the ocean at sunset. I don't steal photographs and I always ask to be able to create the image. It's one of my best images and I crushed my iPhone to make it.
Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?
Panasonic Lumix m43 with Leica Lens.
What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?
First of all I recommend not to rush and study. It's important to have a mentor and experiment. It is essential to discuss your photographs with expert photographers.
I recommend being humble and above all seeking your own identity.
What do you think of our new magazine?
It's a nice format and it's interesting that it's open to other genres of photography. I think there is a lot to say and magazines like yours are very important.
" The photographs are an extract from my work "London at the window"
"London at the Window". The window is the right distance that sometimes divides two individuals. Glass is the element that divides the observer from the observed, just as happens between a model and a photographer with a camera. The window is the filter between intimacy and is the natural frame of photographic stories. Sometimes the window allows us to capture spontaneous behavior that belongs to everyday life."
