Graziano
Villa

PHOTOGRAPHER = TRAVELER OF LIFE TRAVELING  MEANS RESEARCH FOR ME. A CONTINUING RESEARCH. RESEARCH AS KNOWLEDGE. PERHAPS BECAUSE I AM FROM GENOVA, LIKE COLUMBUS, A GREAT TRAVELLER WHOM I IDENTIFY MYSELF WITH. LIKE HIM, I HAVED SAILED TROUGH DIFFERENT SECTORS OF MY PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY, USING MY CAMERA AS A SAILBOAT, LANDING ON DIFFERENT SHORES IN OUR WORLD, TO KNOW IT BETTER. I BEGAN MY PROFESSION NAVIGATING IN THE STORMY WATER OF “REPORTAGE”; I CROSSED THE TURBULENT AND SNOBBY SEA OF “FASHION”; I REACHED THE CALM AND RELAXING WATER OF “STILL-LIFE” AND I LANDED AT LAST AT THE QUIET AND REFLECTIVE SHORES OF “PORTRAITURE”. THERE ARE EXISTENTIAL REASONS FOR THIS TRAVELLING. YOU MAY PROBABLY THINK THAT “PRIVATE” LIFE AND “PROFESSIONAL” LIFE SHOULD BE KEPT SEPARATE. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS. BUT WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH MY PROFESSIONAL PROFILE?  A LOT! FOR EXAMPLE: BY PUTTING FIRST THE “PROFESSIONAL” LIFE, I WOULD HAVE DONE LIKE MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES AND FOR PURELY MARKET CONSIDERATIONS, I WOULD HAVE SPECIALISED IN SOME CATEGORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY: ONLY FASHION, ONLY STILL-LIFE ETC.  I DID NO CHOOSE THIS! DOING ONLY REPORTAGE, ONLY FASHION, WOULD HAVE DEADLY BORED ME. PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN ART. IT CANNOT BE CONSIDERED AS A COMMON OFFICE JOB, WHERE SPECIALISATION IS OFTEN NEEDED (LIKE IN BANK, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE EACH EMPLOYEE HAS HIS SPECIFIC TASK). MY PROFESSIONAL FORMULA IS A GOOD MIX OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PHOTOGRAPHY; IT IS THE EXISTENTIAL CHOICE OF LIVING A WONDERFUL LIFE EXPERIENCE! SOME EXAMPLE? THANKS TO REPORTAGE I TRAVELLED FROM THE AFRICAN SAVANNAH TO THE SOUTH AMERICAN JUNGLE AND THE IMMENSE SPACE OF NORTH AMERICA; THANKS TO FASHION I MET FAMOUS BEAUTIFUL WOMEN; THANKS TO STILL-LIFE I DISCOVERED MARVELLOUS OBJECTS, PRECIOUS ANTIQUES, INCREDIBLE FURNISHINGS, AND ALL THE INTERESTING PEOPLE BELONGING TO THE ENVIRONMENT OF ARTS & DESIGN. AND NOW THAT I MAKE MANY PORTRAITS OF VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE I AM PARTICULARLY ENTHUSIASTIC. PORTRAITS OF FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM THE BUSINESS, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL WORLD. MAYBE IT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY, AND IT IS VERY CHALLENGING! IT IS A CONTINUAL RESEARCH WITH MYSELF. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL MODELS AND ARE NOT USED TO POSING IN FRONT OF THE LENS. IT IS MUCH EASIER TO PHOTOGRAPH A BEAUTIFUL GIRL WITH NICE CLOTHS IN A NICE SITUATION; IN THIS CASE I ONLY HAVE TO UNDERLINE THE ELEGANT APPEARANCE AND LOVINGNESS. BUT A PORTRAITURE IS SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. I HAVE TO EXTRACT AND REPRODUCE WITH MY CAMERA THE FEATURES, THE QUALITIES THAT MAKE THE PERSON FAMOUS, BY CHOOSING AND CATCHING HIS RIGHT EXPRESSION, HIS MOST NATURAL POSE, THE BEST SITUATION AND HIS VERY PERSONAL BEING. THIS CHARACTERISTICS OFTEN ARE NOT VERY EVIDENT AT THE FIRST GLANCE. RESULTS AND CONGRATULATIONS OBTAINED ARE VERY ENCOURAGING AND MY RESEARCH GOES ON.  APART FROM PRACTICAL RESULTS- WHICH ARE VERY IMPORTANT – THERE IS ANOTHER GRATIFYING ASPECT OF DOING PORTRAIT: THE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THESE PEOPLE. THERE IS A SUBTLE GAME THAT CLICKS IMMEDIATELY BETWEEN THE “PORTRAITIST” AND THE “CHARACTER”. I KNOW I HAVE TO REACH DIFFERENT TARGETS, I.E. MY WORK HAS TO SATISFY NOT ONLY THE SUBJECT, BUT ALSO THE ART DIRECTOR ON SITE; AND PERHAPS ALSO THE WIFE OR THE GIRLFRIEND! AND THIS POINT SHOULD NOT BE UNDERESTIMATED.  LIKE AN ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR, I HAVE TO MAKE EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES TO BE FOLLOWED TO REACH A SATISFYING RESULT : THE RULES OF THE ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR, MY RULES ! DIRECTING AND IMPOSING RUKES TO PERSONALITIES LIKE ROMITI, AGNELLI, MONDADORI, LA MALFA, DE BENEDETTI, ANNIE LEIBOVITZ, ELTON JOHN, MIRIAM MAKEBA, ELLA FITZGERALD, PRINCE, REQUESTS MAXIMUM ATTENTION AND “SAVOIR FAIRE”. for some years now I have been following an artistic path where I realize "Architectural Portraits" and that gave me great critical results, like the essay by Prof. Bertrand Marret, art historian and nephew of Henri Cartier Bresson.ANOTHER GREAT CHALLENGE IN MY WONDERFUL EVER CHANGING JOB.          GRAZIANO VILLA