Italian photographer and a surprising lesson about connections

I am sure you heard about Sicily, an Italian island with rich history, spectacular views, and crystal-clear water. It is no surprise that this is where Mauro Donzella took his first artistic steps as a fashion photographer nearly twenty years ago. If you are not a photography enthusiast, you probably could care less about the aperture, shutter speed, focus mode, white balance, ISO setting or metering modes, etc. But photographers’ keen ability to observe and truly see another person is an essential skill that we all can use to drastically improve the quality of our life on both a professional and personal level. 

We may attribute credit for the end result to the person in the photograph, but we often overlook the artist behind the camera. The amount of work and skill that goes into stilling that moment of authentic expression is not apparent just by looking at the end result and cannot be attributed to the technical skills alone. It can take one shot, or it can take a 100 to get there. 

I think you will agree that the majority of memorable pictures that we admire aren’t the ones that are “picture perfect”. They are the ones that capture something beyond physical. Striking photographs capture moments of genuine emotion. These are the pictures we can somehow connect to that depict a story beyond the image, make us relate, and attach our own story to the picture. 

The major obstacle in getting a good picture is the tacit expectation of capturing the “flawless” photo. The anxiety can paralyze the person posing for the photo and prompts them to attempt to adhere to some imagined inexistent level of perfection. The real moment cannot be manufactured, no matter the level of the photographer’s technical skills. At that point, playing games is the best way to get people to drop their walls and show you a bit of who they are. The photographer’s focus needs to shift to fooling the subject of the photoshoot into abandoning that facade. In some way, the photographer is a shameless intruder trying to capture a private moment of genuine emotion and vulnerability. It takes time to figure out each situation, build connections, listen, and allow space for people to get out of their heads and into their hearts.

The skill of building genuine connections, making people feel confident, and giving them a safe space to express themselves in a way that is natural to them; isn’t this the true meaning of inclusion? We all can agree that it is much easier to be our best and do our best when we are at ease. For me, the ability to break the ice and build connections was a surprising takeaway from the portrait photography workshop.