About me

Welcome,

my name is Valerio and I am, among several other things, a music photographer based in UK. My pictures appear here, there and wherever people wants them. On the web, on some magazines, even framed hanging on some walls. If you want any, all you have to do is contact me.

I also enjoy writing about music (I don’t agree with famous Zappa’s quote that “is like dancing about architecture”), so I often complete the images with articles, which helps to spread them to wider audiences. Right, so far, isn’t really original, is it?
It is plenty of folks down in a pit in front of a stage. First we chase rockstars with a camera, then picture editors with a phone asking to be considered for some publication.

So what?

Well, to differentiate and complicate my life, in this digital world, I am photographing artists using a couple of heavy, old, manual cameras loaded with rolls of 35mm black & white film. Yes, those silver halide emulsions posed on acetate that allow only 36 frames; that need to be carefully handled, developed, fixed, printed in a lightproof darkroom using smelly eco-unfriendly chemicals. All of this to get to a monochrome image, in an era where on digital cameras the same can be seen instantaneously, sent wireless and printed in seconds, eventually in splendid colours.

That must sound quite a serious form of self-harm.

Everything started, 5 years ago, those days I could still see few photographers loading films, probably as frequent as seeing someone putting a CD in a portable player today, you know it is not going to last, I knew it wasn’t. Digital era moved so fast that I am nowadays and for a long time the only one left with 35mm boxes on the pit. I am also the last one swearing f… word (an the many colorful Italian alternatives) the many times the roll ends when the best moment finally arrives. Around me digital equipped troops enjoy the images on colorful displays and showing hundreds shots to friends and young fans.

I tend to convince myself I must be seen as a mixture of romantic-naive-retro’ sort of person but judging from the way people stare at me when I open the back of the camera, I must probably look like someone landed from a remote, primitive planet.
Which I am not. Well, actually I am Italian (you may have guessed), but Italy is still within the borders of this galaxy, isn’t it?

Reflecting on this I concluded that, quite possibly, I own the biggest archive of contemporary live music on B&W film.

Being the kind of person who can’t relax watching TV, I thought that when I have something unpublished, curious, that fits with me, I will put down few words and some old-fashion grainy images of modern music to share with you. Bookmark this site, join my myspace friends or sign up to the newsletter to receive updates. Most important, don’t be shy to comment.

I will appreciate. 

Thank you
Valerio

PS-a last, important thing, if you are interested in any of the images you see, please contact me, blogs are open discussion, don’t steal anyone photos online, beyond your monitor, there are people and I am happy to discuss your need.