Last saturday I went to Napoli to eat a pizza (well, a couple, actually) and take some photos of the city, that is going to celebrate the third Scudetto of its football team. Napoli is one of the best city in Italy for Street Photography, its vibes and its carousel of characters is really something great. Here some photos I took during my walk.
Saturday morning I was drinking a coffee in my apartment when I suddenly heard drums and whistles fill the silence. They came from the street, so I went to my window and I saw a parade, there was lot of people walking and dancing. So I dress with the first thing I found and I ran downstairs to take part of the parade and take some pictures too. It was the 14th edition of the Anti-racist Carnival of Garbatella, my neighborhood. It was really fun. Here a selection of images I took:
A nice walk in the afternoon to enjoy the sun and take some pictures. I love the first image, a couple on Ponte Sisto, and it would be nice to find them to give them this photo as a gift. It really would be nice. The second photo made me think a lot. When I was a teenager I used to do stupid jokes with my friends, talking a lot about nonsenses. I enjoyed their company. In this photo everyone of this classroom is watching at his/her smartphone. What happened? I don’t want to judge, it’s just a consideration about our times. What do you think?
A beautiful walk to the Musei Capitolini is always a good way to discover, once again, the beautiful art of Romans and the stunning past of my city. Sometimes I forget to live in a city like Rome, in such a incredible place, so it’s important to remind me, through museums and walks, how beautiful can be, despite the difficulties, costs etc.
In the mid-1980s, the Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado made an extraordinary reportage on the Sierra Pelada gold mine in Brazil. Since the first gold was found in the quarry, there has been a continuous coming and going of men who left their lands to work in the mine, hoping to find a gold nugget. And so, every day, an enormous number of people went up and down the precarious ladders in the quarry, dozens of times a day, carrying bags of mud weighing 60 kilos, in which they looked for even the smallest trace of precious metal. One of the most incredible and powerful reportage ever made in the history of photography.
11 years ago, on my first day in Buenos Aires, I entered a church and there I found a boy who was praying in an Argentina jersey, with that number on his back… It was the day I fell in love with that people. Congratulations for the World Cup, Argentina.
Yesterday I was walking on Ponte Sisto, the bridge that connect the Historic Center of Rome with Trastevere. When I saw that hand I immediately took a photo of it, I didn’t want their heads in the picture, just that hand, so clear in the middle of the darkness. It’s slightly out of focus, but I had to carpe diem!
Today I walked around Colosseo and I met a guy, he was about to do a wedding proposal (I guess). I asked him for a portrait and he said yes (I hope his girlfriend said yes too!). Then I took a photo of a beautiful sunset (nothing original, I know). Then I tried to change completely my style. I felt a bit melancholic today so I tried to send the blues away through photography. I took some image in black and white and then I used a blue tone to underline my feelings. And after this shoots I felt better: creativity can be a great therapy.
I always loved taking pictures underground. Today I took the subway to meet a friend and, waiting for the train, I saw these men standing still under that warm neon light. It was a good scene for a photo, so I took my Ricoh from the pocket and I shot. It’s not the best photo I ever took but I’m happy with it.
Last week of July. I don’t have great news for you, I took some photos here and there and I found a great offer on Amazon about a photobook I was looking for since longtime. I should walk more and take more photos, I know, but I’m in holiday and I’m taking everything very slowly. In August I’ll change my attitude and I’ll walk a lot more to take new photos from my summer residence in Southern Italy. I don’t miss Rome, so far, but I’m already thinking about all the things that have to restart with the new season. Here a photo that I took before sunset in Monopoli. A good place for relax and charge your mental batteries!
Living is easy with one eye closed 