A tribute to… – My Galleries

A project dedicated to Masters of Photography

This personal project, named “A tribute to…”, is a special gift to the Masters of Photography who have greatly influenced and molded our photographic culture.
Every photographer is influenced, knowingly or unknowingly, by the photographs they see. They are also influenced by the works of the authors they read. This can happen by attending exhibitions or reading literature, even online. Each picture holds a fragment (big or small, visible or invisible) of the photographic culture we build over time. So, this gallery showcases my tribute to those authors who have affected and captivated me with their creations and perspectives on the world.

The first shot

I must admit that this idea is not the most original… but it developed gradually after taking some unplanned shots without a project in mind, as often happens… The first shot was taken in 2011, after enjoying a stunning photo book by Arno Rafael Minkkinen (I believe it was “Saga – The Journey of Arno Rafael Minkkinen“) during a photography course held by our Photo Club. The work of this skilled Photographer inspired me greatly and I wanted to create similar images. I did not want to copy the original artist or their shot, as this would be very difficult with Arno’s work. Instead, I aimed to reinterpret his style and photographic language. However, this exercise is not straightforward, as there is a risk of producing a cliched result.
So I created the first set of photographs (exclusively self-portraits, mimicking the originals that inspired me) which are available in this collection, alongside an original shot of the artist for comparison.

The idea… How the project started

A few years later, I got the idea to take more photos of the same kind. While looking for more inspiring shots, I thought of a new project: continuing this research by exploring different authors and genres and creating a series of photographs. The chance to start anew came with our Photo Club‘s 2020 Calendar, titled “The Famous Copy”. Here, our members tackled the task of re-imagining well-known photographs and artworks in their unique styles; my results are the next images dedicated to Vivian Maier and Gianni Berengo Gardin:

I want to give special thanks to my wife, Luisa, for her patient participation in this second series of photographs. She fully embodied the roles of the characters portrayed.

Work (still…) in progress

And since “appetite comes with food”, this project is still far from being completed. I have in mind several shots to take, as soon as I have the time and inspiration. I hope you enjoyed what you have seen so far, please leave me your comments and feedback. Keep an eye out for my upcoming updates, where I’ll share new photos on this page and my blog.

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If you like my pictures, please go to see more on my Galleries Page.

_{Fonti: the images of the mentioned authors have been taken from their respective websites linked in the text:
Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Vivian Maier, Gianni Berengo Gardin (Courtesy Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia).}