LE LAC
Photograpphy Giorgio Galimberti @giorgio_galimberti
Styling Maria Giulia Pieroni @lapieroni_
Model Martina Troni @nextmodelsmilan
Hair & make-up Lisa Farneti @lisafarneti, digital assistant Alessandra Bucci
Graphic editor Carmen Palumbo
Interview with Giorgio Galimberti and Maria Giulia Pieroni
- Giorgio and Giulia, how would you describe yourselves in a few words?
GIORGIO: I like to think of myself as a photographer who follows his photographic dream, endlessly in love with photography and with life …
GIULIA: An aesthete, extremely curious and a lover of the images that accompany and, sometimes, replace words.
- You met on Clubhouse, the social network of the moment. How did you first get together?
GIORGIO: That’s right, Giulia and I met in a photography room on CH; the friendly interaction I had with Giulia and other people led to new acquaintances and deeper relations with people I already knew but wasn’t in regular touch with. Initially, CH was a great discovery, both on the human level and for work and my own personal development; I was fortunate to come across people of enormous culture, who enriched my life more with every talk. This new venture of mine in fashion photography started that way, late at night in a room with Giulia, Fede and Danilo, who between jokes and yawns encouraged me to go for it.
GIULIA: I tiptoed my way into CH, and the first group I became fond of and spent really intense hours with was GIORGIO’S: “CaffèInFotoCamera”. There I met not only Giorgio but other professionals in the sector, and we exchanged ideas and anecdotes of the trade. Sometimes we even fell asleep online…
As for Giorgio, he’s a cheerful person and overwhelms you with his thousands of ideas… very soon you feel you’ve known him all your life.
- Could we describe Clubhouse as a workshop that’s always running, always with new ideas? What do you think?
GIORGIO: As we said before, if it’s used as a tool for personal development, CH can be a really interesting platform. The trick is to follow talks that are intended to be tools for growth, and not others that turn into barroom brawls.
GIULIA: CH could have a dual purpose: in terms of content-based development – in other words “human capital”, and in terms of “human” expansion of knowledge.
- How did you decide you wanted to combine your worlds for this project, and what was it like working together?
GIORGIO: With Giulia I immediately felt comfortable; our passion for what we do meant we very quickly found ourselves in complete agreement. In fact, on the day of the shoot our organisation was worthy of a major production. I really believe human relationships are fundamental for creative work.
GIULIA: I should say that it wasn’t me or Giorgio who suggested we do a feature together, but others in our CH group. But I was very intrigued by the idea, so I accepted the challenge, as Giorgio did. I think it was the first real test for both of us (definitely for me), after 16 years of experience… and I had a great time.
- Can you tell us about the day of the shoot?
GIORGIO: The day started early. I set off with the van, cleaned specially for the occasion, had a good breakfast with Giulia after loading up a large number of clothes, picked up Martina and off we went, music at full blast, to wonderful Bellagio, where Lisa the makeup artist was waiting for us.
GIULIA: Basically, I’d say it was a classic day’s shooting, so van, suitcases, breakfast with the photographer, pick up the model, meet the makeup girl on site, and start makeup and photos… the atmosphere was relaxed, playful and, above all, with the desire to create something that would enrich and please both of us. We finished off with an aperitif on the lakeshore… within the permitted limits, of course.
- Maria Giulia, we know that the styling for this shoot was drawn from your personal archive; for the story you created, did you do a mood board, a storytelling, or did you improvise on location?
GIULIA: Let’s say that at dinner one evening – a couple of days after our decision to do the story together, and maybe the day before the shoot – he told me the location and his idea. I immediately suggested a styling based on the light at the location. It isn’t proper style research, to be honest; I tried to bring a little more so that I could adapt on site and according to the photographer’s style…
- Giorgio, you come from a family of artists; tell us about yourself and your relationship with photography. Streets, strong contrasts, black and white – can we say they’re your signatures?
GIORGIO: Photography has been part of my life since childhood; my father made me fall in love with it, and it became my dream…
- A kind of everydayness, immortalised in the frame of Bellagio, light and shadow, model and young passers-by, movement and fashion; what else is there that only you two can describe?
GIULIA: The secret of improvisation… but it’s a secret 😉
- Will there be a follow-up to this first collaboration? We’re hoping there will.
GIORGIO: Giulia and I have already thought about new ideas and projects to do.
GIULIA: We already have new ideas on the go, so stay tuned.
Interview by Maria Elena Meloni