He could have become a stationmaster. He could have spent his life watching trains come and go, a motionless traveller, cap firmly stuck on his head and whistle to his lips. Luca Carmagnola ended up choosing another kind of travel, a journey into the vast and diverse universe of photography. Nothing in his early experience gave any indication he might choose this path until, with his first salaries as an apprentice stationmaster in his pocket, he bought himself a camera. The young Luca was hooked at first click. “I was 17 years old” he remembers. “I immediately grasped how it worked. And suddenly the passion was sparked. Six months later, I wanted to change profession and I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”The pleasures of taking pictures were complemented by the thrills of the dark room. The smell of the baths, the emotional experience of seeing the images appear, the irresistible charm of film-based photography… Luca finished his first apprenticeship and started a second one, this time in photography. “I went from a monthly salary of CHF 1300.– to CHF 250.–” But who cares – when you’re in love, you don’t count the cost. “I had a thousand times more fun!”
Following his apprenticeship, Luca found a position as an assistant at the prestigious School of Photography in Vevey. In 1992, he went freelance and opened his own studio near Vevey. This move proved to be the best way of living his passion in his own way. “The thing I like best is photographing people” he emphasises. “I love human contact, finding out what part of themselves people wish to represent and managing to bring out their personality. A photograph is only a success when the subjects being photographed recognise themselves and are pleasantly surprised.” Over the years, Luca’s style has evolved towards a growing appreciation of spontaneity and working with natural light. He pays vivid tributes to reality through his lens. And to think that such talent might well have remained stationary!
Photography vs watchmaking
By Luca Carmagnola
TIME: “ To take a good photograph, you need to be in the right place at the right time. Depending on the kind of image that you are trying to take, you need to know how to be patient. You have to find places, watch out for a particular light or wait until your model is in the right frame of mind to pose.”
TECHNIQUE: “ Like watchmaking, technical control is key. This is what will enable a professional photographer to react instantly to the situations which present themselves. He will know which settings to use, and from which angle to take the shot. Nothing is left to chance and only extensive experience will
allow one to achieve a high-quality result. Being a photographer is a craft in its own right.”
PASSION: “In watchmaking as in photography, passion is key. Every morning,
I know that I am going to enjoy doing what l like doing best. Taking photographs is much more than a job. It’s natural, self-evident.”
Photographers to (re)discover
Their names will definitely be familiar to you. That’s no surprise, since they are the geniuses of the 8th art, mentors and natural sources of inspiration whose work daily inspires Luca Carmagnola. Helmut Newton for the power of black and white portraits, Robert Mapplethorpe for his amazing light… He also admires the world and insanity of David LaChapelle, as well as the exceptional mastery of fashion photographer, Mario Testino. Artists’ names that line up like the many photographic works collected by Luca Carmagnola.