Based in Florence, Italy, Stefano Santucci travels all over Europe photographing weddings. He’s one half of Stefano Santucci Studio. He’s Italian, he loves (and I mean LOVES) chocolate (who doesn’t), and believes in freedom and life experiences that give you meaning (and chocolate). Stefano doesn’t own a TV (wow) but who watches TV series & films that we approve of. Lets see what he has to say!
1. What is life to you? What it should be?
I’m an extremely curious person who believes in freedom and in experiences. In my background there is a psychology degree and I remember a professor of mine saying one day something like this: your experiences will form you and them will give meaning to your existence. Its what you are going to think that will realize the shape of your life. The way you will think it. And in my life i’m going to try everything without any fear or superiority. Life should be a very long path in search of what makes us feel better and realize us more. All the rest will follow. But it is said that you can not find or understand immediately.
2. How much is your family an influence on the way you view life, see things?
My father is a retired employer and my mother a teacher. They taught me different things even I was not a simple person to teach something. I was always a little 'rebel’ always angry, one of those child who has always needed to make mistakes to learn. And even now it is so, I feel to be a very independent person that needs a lot of freedom in spaces and thoughts. From them I think to have learned the nobility of sacrifice and the intelligence of listening in silence who I have in from of me without judging. Although they have chosen a different life from mine, I believe that what they did they did with style and originality, and certainly managing to relate better with people than I do!
3. What is your favourite non-photography pass time?
Walking. Stay under the sky, discover, seing new things, imagine, thinking. I’m a thinker, too much. Walking helps me relax my thoughts and simultaneously to create others that define me better. It is like a dog chasing its tail but it is what I like to do more. I am a very lonely person and I love silence, but I have to look for a proper balance to this because I would not want my girlfriend to tell me I do not to know how to be around people! Jokes aside I really like people, but I can be myself only with a very few. And without wine.
4. What TV are you watching?
I do not have TV in my home and studio. I only see tv-show, actually I’m really an eater of good tv- shows and movies, from my last library: True Detective, Hannibal, The Americans, House of Cards, Suits, Boardwalk Empire, and many many many more. Last movies watched: Grand Budapest Hotel, The Salt of the Earth, Unbroken. I love Allen, Wes Anderson, Coen brothers, Coppola, Almodovar and many other.
5. What do you like to eat?
Everything. I like to discover new cousines and plates. Even if I’m Italian I do not like so much pasta (maybe just 2 o3 times a month, I do not like habits), or coffee. I do not like a traditional life, I love to cook for friends and for my love and experimenting or trying dishes of all types and category: from India to Swedish. Oh, and mostly of all I love chocolate. I always suggest when people asking me if there were something particular that I wish I had given. I like chocolate of excellence, of all types, but specific brands. I could not think of me without chocolate.
6. Is/Are there any project(s) you wish you could do - or might do?
I have fragments of ideas every day, each one only has to find its rightful place and I think they will in due course. I'd like to highlight the stories of people I know, some of them with tragedies, some other with extremely happiness, some other that had an amazing life but that now deserve a charity help. Stories and people, lives, forgotten objects, patterns. I'm always interested in suburbs, in marginals people hiding, the same that are often the most close to us. I think I have left a psychological vein in what I do.
7. Do you shoot with your left or right eye?
Right eye. Right hand. I’m a mess with both feet.
8. Are there any unseen experimental images in your attic you’d like to show us now?
I have the phone full of unpublished images but my problem is that if I should pick some pictures I'm sure that in a year I would regret to be remembered for that specific image because I will believe it’s already outdated. I am one that is constantly changing and evolving and I’m afraid to be a bad editor of myself so I'd like you to show something about me as I always say to everyone :p
9. Who was an influence growing up?
I'd like to reply by not giving you names of emerging and established artists but saying that a very formative way to grow is to not have money for your equipment, to not have money for anything and to not have sometimes money even for a dinner. It's when you have nothing to lose and when you start to feel a bit of desperation that you see who you are and you feel yourself as a human being. Less is more, it’s always my motto.
10. If you were to start all over again, is there anything you would do differently? Why?
I’m never totally happy with nothing so yes, I suppose I will do it a bit differently with much more experience and concentrating more on identity and on shooting something completely in my style. And always accompanying me with a music soundtrack. It helps top change prospective and changing is a bless. But I should be a bit younger and with a lot more energy to do it.
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