In Support Of:
Friendship
Authenticity
Communicating
Flair
Doubt
Check
Impromptu
Facing Real Mirrors
Vision
Intimacy
Privacy
Being Here
Presence
Je ne sais quoi
Leaving The Virtual For The Real
Asking questions.
The few qualities I listed above, along with essentials such as courage, volition, humor, empathy, love and the unavoidable hoard of sorrow, create a constellation of question marks. That is one thread within the human condition that light, the photographer and the muse, and a roll of film can still reveal today.
At times when machines designed to manipulate are flooding our perception, the photographic experience demands our questioning. I directed hundreds of photo-shoots. Each photo-shoot is an irreducible learning experience. Each photo-shoot is a path to lay questions while engaging a peerless human interaction.
A few points about my method and values might help to figure out if my film photo-shoot could be valuable to you.
I see each shot as a light fossil, the physical document of one moment within an experience. During my photo-shoot I encourage to be IN THE MOMENT, to help each other being present. My priority is neither to create memories nor iconic images; my goal is to fully live the present and document a real interaction. That’s why I have no use for post-production. Practicing awareness is a fundamental condition of mental stability. Practicing it and being yourself while relating to another fellow human is a momentous, demanding task. It is an endeavor that takes more grit than the ones facing the forces of nature. Indeed, I believe the effort is the path to a healthy relationship with reality.
Into my practice, there is no such thing as perfection. There is no such thing as imperfection. Those terms are ideological traps layed to distract and manipulate. As a director, my mission is to create a space where talent can emerge without any concern of external expectations. The search for the authentic is an arduous path. We make it even harder when driven by overwhelming stimuli. We make it impossible when driven by greed for obsessive control, the ancient force pairing now with the rising tide of narcissism. To keep the practice going, what I offer is a grounding opportunity to experience union within the space of freedom.
I shoot only on film because I value the direct interaction among the light you reflect, my eye, and silver. Once developed, I scan my photographic negatives; I deliver the digital scans without using retouching software. Consider the photographic negatives the documented outcome of our work together, and the digital translation as a faithful communication of it.
My technique is a tool to help me pursue authenticity. It’s a simple matter of coherence: If I claim I truly pursue it, then I must capture originals and respect them. There is no authenticity without the existence of an original; then, I will use the technology that allows the capture of an original. Mutant by design, digital files cannot bear any original form. This point is my liaison between technology and ethics.
Thank you for your attention. I leave you with the wisdom of Zusha's legacy.
'I'm afraid!' said Zusha. 'Because when I get to heaven, I know God's not going to ask me, 'Why weren't you more like Moses?' or 'Why weren't you more like King David?' But I'm afraid that God will ask, 'Zusha, why weren't you more like Zusha?' And then what will I say?!' [From the Chassidic tradition]
For questions about how to engage my film photo-shoot, please email:
studio@LuigiCassinelli.com
