Covid-19 has not stopped street photography. It restarts from the web, after a year of restrictions, during which culture and art have been put aside in a sort of forced stand-by.
Photographic art has reinvented itself with streaming photo exhibits, webinars, and remote photo shoots. Among the online initiatives, the launch of a new competition dedicated to street photography.
The Italian Street Photo Festival 2021 will be held in Rome, from 23 to 25 April
ISPF is the first Italian festival dedicated to street photography but this is not the only strength of this initiative. During the festival days, professionals or amateurs can experience street photography through competitions, seminars, exhibitions, and conferences. In particular, street photography competitions consist of uploading personal artworks directly on the Festival website. There are four types of competitions:
- Street Photography single photo
- Street Photography series
- Single Photo by Phone
- Storytelling
Each contest has a specific theme, and a different prize: cash prizes, gift cards, even new cameras. The jury will host prominent exponents from the street photography world: Richard Bram, Gabriele Croppi, Stefano Mirabella, Alex Majoli just to name a few.
This initiative boosts healthy competition between colleagues and allows photographers to see their shots exhibited during the festival online edition. Thanks to this event, all street photography lovers will be able to discuss and share ideas, expanding their knowledge of particular photographic techniques or new trends.
The holistic approach of the Festival, including competitions, seminars, exhibitions, and portfolio readings, offers the opportunity to meet internationally distinguished photographers as well. To better understand the purpose of this experience, we now present the four photographers who will hold the various workshops.
Richard Bram and street photography
Born in 1952, Richard Bram is an American street photographer appreciated all over the world. He began his career in 1984, shooting only in black and white. He approached color only in 2002 and digital in 2004, encouraged by his colleagues from In-Public (an international street photography collective). Bram is constantly looking for gestures, looks, an angle, or a sense of movement for his pictures. His photographs convey the true sense of action at the very moment something’s happening. Bram never produces images that represent static subjects. His concepts are greatly influenced by the context in which Bram takes his photos. Each of them varies in terms of emotions, colors, and feelings.
Gabriele Croppi
Born in 1974, Gabriele Croppi graduated from the Italian Institute of Photography in Milan. His work has always been focused on the relationship between photography and other arts, such as painting, literature, cinema, and architecture. Thanks to his constant research, he managed to create “New York. Metafisica del Paesaggio Urbano” which has received numerous international awards such as the IPA (International Photography Awards 2012, 2013, and 2014) and the Golden Camera Awards (2013). The energy of Croppi’s work lies in being able to reach evocative forms by dropping solitary figures in the most chaotic areas of the world, such as New York City. Gabriele Croppi is currently committed to publishing and teaching at the Italian Institute of Photography in Milan.
Stephanie Gengotti
Italian-French photographer born in Rome in 1972. After her graduation, Stephanie took a specialization course in Photojournalism and a Master’s Degree in Fashion and Portrait, both at the Roman Center of Photography and Cinema. As soon as she turned 29, she got close to the world of photography. She started working as an interpreter in Rai, becoming later a member of the press office. It was probably this second job that influenced her photographic style. Gengotti’s favorite photographic genres, like portraiture and reportage, establish an empathic and direct relationship with the portrayed subjects. This leads her to share everyday life with them, living in the same house, and exploring the daily routine of the protagonists in her stories and images.
Tony Gentile
Born in Palermo in 1964, Tony Gentile is a photographer, photojournalist, and professor. His fame is international, and those who do not know him by his name certainly recognize him for his photographs. Many of his shots portray pieces of our country’s history, displaying part of an indestructible collective memory.
His career began as a photojournalist. He then became a professional photographer in 1989, through his collaboration with a photographic agency named Sintesi. Sintesi published Gentile’s reports in his native region, Sicily. With his street photography shots, he recounted the harshest years of the Sicilian mafia war. Plus, as he admitted, his works inspired Letizia Battaglia and Franco Zecchin.
Links:
- About me, Tony Gentile, http://www.tonygentile.it/about/
- Bernardini L., Tony Gentile e le foto testimoni della memoria collettiva per la giustizia, La voce di New York, https://www.lavocedinewyork.com/news/primo-piano/2020/12/06/tony-gentile-e-le-foto-testimoni-della-memoria-collettiva-per-la-giustizia/
- Di Lanno A., Gabriele Croppi. Metafisica del Paesaggio Urbano, Amalia di Lanno http://www.amaliadilanno.com/gabriele-croppi-metafisica-del-paesaggio-urbano/
- Galli S., Vivere per viaggiare e fotografare, intervista a Stephanie Gengotti, The Walkman https://www.thewalkman.it/vivere-viaggiare-fotografare-intervista-stephanie-gengotti/
- Italian Street Photo Festival https://2021it.italianstreetphotofestival.com/
- Mirabella S., Intervista a Richard Bram, http://www.lab.leica-camera.it/portfolio-articoli/intervista-a-richard-bram/
- Stephanie Gengotti a CRFC: un nuovo incontro con i grandi nomi della fotografia, Centro Romano di Fotografia e Cinema https://centroromanodifotografia.com/stephanie-gengotti-crfc/#:~:text=CHI%20%C3%88%20STEPHANIE%20GENGOTTI%3F,fotografia%20di%20Moda%20e%20Ritratto
- Street Photographer Richard Bram Discuesses his career and approach to photography, The photographer https://www.thephoblographer.com/2016/12/21/street-photographer-richard-bram-discusses-career-approach-photography/
