By Kenia Cris
Images by Riccardo Bandiera
Riccardo Bandiera was born in the seventies and is directed towards technical studies degree in engineering. His love for photography was born almost by chance, the first pictures date back to a few years ago immortalizing his collection of vinyl toys. Intrigued by what surrounds him and always looking for new inspirations, Riccardo uses the camera as a sixth sense, able to open the perspective of the viewer, thanks to his skilful use of texts and titles. Today he dedicate his life almost full time to photography, including wedding, photojournalism – together with a professional – contextual portraits and street-life, developing a new ambitious project: through the eyes of a traveller. The territory in which he lives, remains determined to complete the whole, but inevitably attracted by the uniqueness of the details.
Did you go to a school to learn photography?
Absolutely not, I’m completely self-taught. I’ve had a technical startup but it was unfortunately very little artistic. I’ve always been attracted to art, writing, music, and drawing. Now with photography I can combine these three wonderful things. I’m still learning how to photograph and I follow any kind of advice I’m given on the subject.
Who are your influences?
I believe that life, in every small miracle, is the greatest influence. I like to remain surprised by what nature offers us every day and try to capture these images through my lens.
When you photograph, do you have a theme in mind?
When I photograph I always start with a clear idea of what I’m going to shoot. I already have the image in my head! And when I can capture it exactly as I imagined it, I feel really pleased. On the other hand, when I’m taking street photos, I look around and just get started, attracted by light or some potentially interesting situation. One thing I do often is to take photos at night. I like the combination silence, light and darkness.
What characterizes your photography as yours? What traces of you does your photography have?
It ‘s really a tough question. I hope the shot spontaneity, the search for something new. I am like this. I like straight clear things, no beating about the bush. And I get bored often, so I am always looking for new input, new ideas and inspiration. It’s pretentious, but necessary. That’s why I love taking photos with the 50 mm., because it’s the most natural extension of the human eye.
What kind of impression do you hope to leave upon other’s who see your photographs?
Most people who see my shots tell me that they are sad pictures. I think they are right, but it is not something done on purpose. Nor do I think of being a melancholic type of person. I hope that people see my pictures keep impressions of certain details, perhaps intriguing for owning a certain mood.
Out of all the photographs you have taken which is your favorite and why?
Each photo has a story and choosing only one is extremely complicated. Having to do so I’d choose the photo depicting a handful of marbles that Edwood, an italian indie-band, selected to use as the cover of their third album, “Godspeed.”
