Luca Veronesi on Pixtury: his story, his Photography.

Today we bring you our interview with Luca Veronesi, one of the most active members of our photography community and a winner of several of our photo contests.

A richly varied life that has taught him to perceive the world and plan his images in a way all his own, a dislike of big-name brands and the cult of gear, compositions brought to life by bold colour contrasts, and a love of greyscale.

Explore his personal gallery, where you can buy prints of all his photos.

Hi Luca, and thank you for accepting our invitation. Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I work as a freelance post-producer, web designer, photographer and video editor for a number of film promotion, distribution and production agencies. I love this job and wouldn't swap it for any of the thousand others I've done in the past. Along the way, partly by chance and partly by nature, I've built up a unique and wide-ranging set of experiences: from an ecology centre to holiday-resort entertainment, by way of a video game shop.

You've come a long way!

I think every experience we live through is reflected in who we are and in our personal perception and understanding of the world. The one constant for me over the years has been the image: as a vision and representation of our inner self, long before it became a project embedded in a sequence of shots. I've had many passions, intense and vital, each important in its own way in shaping who I've become; on the surface they seem different and sometimes opposed, but in reality they complement one another: writing, music, martial arts, dancing, boxing. And just as many hobbies: cinema, theatre, reading, travel. All of this is a journey, a search for oneself, a search for an image that expresses who we are and how the world appears to our eyes.

What is Photography?

Photography is existing; it's laying bare and showing a small piece of ourselves. It's a process that is sometimes painful, at other times fun or liberating, but always an intimate sharing of our world. At the same time it's storytelling, perfection, beauty. It can't, however, become a mere pursuit of aesthetics, or every shot becomes empty and soulless. And you can feel it.

When and how did you get into Photography?

My first steps were in the darkroom, with black and white. Back then I only attended courses run by my secondary school teacher. That was a lifetime ago. I didn't have the money for serious equipment, but that was when the need to enter that world was born in me. I started out seriously, with real purpose, about fifteen years ago, but it was only in 2005 that I got my first recognition, at least for post-production. Photography, although part of my job, took hold later. I owe this evolution to people who were far more than teachers: they were inspirations and friends.

What do you appreciate most about this world, and what annoys you?

What I love most is being able to communicate something: sensations, feelings, emotions and magic. Letting them breathe through a shot. When I manage it, it makes me happy and gives meaning to who I am. The other thing I adore is the surprise of seeing another photographer's photo, or another point of view I'd never have noticed. There's so much to learn, and that's wonderful! My favourite moment? When I connect the camera to the computer to look at my latest shots. It's like unwrapping a present.

What I don't like about this world, on the other hand, is the lack of humility. It's rare to find among photographers. I don't believe one photographer is better than another, strictly speaking. Some may have greater technical knowledge, which comes from study and hands-on experience in a particular genre of photography, that much is true. I've known photographers whose perfect, magnificent shots, from many points of view, said about as much as a boiled potato, and I've known technically less skilled photographers whose imperfect shots had a unique aesthetic sense and grace. Technique can be learned; heart you either have or you don't. I find the hypercritical attitude of so-called “good photographers” towards anything that isn't perfect a sign of ignorance and of a narrow mind and spirit.

What does your kit consist of?

What a horrible question! As if it were the equipment and not the photographer that "makes" the photo. I love travelling light, and my kit generally follows that principle. At the moment my camera body is a Canon 6D, and I have a single carbon-fibre tripod, not from a big-name brand but a tried-and-tested, flawless “budget” one. Oh, I almost forgot: I'm all for going “low cost” whenever possible and, sometimes, for "making" my own gear, such as reflectors, diffusers and modifiers. It's amazing what you can achieve with a bit of DIY! Then there's my ever-present, incredibly versatile Canon 24-105, my trusty “nifty fifty” and a Canon 70-300, which I often leave at home because, frankly, it's a language that doesn't really suit me: too little three-dimensionality, too little immersion, too much detachment, like a spectator in a distant stand. And so on and so forth... it sounds like a shopping list... is that really what photography is about? So I'll stop here, but I hope I've thrown a bone to the more technically minded. Lately I've been getting into vintage lenses: it's a whole world waiting to be discovered!

Would you tell us about a particularly demanding job you remember?

One job that took more time than I'd planned was for a B&B dating back to the 1300s. A magnificent place with a unique atmosphere. The owner was, rightly, demanding. Frankly, that didn't bother me at all, quite the opposite! I'm very meticulous in my work, and it was an extra incentive to give my best and to review and steer the project in the best direction.

Do you have a favourite colour?

Favourite colour, let me think... I don't have one. I think every colour serves the scene and the emotions. I can tell you which ones appear most in my photos: greyscale, which, even if not "literally" a colour, is still a focal point of many of my shots. Sometimes, especially on my own projects or ones where I have a certain creative freedom, I work with heavy “desaturation”, or of course with black and white. I love oppositions, contrasts and the study of light more than the use of single, specific colours. In general, blue, green and earth tones feature heavily. Visually, I particularly love the vivid colours of a sunset, although sunsets, however beautiful and moving in real life, mostly strike me as banal in photos.

How did you end up on Pixtury?

By chance. If I remember rightly, through an advert on Facebook. I don't usually pay them much attention, but that one in particular intrigued me and caught my eye.

Is there a photo or a Pixtury photographer that has particularly struck you?

As for photographers, here they are, along with the works of theirs that struck me.

Luca Venturini: fogDay, Namibian Boy.

Claudia Cavalleri: Sovraccarico di miseria.

Elisabetta Giuliani: Iceland, Giappone.

Davide Boldo: Linee e geometrie, People.

Then there are individual shots by other photographers that struck me too.

What are your favourite subjects to photograph?

People: the gaze, the expressiveness, the eyes and the spontaneity.

Street Photography. I generally don't like labels, but to be clear: the real photo, not staged, the “street” photo. Because it captures a fleeting, unrepeatable instant.

And finally, atmospheres.

What sparks your urge to take a photo?

A feeling. Sometimes, whatever I'm doing or wherever I'm going, I have to stop and take a shot. I just can't help it.

Let's talk about the selfie craze: what do you think of it? Have you ever taken one?

Let he who has never taken one cast the first stone! Not to mention that it's not a recent invention; frankly, it has always existed. I think it can be the ultimate in banal expression, but also a wonderful creative tool when it's purposeful and deliberate.

How can you tell when a photographer is better than you?

When I look at one of their shots and wonder whether I'll ever create something so beautiful.

What lighting conditions do you prefer?

Any light is perfect, because it's the photographer who makes it so. Of course, who doesn't love the diffused light of big white clouds, or the light at dawn or sunset?! But stopping there would be limiting, don't you think? We can use light, transform it and make the most of it, whatever the time of day. I'm not especially fond of shooting in studio conditions, although there's no doubt you have total control there. If possible, I prefer to mix natural and artificial light, which is certainly not easy and sometimes doesn't deliver the hoped-for results. After all, unpredictability and improvisation are part of the game and definitely make it more fun.

Do you have any future photography projects you'd like to tell us about?

Lots. But what they are is a secret.

Once it's published, who will you send this interview to?

Without pestering anyone, I'll post it on my Facebook timeline and send it personally to my closest friends.

Thank you for your time, Luca. Congratulations again on your work, and the very best of luck with your future projects!

To discover all of Luca's work, you can explore his photo gallery, where you can buy prints of all his photos.