Valentina Tomasi

I started photography by accident, although I actually came from an Art School. To be honest, I have always loved art, in all its facets. As a young girl I loved to paint, I did commissioned paintings; then at some point I got into photography, I was fascinated by capturing the beauty and interests of the world around me, things that painting could not give me. I was intrigued by old photographs, I was bewitched by the light and the emotions they conveyed. Each shot contained within it a world to explore!

Then, the first camera came, given to me by my boyfriend, and it all took off from there. From that moment I started shooting, experimenting and capturing images, wasting hours and hours dwelling on each detail to tell the truth of it. And so photographing became a real passion.

My source of inspiration? People's faces! Portrait photography, the search for the essence of a person by telling their story, capturing their soul, emotions, personality. All while letting the images speak for themselves. It is a fascinating genre, which gratifies me and allows me to create images that excite and memories that remain imprinted for a lifetime.

It must be said that it is not always easy to make these shots, you have to be able to establish a relationship with people, put them at ease; it is essential to make a spontaneous and authentic portrait.

So many variables can affect the result of my work. In order to take good shots, it is necessary to take into account so many elements: a good camera, good knowledge of it, a good lens, good light.

Even the choice of faces is not a foregone conclusion; it is based on a series of evaluations, which vary depending on what I want to achieve and the being of the individual in front of me; the subject's own body can provide me with information.

In addition to portraits, I love photographing landscapes very much, and here in our area, in the Comacchio Valleys, there is certainly no shortage of them. It is a genre of photography that captures the vastness and beauty of the natural world, using a variety of techniques to create stunning images, including careful composition and the right time of day, such as early morning and late afternoon light.

Our town, Comacchio, and its Valleys lend themselves very well to this.

As we say here "I live in a beautiful place!" where there is nature and a landscape untouched by industry. I feel very lucky to live here and to be originally from a place far away from the chaos of big cities! The views that my country gives are a continuous source of photographic inspiration.