A Tribute To… A Project Dedicated to Masters of Photography
Vivian Maier
This small personal project, titled “A Tribute to…“, is meant to be a tribute to the great photographers who have influenced and left an indelible mark on our photographic culture. In fact, every photographer is influenced, more or less consciously, by the works they have seen and the authors they have studied — whether by visiting exhibitions, reading books dedicated to them, or simply exploring content online. Therefore, every photograph carries within it a piece — more or less visible — of the photographic and artistic culture the author has built over time. For this reason, the shots you will find in this gallery represent my personal homage to those authors who have most struck and fascinated me with their works and their way of interpreting reality.
The First Photograph
The idea, I admit, is not that original… and it developed over time after I took some shots that weren’t initially created with a project in mind (as it often happens…). The first of these shots was taken around 2011 after reading a beautiful photographic book by Arno Rafael Minkkinen—I believe it was “Saga – The Journey of Arno Rafael Minkkinen“)—during a photography course organized by our Photo Club. Minkkinen’s style struck me so deeply that it immediately sparked a desire to create similar images, without trying to copy the original author or the shot itself (and with Arno, that would be difficult…), but instead attempting to reinterpret the style and photographic language he used. The exercise, I admit, is not the easiest, as the risk of “copying” and trivializing the result is always around the corner… Thus, I created the first series of shots (strictly self-portraits, as the originals I was inspired by), which you can find in this gallery, shown alongside an original shot by the author.
The Concept… How the Project Began
After a few years since those first shots, the idea of creating more similar ones became clearer in my mind. In this process, while looking for some shots to draw inspiration from, the idea of the project also came to life: to continue this search, branching out across different authors and genres, and create a series of photographs on this theme. Specifically, the opportunity to restart the project came when we created the 2020 Calendar for our Photo Club, titled “The Famous Copy”, where our members challenged themselves by reinterpreting famous photographs and works of art, each in their own way. From that experience, the following photos were born, dedicated to Vivian Maier and Gianni Berengo Gardin:
A special thanks goes to my wife Luisa, who, in this second series, patiently played along and fully embraced the role of interpreting the characters portrayed.
(Still…) A Work in Progress
And since “appetite comes with eating”, this project is far from being finished. I have several shots in mind to create, as soon as I find the time and inspiration. I hope that the ones shown so far have been to your liking, and please feel free to share your thoughts and comments. Also, stay tuned for future updates: I will publish the new shots here and on my blog as soon as they’re ready.
If you like my pictures, please go to see more on my Galleries Page.
Fonti: the images of the mentioned authors have been taken from their respective websites linked in the text:
Arno Rafael Minkkinen, Vivian Maier, Gianni Berengo Gardin (Courtesy Fondazione Forma per la Fotografia).