Photographing in Italy
Recently (2023), my wife and I returned to Italy (after a 39-year hiatus). While it has been her dream destination to visit Cinque Terra, my dream was to be in the country where I feel a significant connection.
We decided to remain ‘off the beaten track’ and spend our time people-watching (and photographing). There is a light in Italy that is like no other. This quality of light is certainly available everywhere you look, even more so in its people.
Few things excite me more than seeing something and recognizing that it would make a great photograph. Tell of my experience of that moment. It may occur infrequently, but you know it. You see it. You feel it.
Tourists aside, navigating the countryside, the coast, or the urban streets reveals a wealth of day-to-day life. The train station, the port waters, the beach, the architecture, the gardens, and the alcoves become refuges for light, shadow, and the interaction of Italian people.
What it does for me is reach into the depths of my being and pulls out an emotional connection — typically joyous, certainly life.
What fascinates me is when a few ladies gather on a narrow street, seated on chairs brought out from their entryway, and work together to conjure their best versions of homemade pasta. They aren’t necessarily dinner guests of one another but know that many hands make short work. They gossip, they laugh, and they share meaningful time. These interactions are so lovely.
Move to the coast, and fishers assemble to gather their bounty from the sea. The conversation can be terse or matter-of-fact but usually cordial or nonchalant. The weather, the sea, the growing concern over quarry, market price and freshness. The souls of these individuals are easily found as they hide nothing. This authenticity on the docks, in the market square, and amongst the narrow streets and alcoves moves me to record these interactions.
A simple occurrence of a person walking, carrying a string bag, through ancient streets invites reflection. Where do these simple moments occur in North America? And yes, I know that they do, yet the bounty of images in this foreign country mixed with Italian light gives me pause and manifests profound stories and some of my favourite images.
