Statement

My photographic journey began in the Le Marche area of Italy in the early '80s. I remember borrowing a Pentax MX 35mm film SLR, with its 50mm, from a friend at the University and after a while getting my own (a Canon AE1 with the FD 50mm f/1,8 lens) – I felt really attracted by the "glance" offered by the reflex camera plus the natural point of view of the 50mm. After a few years of street practice I began doing darkroom, developing and printing black and white film.

My photo-attitude has always stayed that way ever since – even if photography has been "on and off" for me during the late-'80s and '90s, perhaps becoming in certain times just a secondary side of my other interests, like music and visual arts. In the mid-'90s I started travelling abroad (mainly in the US) and photography spontaneously came back – using a couple of Nikon film SLRs I developed a keen interest in the concept of travel photo, even if today I realize I've never been much into describing places but rather projecting my own image and idea into them. This is perhaps why, when I decided to turn "pro" a few years ago and began working for stock photo agencies, I felt somehow out of place – it was not my cup of tea.

That's the main reason why I decided to quit that activity and concentrate on the fine-art side of my photo production – only self-expression, my kind of subjects and the tech and tools of my choice (obviously having to do something else for an extra income). I began posting my recent works on the net (that was about three years ago) and, besides admiring and being inspired by the work of the likes of Mario Giacomelli, I became fascinated by a certain type of photography, first the square format then the plastic cameras like the Holga, the Diana – the blur, the subtle focus-defocus play, the light seen in a totally different way due to "imperfect" optics.

Speaking of tech, I exclusively use a couple of Canon full-frame D-SLRs (currently an 1Ds Mark III and a 5D Mark II, always in RAW mode), with Canon L-class prime and zoom lenses - but my favorite piece of equipment remains the Lensbaby lens. Since the first shots I took with it I realized the huge potential of its selective focus feature in composition, description of details, use of light. Since 2007 I have been mainly using the Original Lensbaby, whose “primitive” glass lets me obtain my favorite “plastic camera” feel (read Holga), even using a last-generation digital camera. Recently I have been experimenting with the Composer and the Muse, Lensbaby's last generation, especially using the new plastic optic which takes me even closer to the Holga world.

I could define myself a street photographer, meaning that I never plan or stage a scene or composition – and I always shoot freehand, preferably outdoors, using the (natural, artificial or both) available light. My natural approach is to have just an approximate idea of a place/location and, once there, to try and get the essence of it “on the fly”, trusting the first impression. It's in the subsequent darkroom work (now only virtual) that I create my idea of the subject, transferring my mind's image of it to the final product (and that involves the use of all the usual darkroom techniques like light, contrast, color and tones control, burning, vignetting, grain etc). As a general principle, I use the virtual-digital darkroom to ideally replicate what I would do in the chemical darkroom – that basically means “no manipulations” but only, besides the already mentioned editing routine, image cleaning, dust spot (and sometimes little unwanted details) removal and such.

In my way, I always try to act instinctively... I like instant composition and framing, as I said the “glance” – as a fact that kind of approach has become more evident in my photography since I started doing selective focus with the Lensbaby, which is a 50mm. I find the 50mm's perspective very natural, immediate, it “gets to the point” in a very essential way – especially when used wide-open at a very shallow depth of field. Generally speaking, my idea is that less thinking when composing and framing is the most creative attitude... just letting the eye and the mind run free, catching (and being caught by) the atmosphere and “spirit” of the place.

Inspiration comes from the objects and the space they're in... the light describing them... but it often goes beyond that. As a fact it seems somehow pointless to travel such long distances to shoot “common” subjects – that is what happens to me in most of the cases, ending up in a far country and taking pictures of apparently insignificant details. But in my opinion it's the mood of a place that creates the inspiration and defines the composition... meaning that a certain detail wouldn't have been depicted that way if that way wouldn't have been suggested by a definite atmosphere, and that includes voices, noises, smells, the air, the mood of that place on that particular day and situation. That is the essence of travel photography for me (far from the “stock” photo attitude).

Hence, the most important aspect in a photo is the mood, its atmosphere, what the picture can evoke... “subject” is secondary, the part that really matters is not “what” but “how” the subject is seen, how the story is told. This is why the light, a certain angle, a shadow are key elements that can make the difference in a picture.

The city is my favorite creative environment... I need streets, signs, walls, doors, windows and I'm also very attracted by sea-related structures like boats, docks, bridges. Nature doesn't interest me much unless I see something essential, very simple and even graphical, like a tree without leaves, a sea wave or a flower on a pebbles beach (I'm also an admirer or oriental art, especially Japanese). About the human element, I realize that its role in my composition is often just marginal – even if in some cases it can be the catalyzer of the whole scene.

Luca Lacche, Treviso May 2010