Stop!

This is my Italy this summer. This picture. The memory. It pretty much sums it all up, though I am sure there will be few more in my portfolio…It was taken during a walk in a small town of San Giovanni Rotondo – famous in my homeland for its Saint, Farther Pio. We were invited to the wedding of our friend, who later on has also asked me to take photos at her wedding. Some of you know that I was a bit worried about this role…I do not like taking photos of people in such a crucial moment of their lives, it’s a huge responsibility for an artist usually very strongly driven by her moods (see pipes and landscapes do submit themselves to our fussiness, people do it only during long photo sessions). Yes, despite of the worry at the back of my head I really enjoyed the first walk in Anna’s town, the discovery that a Saint close to my Catholic family’s heart comes from it and the new approach to Italy – the openness to “go with the flow”, breathe in the sun and the air, to see and try to understand the country a bit better now, with the little glimpse into one of its celebrations… I like this photo because it contains a few notions I am obsessive about in my photography and nowadays in my life. The need to slow down! I took this photo walking, almost rushing towards the old part of town in preparations to the wedding day and photo shoot in few locations Anna really likes. So I basically turned my camera and shot it while walking – you can see that the harmony of the picture is a bit off…but do not be fooled…I was actually already back then after the small “STOP” sign in the background, just as much as I was after the four men sitting at the main square. It’s amazing how much a human brain can see in one second if we are actually looking! This image is the representation of my current need to slow down, just for one second, sit down, enjoy the company and the sun. The respect towards the older generations! There is something almost ancient in the fact that our grandparents see the world so much wiser than we do. I have always looked up to my grandparents, and somehow always looked for older women and med to follow and learn from…Equally I have very often dreamt of the day I will be sitting with my grandchildren in our garden telling them old Grimm tales or simple anecdotes from our lives, or maybe just stare and meditate the noises of nature. In any case I admire the calmness and ability to distance yourself from the speed of reality that the older generations seem to maintain. The view of the world through movement and small details combined into a bigger picture! The “Stop” sing was one details, but there was so much more…the dept of the image, the street behind their backs, the skies and the architecture…their calm postures and…their hats! I simply love everything about this moment, really THEIR moment if I think of it. I am so glad I took it with me and I can share it now…