Lens: Voigtlander color-skopar 35mm f2.5
Camera: NEX-7, ISO640, f2.5, 1/60, raw
He’s Antonio, my father in law. He’s the first member of my “enlarged family” I portray for the project. One after another, I’ll try to include all of the other members from both Claudia’s and my side: my mother and sister in law, her boyfriend, my niece, maybe Claudia’s grandmother, and then my parents, my little sis, and her boyfriend.
The only problem is, to me taking photos of my family (besides Claudia and Agata) is the most difficult task. My sister gets nervous, my father puts on stupid faces, my mother runs straight away. Claudia’s side of the family is a little easier, and yet I would probably find easier to shoot any other stranger in town.
I decided that the only way to proceed is if I focus on capturing candid portraits from a hidden vantage point, in a pure paparazzi style. This way nobody will get nervous, put on faces or run away, and I’ll have the time to study the scene and attempt that detachment from the subject which to me is necessary to properly choose composition and timing. With my direct family this operation is made difficult by the fact that I don’t see them much with my eyes but more with my heart. Sure it is sweet, but it makes things harder when it comes to photography.
So, he’s Antonio, my father in law, and the first member of my family that I shoot in a candid-paparazzi way. To take this shot, I sneaked out in the terrace, I placed my camera so to look tight through his studio window’s blind, and I watched him working. I composed the scene, metered the light, and then I waited for the right moment to press the shutter.