Interview with:
Ugo Grandolini
Where are you born and when?
Como, Italy, 1961
Where do you live?
Como
When and how do you start your path in photography?
2017, after visiting an exhibition of a photographer presenting images of travels around the world. Images were printed in large size and with matte inks, I was astonished by the print quality and I decided to buy a camera and try to create some by myself.
Who were the three photographers that inspired you at the beginning and who are the three ones that inspire you now?
Please add links to the pages where the images are shown.
It’s a really difficult question to answer in few lines.
At the beginning
Sylvie Blum
https://www.sylvie-blum.com
Peter Coulson
http://peter-coulson.com.au
Joachim Bergauer
https://www.bergauer.cc
Now
Daido Moriyama
https://www.moriyamadaido.com/en/
Helmut Newton
https://helmut-newton-foundation.org/en/helmut-newton/
Peter Lindbergh
https://www.instagram.com/therealpeterlindbergh/
Did you go to a school or are you a self-taught?
Most of my studies by myself, I went to a school in Spain and, every now and then, I take a workshop.
Do you make photography as a living?
It’s a really long process, anyways I’m working on this :-)
What do you like in photography, what is your motivation?
I like when I see an image that can move my soul.
I hope to move other people souls when they look at my images.
What do you want to express or arouse in those who watch your images?
I’m trying to make people feel my emotions and feelings.
What are your preferred moment(s) in the creation process?
I love the full process, but I better like the conceiving and the shooting day.
Post processing is sometimes a beautiful moment and sometimes a pain: it much depends how the shooting day went and the “connection” e created with the person I was shooting.
What are your three most representative images, and why?
Please add links to the pages where the images are shown.
Federica on the bed with flour still on her body from the previous set...
In this image I love the pose and the look in her eyes that seem to say: “Do with me whatever you like”.
This is also an example of a deeper post-production, that sometimes I do – I think the post can done better and will probably edit this image again.
https://shop.ugosinhache.com/product/federica-5907
Elettra laid in the forest represents the sadness I feel by seeing what we’ve done to Mother Nature. Will we ever be able to understand that we were gifted with the most incredible thing and we should care it more than ourselves?
https://shop.ugosinhache.com/product/elettra-4318
This image of Melissa was taken in a forest as well. The plastic here is used to distort a sensual pose, we face distortions every day in our lives, often with our even recognise them.
https://shop.ugosinhache.com/product/melissa-6464
What equipment and/or techniques do you use?
It is not a matter of brands/lenses, it is mostly about analog/digital, preferred light (natural/flash), how much post-production, etc.
Until now digital cameras with very fast prime lenses.
I avoided zooms as I understood that, to learn taking pictured, primes are better – for sure they are faster than zoom.
I’m really tempted to start using analog cameras, and this will probably happen later in 2021.
About post-production I try to keep it at the minimum, just changing a bit the light where is needed and maybe some contrast.
How and why your work as changed since you started?
At he beginning I was looking for external beauty now I’m looking for inner beauty.
What do you think about the fact that nowadays photography is mostly enjoyed on the Internet?
Internet is a tool that can be helpful to find information and to share what you do with, potentially, the world.
Unfortunately it is abused and most people think that, once you published your image on the web, you are done.
Recently I understood that print must be part of the process, especially if you like to call yourself a “photographer”.
When digital cameras did not exist, being able to print was the only way to show your images.
Now it is an option and, somehow, I think is a step back.
If you create photographs try to print them so that you can really touch them and add a physical feeling with your work – you will start to understand more about what you do and... never stop to print anymore!
Why did you decide to join the nudeartzine project?
Actually nudeartzine is one of my projects :-)
I started it at the end of February 2021 to promote photography on paper.
To create the first issue, Volume 0, I used some of my images – that helped to start learning also the publishing process.
Would you have an insight or advice to give to whomever is watching your work and wants to learn photography?
There is no camera that makes better images than other ones!
You make the images and nowadays technology is so good that every camera is fine, especially at the beginning.
With time, you will understand by yourself what kind of equipment you need and, most importantly, why.
Start with a low cost APSC camera, 24mp is fine. Try to learn about how to use it to create what you see in your mind/soul and you want to represent in an image.
Look at as many images you can, both on the web but as much as possible on books and exhibitions.
If you can, visit Paris Photo https://www.parisphoto.com/en-gb.html at least once in life.
When looking for tutorials in YouTube, be careful about who you choose: most are done just to sell you something rather than teach you about photography.
Look for Sean Tucker https://www.youtube.com/user/seantuckermerge to learn about photography. What he says do really influences my path in photography and, sometimes, in life as well.
To learn about post-production see PixImperfect https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMrvLMUITAImCHMOhX88PYQ : he explains how to do things in a funny and easy way.
Both know what they are doing and you can surely become a better photographer by looking at their tutorials.
What are your plans in the future?
Start using an analog camera, keep working at my actual projects and start a couple new ones I already have in mind.
Moving to medium digital format is a dream... I will rent a camera and try to try it out “on field” and find out if it can help me to produce what I have in mind.
On what page our readers can find more of your work?
https://ugosinhache.com
Would you like to add something else?
Thank you to all photographers that are joining this project! I started learning new things thanks to you all.
Books by Ugo Grandolini
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