Jazz Photography
Fabrizio Giammarco
Image Credits: Fabrizio Giammarco © Luca Bravi
Aug 10, 2017
We have interviewed the photographer Fabrizio Giammarco, whose style is characterised by a clear sign and a brilliant colour. His pictures unveil the care for the creative aspect, without forgetting the formal precision.
Who’s Fabrizio Giammarco?
Ah… That’s a good question. I’d really like to know!
I was born in a place, I moved to another, I don’t even know how many times I moved to different houses, I went to live from the seaside to the mountains. One of the few things I’m certain of, it’s that I’m from Abruzzo (or “Abbbruzzo” with three b’s, as we say in that region!).
I have always been passionate about photography (I just found an old picture I shot when I was two, and it’s incredibly correctly composed!). After studying fine arts, I went to university to study architecture, where I was always accompanied by a camera, even if only for documenting my projects.
When I attended an industrial photography training course my passion began to change, as I started to cooperate as an assistant with a couple of local professionals, and I carried out multivisual projects and reports, so that I could see beyond the simple good shot you happen to capture with your camera.
In the last few years I have been trying to turn my passion in a profession, with a lot of difficulties. I am lucky enough to get some satisfaction from my work, not only economic. I was voted among the 10 best jazz photographers in Italy, three festivals chose me as their official photographer, several musicians ask me to take shots during their concerts and then they use my pictures. But there’s still a long road ahead!
Ah… That’s a good question. I’d really like to know!
I was born in a place, I moved to another, I don’t even know how many times I moved to different houses, I went to live from the seaside to the mountains. One of the few things I’m certain of, it’s that I’m from Abruzzo (or “Abbbruzzo” with three b’s, as we say in that region!).
I have always been passionate about photography (I just found an old picture I shot when I was two, and it’s incredibly correctly composed!). After studying fine arts, I went to university to study architecture, where I was always accompanied by a camera, even if only for documenting my projects.
When I attended an industrial photography training course my passion began to change, as I started to cooperate as an assistant with a couple of local professionals, and I carried out multivisual projects and reports, so that I could see beyond the simple good shot you happen to capture with your camera.
In the last few years I have been trying to turn my passion in a profession, with a lot of difficulties. I am lucky enough to get some satisfaction from my work, not only economic. I was voted among the 10 best jazz photographers in Italy, three festivals chose me as their official photographer, several musicians ask me to take shots during their concerts and then they use my pictures. But there’s still a long road ahead!
Why do you photograph jazz? Are there any other photography genres you perform?
I got closer again to photography thanks to jazz music, by discovering the music photography thanks to a small local festival, the Muntagninjazz, of which I lately became official photographer.
I loved jazz, even if I wasn’t very prepared about it, I also love very much rock, blues and 70/80’s disco music: the thing that fascinated me about jazz is that you can be very close to the artist, there are no barriers as in other fields: probably, that’s for this reason that I was able to capture the best moments of the concerts.
I think that jazz lovers, live photography lovers should try to shoot in jazz clubs rather than in concerts.
Notwithstanding this, and not only because photography is my job, I never identified as “jazz photographer” but simply “photographer”.
I got closer again to photography thanks to jazz music, by discovering the music photography thanks to a small local festival, the Muntagninjazz, of which I lately became official photographer.
I loved jazz, even if I wasn’t very prepared about it, I also love very much rock, blues and 70/80’s disco music: the thing that fascinated me about jazz is that you can be very close to the artist, there are no barriers as in other fields: probably, that’s for this reason that I was able to capture the best moments of the concerts.
I think that jazz lovers, live photography lovers should try to shoot in jazz clubs rather than in concerts.
Notwithstanding this, and not only because photography is my job, I never identified as “jazz photographer” but simply “photographer”.
Would you like to tell us about an anecdote concerning your relationships with the jazz world?
I understood I had accomplished something when I thought about the various anecdotes that happened to me before, during and after the concerts, to the moments in which you relax (can I say “you fuck around”? :D) with the musicians or the management.
A moment I like to remember is after the concert held last year in Aquila, to help the Amatrice people affected by the earthquake, and the bottle of gentian liquor I took with me…
I understood I had accomplished something when I thought about the various anecdotes that happened to me before, during and after the concerts, to the moments in which you relax (can I say “you fuck around”? :D) with the musicians or the management.
A moment I like to remember is after the concert held last year in Aquila, to help the Amatrice people affected by the earthquake, and the bottle of gentian liquor I took with me…
Do you have some advice for people who want to start photography?
Read, look at everything, do not limit to photography only, and be so humble to start from scratch by helping and assisting a (good, if possible), photographer… and then, obviously, attend serious training courses.
Read, look at everything, do not limit to photography only, and be so humble to start from scratch by helping and assisting a (good, if possible), photographer… and then, obviously, attend serious training courses.
Which is your favourite camera?
Presently is Nikon D3s, but I have to say that a7s camera is “threatening” it: I’ve always been a Nikon user, but I was among the first photographers to understand the potentiality and peculiarity offered by mirrorless cameras, especially if used with vintage manual lenses.
I like it a lot to use smartphone and Instagram, but with a different approach in comparison to the pictures I shot with the “traditional” cameras: those are minimalistic, abstract, dreamlike shots. Even I, from time to time, publish some kitten and sunsets
Presently is Nikon D3s, but I have to say that a7s camera is “threatening” it: I’ve always been a Nikon user, but I was among the first photographers to understand the potentiality and peculiarity offered by mirrorless cameras, especially if used with vintage manual lenses.
I like it a lot to use smartphone and Instagram, but with a different approach in comparison to the pictures I shot with the “traditional” cameras: those are minimalistic, abstract, dreamlike shots. Even I, from time to time, publish some kitten and sunsets
Is there a shot you wish you had captured?
I have to confess that there are a lot of shots made by friends and colleagues that I positively envy: they are an incentive to improve and to never stop… sometimes there are very simple and wonderful pictures, as the one Andrea Rotili captured a couple of years ago when he won the JazzWorldPhoto, that really “destabilize” me and to which I like to compare when I approach similar situations.
I have to confess that there are a lot of shots made by friends and colleagues that I positively envy: they are an incentive to improve and to never stop… sometimes there are very simple and wonderful pictures, as the one Andrea Rotili captured a couple of years ago when he won the JazzWorldPhoto, that really “destabilize” me and to which I like to compare when I approach similar situations.
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Lorenzo Tucci
Arturo Sandoval
Tom Harrell
Carla Bley
Paolo Fresu
Hiromi Uehara
Fabrizio Giammarco
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