INTERVIEW
June 7, 2020
MY VISUAL DIARY
Photography by Luca Strippoli
Interview by Melanie Meggs
Discover the captivating work of Luca Strippoli, an award-winning Italian street photographer whose passionate improvisations capture the emotion of his subjects and ignite the imagination. His stunning black and white photos embody a visual diary of his feelings, yet his remarkable talent transcends beyond the boundaries of monochrome imagery - his vivid, thought-provoking colour compositions evoke a sense of creativity, daring us to look beyond the literal and embrace the unexpected. Luca's remarkable talent challenges us to be bold and decisive with our camera shutter and to explore new, exciting perspectives.
“I like to define myself a passionate improviser. Photography is, from my point of view, a kind of diary, I talk of myself through others.”
IN CONVERSATION WITH LUCA STRIPPOLI
THE PICTORIAL LIST: Luca, when did you start getting interested in photography?
LUCA STRIPPOLI: I’ve studied graphics when I was younger and I have always been fascinated by art and images.
TPL: Where do you find your inspiration?
LS: Wandering in the streets, visiting a museum, listening to music…in my opinion inspiration can come from different situations...it can be an unusual light beam, a detail, an interesting backlight or trivially a street scene I must portray.
TPL: Do you have any favourite artists or photographers you would like to share with us, and the reason for their significance?
LS: I try to take pictures my way, with all the limits. Photographing is like writing for a writer, you can use a typewriter, a word processor, a pencil…but what counts the most are the words. However, between my favorite photographers my beloved ones are Mario Giacomelli, for his landscapes and people; Elliott Erwitt, storyteller of meaningful little stories; Sebastiao Salgado, with his amazing frames and; finally Henri Cartier-Bresson, a photography aesthete.
TPL: Has your style of shooting changed since you first started?
LS: Absolutely. I’ve understood that photography was becoming more and more part of my life when I introduced people in my photos. I was then aware of my emotional participation in everything included in the composition of the picture.
TPL: Where is your favourite place to shoot?
LS: I like wandering without a destination. It’s the first symptom of a disease called photography…I stray in the city just to catch little stories, fragments of life that ordinary life gives to me. I don’t know the subjects but in that moment they become unconsciously my models.
TPL: What characteristics do you think you need to become a 'good' photographer? What’s your tips or advice for someone in your genre?
LS: The continuous bombing of photos we are getting used to on social media, without an adequate visual education that can provide the right tools to correctly evaluate an image, can now destabilize how we judge a shot. Therefore, to emerge now as a photographer has become even harder, but I like thinking there is still a place where talented people sooner or later will be valued and acknowledged for their work.
TPL: Have you ever been involved in the arts before photography?
LS: No
TPL: Do you think equipment is important in achieving your vision in your photography? What would you say to someone just starting out?
LS: The equipment I am using right now is the smartphone but in the past I have used several kinds of equipment. Nowadays, I need something to catch the moment immediately and here the smartphone comes into play because you always have it in your pocket...simple to use and fast to catch the best timing in a specific moment.
TPL: Are there any special projects you are currently working on that you would like to let everyone know about?
LS: I have just started a project about photo composition, many photos balanced to create a singular one.
TPL: "If I wasn't photographing what would I be doing?...
LS: I would come back to paint."
