Interviews / Stories
Photographer Marta Petrucci (Los Angeles)
Tell us something about yourself
My name is Marta Petrucci, I m an italian fashion photographer, jusr after I graduate at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, I moved to Los Angeles, where I explored the photographic technique by participating in several workshops taught by world-class photographers like Sam Abell of National Geographic and many others.
I created most of my first personal projects in LA with also collaborations like the one with Keri Kilgo and doing assistant job for Manuello Paganelli and Brad Buckman. In 2012 I moved to London, where I worked as assistant for Woland in the field of fashion photography.
I returned to Italy for a collaboration with Sony Music Italy for which I made the CD cover of the first two albums and all the press photos of the winner of the fourth edition of X Factor, Nathalie.
Now I m a freelance photographer in Rome.
How and when did you get into photography?
There were two events in my life that brought me to photography, the first was attending the class of photography with Attardi that challeged me in ways I discover that was my perfect instrument to unravel my creativity and the second was to discover the process of the bichromate gum on wich i gave my Final Exams.
What does photography mean to you?
Everything. Is my job, my hobby, my passion.
Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.
I usually tend to create a dark and dreamy world in my photograph, my photography I think has influence from my heros such as Tim Walker, Diane Arbus and Nick Knight.
Where do you get inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from my other photographers, from paintings and drawings, and last but not at all least from my dreams.
Think you in advance what you want in the picture?
Always.. I usally dream my sets before building them and then photographing them.
Studio, on location or both?
Both … two different feelings and two different results .. love them both.
Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?
Paid Professional
What has been your most memorable session and why?
Well, I think my first editorial session , was the most memorable, cause of the amount of craziness happened in that shooting, from the location scouting that almost got me deported from the USA ( I forgot to bring my documents with me)to the problem with the house we rented in Bombay Beach that we could not open for hours, leaving us in the Mojave Desert in August and since the shooting started very late I was using two flashes but one light for a wind blow broke.. we used the light of the car almost leaving us without battery and gas in the middle of nothing but in the end everything went fine and the job went well and the magazine was really happy.
Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?
I have 2 Nikons , Little one D80 and Biggy one D800 E and then a cool Pentax ME and a compact Canon. I love working with all of them for different reason, situations and needs. I m not a person that has a fetish for a specific brand , I can see the differences and choose the tool that can give me the result I want . My favorite lens is the 85 mm fix. I do not like much zoom lens , If there is a need to get closer I think I m glad to have my legs :).
What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?
Be always open to learn more cause in this field you ll always need to be on all the trends if you want to keep working with competitive client.
What do you think of our new magazine?
I really love it, is really inspiring and accativating from both the interview part and visual part .