Interviewed by Medina Shala
Tell me a little bit about yourself?
My father was a cameraman, I started helping him since when I was a child so he was the one who introduced me into di “image” world. I liked it immediately, all those cameras, bags and strange buttons with the power to swap the image in something incredible. I think that when I was 13 I already know who I wanted to be. Growing up I started to watch tons of documentaries, the more I saw them the more I realized that my way of looking at the world was the same.
I attended Naples academy of fine arts in order to be camera operator one day. Anyways, during my studies, I understood that I needed to focus more on still photography, as this kind of photography is the basis of motion picture. Therefore, I bought my first digital camera and started to learn. After few years, I felt the urge to educate my eye more deeply and that’s when I decided to approach film photography. That was the moment I really understood the importance of time during a shot, as well as the crucial moment of choice while taking a picture.
Developing my own film has been therapeutic for me, giving me the chance to dedicate the right amount of time to myself and to something that was really worth it. Today I work in the cinema industry as first assistant camera and, in the end, I decided to keep on working as 1st AC ( and no more as camera operator) because I really find my dimension In this role.
What do you like most about being a photographer?
Being a photographer is one of the best ways to express ourselves, the way we look at what surrounds us is unique every time. Having the chance to make a simple and single moment eternal is something I really love, but mostly I enjoy putting my heart and feelings in a single blink of an eye, turning a past moment into something you can touch with your own hands. I’m also a camera technician so managing with camera bodies and lenses makes me feel like a baby in a toys shop!
What’s your favourite season of the year?
Autumn, because of the light you know. Basically I love cold seasons: the fresh breeze on your face, the cloudy days, the color palette of trees and mountains. in my free time I go on mountains for trekking and hiking, in autumn the sun is never too high giving you a perfect light and contrast especially in November (the best month to take pictures in my opinion).
What is your favorite subject to photograph?
I started with landscape photography, but i’ve always loved also portrait photography as humanist. little by little I started to place subjects in a specific background trying to create a link between humans and landscapes. I deeply believe that we’re part of nature, and our bond with her is ancestral and unique, something we can’t escape from. So when you make this two worlds meet, something magic happens. I think it’s all about balance you know. This kind of approach helps me find my way and style.
What really makes you happy?
I’m always looking for simplicity, I don’t need lots of stuff to be happy, cause happiness comes from an internal balance between you and what surrounds you. I love Nature so walking in a wood or sleeping under the stars makes me really happy. By the way, when you have someone to share your passions and your time with your happiness feels duplicated.
Playing my guitars, reading tons of books, developing my films and then putting in order all my analogic photos archive…I don’t need anything more. It’s not what you have but who you are, your relationship with what is out of your windows, the way you speak with yourself can really make you happy. I’m really convinced about it.
What inspires you to start a photography project, and can you tell us something about your latest project “Out of the Cage”?
I always try to photograph something which is really close to my heart in some way. I bring my film camera with me every time I can cause you never knows when something can touch your feelings or your imagination. Pictures are everywhere, even a stone can be a great pic, it just depends on what is represents for you, what you want to express. I never start with a clear idea of what I want to do, I try to understand how I feel in that specific moment, then I choose the right lens and film dropping them between my eye and the world outside.
Thats how “Out of the Cage” is coming out. One day me and my girlfriend Cecilia decided to spend half a day to the sea in Rome, I just held my camera all the time starting to shoot , following what my heart said. That was a great day, full of magical moments like that man on the horse crossing the beach and going to the sea, or the birds flying near the hill while wind started blowing strongly, bringing the sea smell to us.
When I developed the films I showed them to Cecilia and she said “ there’s something that links all this pictures, maybe you can try to find the right layout in order to create a story!”. She was right, and I choose that name “out of the cage” to communicate the way I felt that day, starting by visiting an incredible cemetery where death leads in all her beauty, and then going to a place full of life feeling free, even if just for a moment. It was like coming back to life.
Digital or Film Photography?
As I said I started with digital photography cause I mostly used my reflex to do videos but when I decided to try film I never came back from that decision. Now it’s been 3 years, and I keep on using film looking for new types of cameras and films that can give me new opportunities, leading my eyes to different points of view. I believe that film photography is the best way to express myself, for that reason I put a little piece of my heart in each pose. 
Photos by: Luca Scarparo
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