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<\/p>\nHe 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. \u201cI was 17 years old\u201d he remembers. \u201cI 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.\u201dThe 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\u2026 Luca finished his first apprenticeship and started a second one, this time in photography. \u201cI went from a monthly salary of CHF 1300.\u2013 to CHF 250.\u2013\u201d But who cares \u2013 when you\u2019re in love, you don\u2019t count the cost. \u201cI had a thousand times more fun!\u201d<\/p>\n
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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. \u201cThe thing I like best is photographing people\u201d he emphasises. \u201cI 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.\u201d Over the years, Luca\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n
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Photography vs watchmaking<\/strong> \n Photographers to (re)discover
\nBy Luca Carmagnola<\/em>
\nTIME: \u201c 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.\u201d
\nTECHNIQUE: \u201c 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
\nallow one to achieve a high-quality result. Being a photographer is a craft in its own right.\u201d
\nPASSION: \u201cIn watchmaking as in photography, passion is key. Every morning,
\nI know that I am going to enjoy doing what l like doing best. Taking photographs is much more than a job. It\u2019s natural, self-evident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nTheir names will definitely be familiar to you. That\u2019s 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\u2026 He also admires the world and insanity of David LaChapelle, as well as the exceptional mastery of fashion photographer, Mario Testino. Artists\u2019 names that line up like the many photographic works collected by Luca Carmagnola.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","blog_category":[484],"class_list":["post-5282","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","blog_category-passion-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n