I am a documentary photographer, not a photojournalist. I like and respect most of the old school photojournalism but, unless it deals with a true major event, I think that objective reportage is somehow boring... What intrigues me, instead, is the photographer’s view on facts: That's why I always try to document things in a more personal and intimate way. As a consequence, my interest in photography is split between social reportage and aesthetic research into the medium itself; so, instead of just “finding” random subject matter, I prefer to create images based on my emotional states, which -if I’m fortunate- are able to generate thought and wonder. My work chronicles the exploration of my own identity: Each subject in my photographs is meant to represent me, for I feel that to a real photographer a photo is first and foremost the image of an idea.

I work only in black and white. No exceptions. I don’t enjoy the banality of Color, which I find superfluous to the true needs of fundamental investigation; and I’m not interested into the “realistic view of the subject”: Nowadays, that can be achieved even by a Baboon with a $30 point-and-shoot! The vast majority of color photographs lack force of originality, for they reproduce images too similar to the world in motion which the eye is so accustomed to see; therefore I think that keeping my images monochromatic makes them majestically heavy and paradoxically closer to reality, because black and white are the true colors of photography and to me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.

I operate in the analog domain. I’m convinced that film-based imagery is ineffably nearer to the way the brain perceives a scene, rather than the way the eye sees it. Digital images may seem (arguably) more accurate, but the film ones render a more harmonious “whole” that evokes the way the scene “felt” or how it was mentally discerned. I like to interpret life creating photographs obtained through hard work and passionate vision, thus I have no plans to start taking pictures with a digital camera: I feel that the entire process of exposing and developing film adds another layer to my perception of reality.In addition, I believe that digital gear has made it easy to take thousands of thoughtless pictures (hoping that maybe one will be decent), with no care whatsoever for the process of what makes a good photo. I have, consequently, opted for a film camera, because I believe that taking fewer photographs makes me remember the situations behind each shot and my images become encapsulated in stories... So, I proudly work with a Leica M4-P, which I consider to be the logical camera, the very essence of precision mechanics and a masterpiece that opened my eyes to a world of memorable experiences from the very moment I bought it.

I decided to limit my photographic equipment to one camera body and one lens only, not to be thinking about gear and possibly be impaired by indecision; ironically giving up choice gave me actual more freedom! For a long time I used a 50mm Summicron and I still consider that lens to be among the world's finest ones. However, recently I chose a 28mm Elmarit version IV, which I believe better suits my style and vision because of how it renders on Film. The wide-angle draws me right into the action and captures an image which is closer to what the eye sees, making it a much versatile lens; very descriptive, a lot less interpretative and pictorial than the 50mm. The only drawback is that the 28mm is difficult to use when seeking precise composition: There are many elements in the frame and something may often risk to fall in the wrong place, but one can't win it all!... As for even wider lenses, I will say that they are often used by people who want to shout; people whose images are short of arguments and rely solely on the effects of distortion and blurred figures in the foreground.

All that said, writing about everything I photograph becomes simply consequential…

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