Interview: Photographer Michele Balistreri (Italy)

Can you tell us a little about you? I am an Italian software developer and amateur photographer from Rome. I like learning stuff and try myself in different fields, like electronics, 3D modelling, podcasting, painting. I also enjoy travelling and discovering different cultures and cuisines. How and when did you get into photography? I was always fascinated by photography and visual arts in general. However I started taking this hobby more seriously in 2017 when I was living in St. Petersburg. What does photography mean to you? Photography is one of the things that I enjoy the most. It is about bringing an idea to life, setting up a team of like-minded people working towards a common goal. In the end everybody’s effort is what creates great photography that the viewer will enjoy. Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers. I try not to stick to a single style or technique but I prefer harsher lighting, saturated colors and high contrast. I try to have the models express their emotions and personality through the lens in a way that is often provocative and a bit over the top. Where do you get inspiration from? As obvious as it might sound, mostly from looking at other’s people photography. Sometimes I am inspired by a painting, a scene in a videogame or movie. Do you think in advance what you want in the picture? For the most part, I do. However sometimes I like to improvise with models when we know and understand each other very well. Some of the shoots I like the most come from this kind of experiments. Studio, on location or both? Both. I enjoy studio but I am trying to get a bit out of my comfort zone by shooting on location lately. Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?

I am a hobbyist and I’d like it to remain this way. Making it a work would spoil the fun for me. What has been your most memorable session and why? I remember most of my sessions very fondly, however we really had a lot of fun during the session with spaghetti. There were spaghetti everywhere, we made a real mess that day. Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens? Neither, most of my shoots are with m43 (Lumix GX8) but I recently switched to Fuji (X-T30 II). Honestly, I don’t care much about gears, I’ll take whatever works. What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business? Since I am not doing this professionally, I don’t feel like giving business advices. What do you think of our new magazine? I discovered it recently I am been impressed by the quality of the selected shoots. I will surely add it as one more source of inspiration.

https://www.facebook.com/ph.mikko

https://michelebalistreri.photo

https://www.instagram.com/mikkoph/

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Model: Maria Savitskaya. Muah: Elvira Alekseeva

Model & Muah: Maria Clotilde Luzi

Model: Yulia Fedorova. Muah: Ksenia Silaeva

Model: Anastasya Parsegova. Muah: Olga Serdukova

Model: Yulia Fedorova. Muah: Ksenia Silaeva

Model: Lubov Petrova. Muah: Anna Sevastyanova

Model: Lubov Petrova. Muah: Anna Sevastyanova

Model: Anastasya Parsegova. Muah: Olga Serdukova

Model & Muah: Maria Koshechkina