Interview with Raimondo Rossi
Raimondo Rossi is an Italian photographer and men’s style expert! He also published a book. His book, called “The Vogue Collection – A Path to Make the Photographer Inside Us Bloom” (in selected bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Powells Books and Blackwell’s Oxford), contains photos from the ones published on Vogue Italy, with chapters that guide the readers who want to start in the photography field.
Gentleman with No borders!
— Raimondo, in April we saw that the prestigious New York magazine Compulsive dedicated its cover to you. A privilege reserved to few Italians. What was your reaction when they contacted you?
-Good morning and first of all, THANK YOU for the invitation. I love Moscow Tonight Magazine, it is a magazine full of charm and beautiful in its details. Moscow too is amazing, I visited it when I was a baby and I have impressive memories.
Well, speaking of New York, I would say that my reaction was one of happiness. Being chosen to represent Italian style throughout the United States can only make me happy. Then, from a magazine based on the iconic Fifth Avenue is truly magical. I remember that the first thing I did was to go and see the previous covers, and when I saw that they had for example Obba Babatundé, an Emmy winner and Broadway star, I was even more excited. In a video, I saw that he also said that it was a great honor to be chosen by Compulsive. Now, being part of the list of the very few Italians who have ever had a Cover in the US, and in a newspaper with such a wide distribution, makes me appreciate even more the work done in these years.
— Let’s rewind the tape. How did you become a photographer?
— By chance, for those who believe in chance. By destiny, for those who believe in destiny. My mother photographed a lot, but I didn’t for years. Then, when a friend of mine invited me to a photography class, I went and started to get passionate. I immediately found myself shooting a lot, as I had just started attending fashion weeks
— In your shots you mainly portray faces. How do you approach the subjects you represent? What attracts you?
-Every face attracts me. I don’t know, I see many faces that I find interesting. Maybe because I look more at details, expressions, eyes. And this puts me in touch with something more than just their faces. The approach is very simple, spontaneous, calm.
I leave everyone very free.
— Today everyone has a cell phone at their disposal to take pictures. Is that good or bad?
— It’s a blessing. Everyone can approach photography. Today’s schools of photography tend to make people believe that the more technical you are and the more you have studied, the better and more authoritative you are. Big mistake. I feel the same way as one of my former professors, Professor Sullivan at the University of Michigan, the cell phone teaches so much. More than you might think.
— Besides being a photographer you are also a stylist. Photography and fashion, how do these two artistic languages merge?
-Both seek harmonies. I think Photography and Styling are much closer than you think. To me, they are very similar. That’s why I like to take care of both. I would not be satisfied in having to say yes to shooting a styling that is not interesting to me.
—Your photographs have been chosen for the “My voice” campaign against discrimination. A commitment that stems from suffering experienced first hand?
-Definitely yes. I suffer more or less all forms of discrimination, those for age, skin color, body size, sexuality, and so on. As a kid I suffered because I was chubby. Then over the years I witnessed bullying and that made my desire to do something grow. “My Voice” puts all voices on equal footing.
— If you had to tell the story of your last year with a picture, how would you represent it?
-I would definitely like to be able to portray the year with an image that symbolizes the suffering that has been less represented in the media. The immense physical suffering, we’ve all seen that. And they have been tragedies. So I would propose as the symbolic image of these 2 years an image that portrays the most hidden suffering.
— Upcoming projects?
-While waiting to be able to travel, and continue some foreign projects, particularly in Los Angeles and China, there is a project that concerns education for high schools for which I have been contacted. If it comes to fruition, I will talk about photographic art as a tool for a new way of living and respecting our daily lives and those close to us. Thank you Moscow Tonight, see you soon.
