Ludovico Poggioli

Umbria, Italy

website blog flickr

What role does photography play in your (everyday) life? Does it relate to what you do professionally?

Photography is what keeps me sane. It's like medicine for the soul, a sweet obsession. And no, I worked for many years as an IT System Administrator. That were too many hours spent in front of a monitor typing on a keyboard; that's probably why I love old mechanical cameras and the darkroom.

You probably heard this questions already a lot of times: Why do you prefer to shoot in black and white?

From time to time I try to shoot in colour. I got some friends who make wonderful things with colour, but I'm completely incapable: I found colour to be too real for my taste, black and white leaves more room for the viewer and adds a little bit of mystery to a photograph. Also, with black and white I can control the whole process in my darkroom, which is a real plus for me.

What do you enjoy most about the whole process - from seeing something and taking a photograph of it, up until the moment you hold the picture in your hands in your darkroom?

The magic starts when I look at my contact sheets, searching for the good ones to print, the ones I remember, hoping that they will be as I imagined them, or finding ones I had already forgotten about. The three dogs running, which is one of my favourites, is one of those I had forgotten completely. I had shot it at dusk with an impossible shutter speed, 1/4 or 1/8, I think, and when I saw the picture on my contact sheet I at first didn't understand what it was, so I had to enlarge it in order to see the dogs.

If you could display your latest pictures along with a soundtrack, what would you choose to play?

Sinnerman by Nina Simone. I love her voice.

You wrote that you take pleasure in taking pictures outdoors, and preferably during bad weather. What is it you like about this setting/combination?

It's easiest to be alone when there is bad weather; I love walking through the empty streets, observing the raindrops on the windows and experiencing the silence of misty nights.

Grainy, blurry pictures dominate your portfolio, allowing the spectator to get carried away in her/his own thoughts. Is this something you aim for?

Yes, I really love the evocative power of grainy/blurry black and white photos; I think they prompt feelings rather than describing a small portion of the world, and that's what I try to achieve. There are many good documentary photographers out there and their work is amazing, but that's not my cup of tea.

Is there a project or an idea that you are eager to carry out?

I'm working on two projects right now; the first is XALOVE, made with the little Olympus XA camera. I shoot with long shutter times, because I'm really curious about the way film records light and movement. It's a very "you'll burn a lot of film for a very small amount of keepers" kind of project, but it distracts me from everyday life and I like it. The other project involves some contact printed postcards I hope to send to some friends through the world. I'm really in love with little prints right now, and I think that this could be a nice way to make my trees travel and see the world.

Which artist(s) are you following currently?

Gabrielle Duplantier, Fabien Pio, Bernard Cantie, Klavdij Sluban, Andrea Buzzichelli, Anders Petersen and many, many others. There are a lot of talented and wonderful photographers out there.

What do you like most about living in the region of Umbria? 

The relaxed way of life: it's quite easy to slow down a little here, and that's something I really care about.

Is there an exhibition, a museum or gallery you have visited recently and which has inspired you?

I saw a beautiful exposition of Daido Moriyama last month that I loved. It left me feeling uneasy, slightly melancholic. He is another photographer whose work I admire.

What can’t you go without at breakfast?

That's easy: Coffee! You can't start a new day without coffee.

Luca Massaccesi

currently Cambridge, UK

website flickr

What intrigues you most about the interaction between landscapes or surroundings and people?

I always loved peaceful places where nothing is “polluted” by the human touch. Also, I really hope that photographing this ‘freedom’ can explain my personal desire for freedom. Pursuing photography I discovered that you can’t understand any place if you don’t have a look at all the things, people or whatever that makes this place alive, as well. What I am trying to do is to present and explain all these mixed compositions that I find.

What do you want to catch in this context and how do you go about doing it most of the times?

I try to catch that moment, that one feeling, which seems to explain everything and with which things appear to be easier and simpler. I think that images have the power to explain a bit of what you’re feeling inside. I don’t really reach this goal every time, and perhaps I never reach it.

What was the collaboration with your brother about?

It’s an artistic collaboration, which began many years ago. My brother is my twin brother and even though we piss each other off most of the times, we still have a strangely strong bond. Our collaboration started with our Brand D’ANDY: we were involved in designing t-shirts and clothes after high school.  Later we changed our focus and now we use this brand just for photography works - especially wedding photography. Maybe I should explain my passion for the arts and the importance of collaboration with my brother a little bit more: I had always been interested in taking pictures and in video making. When I was little, I had been shooting pictures with an old Minolta. It was when I was 18, that I got my first digital camera and that I re-discovered my old enthusiasm for photography thanks to my brother. It's a passion that moves me to document this amazing world and makes me feel very comfortable.

What do you enjoy most about working with your brother?

It means that I can work together with a graduate student for art direction and photography at the ISIA (Italy) and at ECAL of Lausanne every day. In this context all assistance has come to be a new experience for me to improve myself. I like to work in this ‘fancy’ job, but more than that, I like that I continuously learn something new. I honestly have to say: I’m very lucky to be in this position. And just at the side, I think they do an amazing job and they really deserve the attention that they’re starting to get. And I really am not just saying this to support my brother.

You recently moved back to the UK?

After a year far from the UK I got back here at the beginning of October. This time I am in Cambridge to pursue a project parallel to my university studies. It’s not a coincidence, because I always choose my destination with paying particular attention to my interests in photography. For around 6 months I will use my day off from work to develop some new projects and to finish others that I had started in 2011.

What are your working on currently?

I never work on one single project, because I don’t like to be static and to lock my mind with a specific point of view.  Last summer I started a huge project about isolation and rural life and I want to concentrate on some ancient villages in my country. The project is still on fire and I guess it will a major interest of mine for a long time. I’ll let you know about it in the future. Here in the UK I’m finishing some works that I had started in  2011. They are about video making, so I’m ‘sailing out’ to learn more about the for me yet ‘undiscovered lands’ of short movies. I’m at the second stage of the series “with you”, which you can see on my YouTube channel. And besides such bigger projects, I try to do some good blogging everyday.

Have you had moments where you regretted or doubted your choice of having picked up the profession of a photographer?

I have never had moments of doubt about picking up this road, because in my opinion, I have never really ‘pursued’ it seriously as a profession. Yes, sometimes I have had regrets, but they were not about photography, but rather about other choices I made in my life. To me, photography and visual arts are just my personal way to show the world what I see. I don’t consider myself a photographer, I take some good pictures sometimes.

How many language do you speak?

Well, Italian is my mother tongue. When I’m satisfied with my English, I’ll might start to learn another language.

How many important is for you to interact and exchange with other artists?

I wouldn’t say it’s important, I would argue that it’s essential. Exchange is necessary: reading, watching and chatting about everybody with everybody. It’s the only way to discover something new. It’s vital for my work, because I take pictures not just because I fancy doing that, but because I really like to discover new things and ideas. And it doesn’t matter if the people or artists you exchange with or talk about are popular or not.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years, on a Saturday afternoon?

I really don’t know. Thinking about the future is not so easy, especially not in this period. But well, winter is approaching, so hopefully I’ll be spending my Saturday afternoon 5 years from now on a ski track taking pictures of my son while teaching him skiing very well at the same time!

Documenting and exchanging about it. Take a look at his work!