A Fist Full of Film

Gianluca 

Since FistFullofFilm went international, the cast of characters I was blessed to photograph compliments strongly their American counterparts.  Shooting in Italy has made that wonder that overrides my shyness in the ability to take someone’s portrait on the street without knowing their language.  In fact, it makes it easier, since I’m even more unassuming than ever since who turns down a foreigner.  Or like in the Mamet’s “The Spanish Prisoner,”  ”nobody expects a Japanese tourist.” (sidenote, you really need to watch it that movie).  The beauty of the Leica that close is that it looks Iike I photoshopped a different background, or comped him in somehow.  I did not, this all natural.

So this was taken in the Port City of Giglio, and is was taken at night, when the entire town was drinking, dining, socializing.  And like I said, you run into the same 200 people all the time.  After seeing Gianluca at the point where we exchanged pictures, and at the lighthouse, earlier in the day, we saw him again.  By now our translator and guide, Silvia(which I’m saving for last), struck up a conversation with him on the cobblestone streets of this little 1,500 year old port town, outside the restaurant that had the best wifi on the island.  Gianluca had the perfect look, the seajacket, the skully cap, the beard, and handrolled cigarettes.  If you could imagine a battered type AP photographer sent all over the world to cover things, his rugged nature, and his adventured spirit exuded confidence for miles(kilometers).

It was as if he seen so much action, so much turmoil, that he knew a good assignment, a relaxing assignment when he had one.  He seemed comfortable in his own skin, as well as finding the shot.  And the look he had in his eyes, of always looking for a shot, always trying to find the best light the best angle, of quietly moving the through a crowd and always carrying his camera, right by his side, only satisfied till the shot was made, and then he could light up again.  That was him.  And it felt awfully similar to me, minus the cigarette and the wicked awesome beard.

To be a guy like him, you would need to be comfortable in adapting to whatever was on the ground, to have the sense of humanity to know how to approach and how to avoid, and how to move into someone’s space and collect something personal, a photograph, and then move on without the subject feeling as if they had been robbed of their image or their time all without knowing their language.  Photography is personal, and especially when you are covering a story that is heart wrenching, or death related, and you are looking at the aftermath of the tragedy and someone in tears, and you are sent to go photograph that person and sometimes capitalize on their tragedy.

That’s what we were doing here in Italy.  We were capitalizing on a tragedy, for our outfit it was different since we had an angle on it, but Gianluca it was more about the bodies, the ecosystem, the politics of moving the Costa Concordia out.  But all of us would not be here if the ship did not run aground.

Gianluca was talking to our friend Silvia on the street in Italian and it was perfect opportunity for me to do exactly what he would do since I hunt personalities instead of news stories.  I pulled my Leica M6 (with black tape all over it), and snuck in, closely.  He felt my presence and turned, (those instincts again) and saw it was just me and my film camera, he relaxed, lit his cigarette and I fired this.  And finally the international press photographer becomes the subject.

(Gianluca Panella: Photographer’s Website)

Isola del Giglio, Italia

Leica M6 50mm Summilux Ilford 400