Lens: Voigtlander nokton 50mm f1.1
Camera: NEX-7, ISO100, f11, 1/125, raw
Christmas is approaching, and whoever in our restricted circle of family and friends has babies is asking us to have them portrayed. Today it was the time of Vittoria and Costanza, the two daughters of my cousin Gianfilippo and his wife Rosita. The excuse is always the same, to take just one quick photo to give as present to the grandparents, but we always end up shooting a lot, trying different outfits and poses (as much as you can talk about poses with relentless babies).
The fact isn’t (only) that the parents take the opportunity to get as many shots (memories) as possible from the (capable) photographer, but also that I love shooting, I love babies, and above all I love gifting people with such memories. Knowing that my photos get printed and put on frames in the living rooms of my clients and their families, that they become part of their collective memories, is deeply rewarding.
These are the photos that become real “products”, meaning that they loose their connection with the author very quickly, by gaining their independent role of “testimony” of a person. I don’t know who are the photographers who took all my photos of when I was a baby, or my parents’ when they were young, what I care about is only what the photo testimonies. Yet, without the photographer that photo wouldn’t be there, so powerful and expressive.
When I work with privates I know that what I’m doing is to create mementos of a tremendous use for their owner, which will outlive me but will not bring my name, while when I work with editorial, commercial or artistic projects I’m creating pieces which are engraved with my name but nobody knows how long they are going to last or serve.
I think this is the biggest difference about the two businesses, which in terms of quality or creativity can sometimes coincide, but are innerly serving two totally different purposes and produce photos which have two drastically different fates since the very moment they get shot.