Interview: Roberto Pazzi, Photographer

Born in Milan (Italy) in 1973, Roberto Pazzi is a self-taught, award-winning travel photographer based in Palma (Spain). He graduated in engineering, and he loves to travel.

Capturing life’s unforgettable moments: an interview with Roberto Pazzi, photographer

You can find Roberto Pazzi here:

Roberto Pazzi found himself a backpacker from an early age, but only in 2013 did he start to explore his great love for photography. In 2015, the old passion for traveling and the new one for photography made him decide to completely change his life.

Today, Roberto Pazzi has permanent expositions in Singapore and Palma, and he is also one of the authors for the Brazilian gallery Luka.Art. He has launched his own photographic expedition proposal, and a selection of Roberto’s most iconic photographs is available as limited edition prints.

Roberto has been invited to take part in many exhibitions around the world, and his works have been published in several media in different countries. He published eight books.

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 antropological 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).

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 Callte 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…).