Lomography Meets Tuscan Photographer and Analogue Lover, Mario Piccini

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Born in 1995, Tuscan photographer Mario Piccini shares his colorful world and the fashionable people in it with film photography. Get to know more about the photographer here in this interview.

© Mario Piccini - Lomography Color Negative 400 120 film

Hello Mario, welcome! Could you give a short introduction for our Online Magazine readers?

Hi, first of all, it's a great pleasure to be able to give you an interview, I've been following the world of Lomography for many years. My name is Mario Piccini, I'm 26 years old and I'm from Carrara, a small Tuscan town on the border with Liguria, known mainly for its white marble quarries.

© Mario Piccini - Lomography Color Negative 400 120 film

Tell us about your background. When did your journey into photography begin?

I've always been passionate about photography, maybe because of all the family photos my dad took when my brother, sister, and I were little. Every scenario was good for him to take some film shots. Those were the 90s, he used rolls from the Esselunga supermarket, nothing professional, but with a strong emotional impact.

© Mario Piccini

How did you get into the analogue world?

Growing up, without even realising it, photography became part of my life, a way to relax, to discover people and what surrounds us. With my first SLR, I dedicated myself mainly to landscape photography, then in 2016, I started the course of photography and new media in Florence, at the Accademia Italiana. During the three years of the course, I focused on fashion photography, an excellent branch of photography to be able to use analogue as well, which I personally love much more than digital.

The years of the course have shaped and molded my approach to professional photography. Today I can say that I have reached my own style, simple and clean, where background, model, and clothes have a strong visual strength.

As a lover and supporter of analogue photography, I don't like to use Photoshop and, more generally, I tend to retouch my photos as little as possible, I love flaws, I think they make a person more beautiful and unique.

© Mario Piccini

What is your favorite camera?

I use a Mamiya 645E for my medium format shots and a Contax T VS II for 35mm shots. In general, I don't think I have a favorite camera, I believe that every job, every situation can be best enhanced by the choice of camera. If I had to tell you which camera I prefer I would probably say the disposable one, the one that was used on trips in primary school and now for parties with friends: handy, light, quick, able to capture moments with a simple click and with a very personal photographic aesthetics.

During my shoots, as well as analogue cameras, I always have a instant camera with me, I love the physicality, the fact that I can see and touch the shot, see it developing before my eyes. Every photo can come out with a few flaws and I love that.

© Mario Piccini

Where do you get inspiration for your shoots?

Instagram is a very important social media for me, by following many photographers and fashion pages I can train my eye and get inspiration for my shoots.

© Mario Piccini

Who are the photographers you follow?

I would like to mention Matteo Montanari, an Italian fashion photographer, William Eggleston, and Stephen Shore. These three photographers above all are the ones who inspired me and keep inspiring me every day. Their exaltation of the every day, their simplicity, and their approach to photography have definitely helped shape my style.

© Mario Piccini

Do you have any interesting projects or collaborations in the pipeline?

To date, as I have already mentioned, I work in the world of fashion photography, but I also dedicate myself to personal projects in which I can express my photography at its best without limitations. I am always open and willing to collaborate with various artists and creators, I believe that the art world lives above all on this.

So, almost as a game, this summer, together with friends I opened a bar in my Carrara with an adjoining art gallery, great for creating as many collaborations as possible with various artists interested in exhibiting in this space.

In the evenings, just for a change, I have fun with disposables cameras and I can say that many people started doing the same, which makes me very happy: we are returning more and more to the days of primary schools. :)

Mario Piccini' Portrait

Follow Mario on his Instagram profile and visit his website to see all his works. If you will ever pass by Carrara, visit D/VERSO, his new gallery-bar in the historical city center.

written by melissaperitore on 2021-10-12 #gear #people

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