Pietro Nastasi

29 Sept

It began more than 25 years ago in Tuscany, with my dad’s dusty, battered Minolta X-700 and a group of friends who had also been given film cameras by their parents. We learned together, one roll at a time. I have been shooting ever since, and although I eventually moved to digital, my love for film has never faded. Today I work with both.

Street and urban photography is my passion. I travel whenever I can, especially in Asia, wandering city streets in search of everyday life and the quiet, unguarded moments that give a place its character. Photowalks are central to how I work, and wherever I go I look for other photographers to explore with.

I also enjoy portraiture, as well as events, particularly live music, where timing and atmosphere matter as much as the frame.

Who would have thought that one of my photos would one day win a competition at the Barbican and be published in its magazine? It remains a highlight, yet nothing compares to the joy of a stranger getting in touch to ask for a print. Some of my photographs now hang in homes in Los Angeles, Toronto, London and Rome, and it makes me smile to think of them there.

An avid collector of photography books, I draw inspiration from every art form, from painting and architecture to music.