Roberto Pazzi was one of the first photographers I interviewed for this site, which makes this conversation especially important to me. Born in Milan and based in Palma when we spoke, he had moved from engineering and long-term backpacking into award-winning travel photography, exhibitions, books and photographic expeditions. His images brought remote communities into the early shape of this interview series.

What interested me then—and still does—is the connection between Roberto’s portraits and the environments around them. He works close to reportage, using faces, clothing, work and landscape to describe traditions rather than isolating people as visual curiosities. The gallery moves from South Sudan and Ethiopia to Nepal, Indonesia, Iran, Cambodia and India, but its subject is consistently human presence.

Find Roberto Pazzi online

The interview

Hi Roberto, how long have you been working as a photographer now?

I've been working as a photographer since 2013.

What inspired you to become a photographer? What were your first steps?

I didn't have any particular inspiration to become a photographer. Probably it has been only my need to fix in my mind some moments and events I was experiencing while traveling.

I started photography by just bringing with me a pretty good camera during my travels to Indonesia in 2013. By sharing those shots on the web, the ones I took in Papua have been noticed and published in the most important newspapers in the UK. One week later, the same happened with my shots from India. At that point, I took advantage of some collaborations that started up thanks to the visibility I had gained on the web.

Are you a professional or an amateur photographer?

As photography is something I really love, I'm considered someone in the middle. Thanks to photography, I finally discovered what I really "wanted to do" and found the strength to abandon a life that I was carrying on only with what I "had to do" instead.

What is your favorite subject to photograph?

As a travel photographer, I particularly like anthropological photography. I like to describe the cultures and traditions of people living in remote places around the world.

What kit do you shoot with?

My gear consists of two bodies, a Nikon D810 and a Nikon D610, and the following lenses:

  • Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR
  • Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
  • Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G
  • Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/4G ED N VR
Mundari people in the cattle camp at sunrise (Terekeka, South Sudan).
Mundari people in the cattle camp at sunrise (Terekeka, South Sudan).

How would you define your photographic style?

My style is very close to the concept of reportage. I try to describe a culture through the people and their traditions. I like as much as possible to tell the stories of those people through images of them and their environments.

Which editing software do you usually use?

I usually perform my editing using 70–80% Lightroom and 20–30% Photoshop.

John Wanamaker said: Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I do not know which half. Do you gain your clients by advertising or in another way?

I gain clients through my own advertising. I add the description of my works when sharing them on my portfolios.

How does your typical working day look like? What do you do when you are not working? How many hours/days per week are you working? What do you do in your free time?

As my work is also my passion, I work 7 days a week and up to 10–12 hours a day. When I'm not traveling, usually I spend my morning working on the new publication of my work on my portfolios and social networks, and with them I also share my advertising. I also spend some hours in the afternoon organizing my next photographic expeditions. In the evening, I usually work on the photos I collected during my last travels.

During my spare time, I like to run along the beach, train myself in the gym, take long walks around the city with my camera, read a book, and chill out with close friends.

What would you do differently if you would start again?

I would do everything again, but earlier!

Portrait of Mundari people in the cattle camp (Terekeka, South Sudan).
Portrait of Mundari people in the cattle camp (Terekeka, South Sudan).

A professional photographer is also an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have many things in common. They read a lot. What about you? What are your favorite books?

The first books I'm thinking of are:

  • Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
  • The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (John Boyne)
  • The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
  • The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
  • and historical novels in general.

What was the best advice you have ever received as a photographer? Do you have any advice for other photographers?

I didn't have any advice, as I'm a self-taught photographer. To other photographers, I would suggest that they don’t lose money looking for the newest technology but practice a lot instead. The first thing to understand is what they like most about photography. It is a huge field to explore. Once they understand that, they should identify their own style in their works. To be able to do that, they should study a lot (avoid classes; the internet is a very complete library that can provide you everything you need), practice a lot (photograph again and again every day, everything and everyone...), and train their eyes by looking at the works of other photographers, looking for inspiration.

I suggest that they create a long-term project to achieve the final goal and let their passion be the fuel that runs their engine.

It is important to learn how to break down the main project into smaller, feasible daily ones, trying to complete the little project of the day (e.g., that technique, that photo, your website, etc.). Last but not least, as much as possible, I suggest that they try to spend time performing photography they really like instead of following what is bringing them money (it would be perfect if they were the same things...).

Top 3 mobile apps on your smartphone?

  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • Messenger

Top 3 websites?

  • National Geographic
  • 500px
  • Flickr

Your last vacation?

Today!

Portrait of an elderly potter at work (Bhaktapur, Nepal).
Portrait of an elderly potter at work (Bhaktapur, Nepal).
Portrait of a young Dani archer (Papua, Indonesia).
Portrait of a young Dani archer (Papua, Indonesia).
Portrait of a Dani leader with his warriors (Papua, Indonesia).
Portrait of a Dani leader with his warriors (Papua, Indonesia).
Portrait of a Mursi woman with her baby (Omo Valley, Ethiopia).
Portrait of a Mursi woman with her baby (Omo Valley, Ethiopia).
Portrait of a Karo man with his son (Omo Valley, Ethiopia)
Portrait of a Karo man with his son (Omo Valley, Ethiopia).
Portrait of a Bakhtiari man with his wife (Zagros Mountains, Iran).
Portrait of a Bakhtiari man with his wife (Zagros Mountains, Iran).
Portrait of a lutist in his workshop (Kerman, Iran)
Portrait of a lutist in his workshop (Kerman, Iran).
Portrait of a Buddhist monk (Angkor Wat, Cambodia).
Portrait of a Buddhist monk (Angkor Wat, Cambodia).
Portrait of a Sadhu (Varanasi, India)
Portrait of a Sadhu (Varanasi, India)
Portrait of a child in a brick factory (Bhaktapur, Nepal)
Portrait of a child in a brick factory (Bhaktapur, Nepal).

What stayed with me

Returning to this interview, I am struck by Roberto’s insistence that photographers identify what they truly care about before chasing equipment or visibility. His own answer was anthropological travel photography and the patient construction of stories about people, place and tradition.

Because Roberto was among the first photographers to trust this series with his words and images, the conversation remains personal for me. It helped establish what I wanted these interviews to preserve: not only beautiful work, but the choices, discipline and lived experience behind it.