Photography is all around us. Whether it’s on our phone screens, on billboards or framed in our homes; photography surrounds us every day. But with the likes of Instagram and Facebook taking over our daily lives, we’ve all become our own type of photographer. From taking photos of friends for Instagram to snapping our food in a restaurant, we can all class ourselves as amateurs. But have you ever wondered what it would actually be like to be a professional photographer? What would a usual day be like? We speak to 45-year-old Italian photographer Alessandro Pietrosanti to find out exactly that.
Ever since the young age of 7 years old, Alessandro was drawn to photography. It was his father who first brought it to his attention, as he explained: “I started taking pictures when I was child, more or less 7 years old. I think I wanted to emulate my father, he always brought his camera during our holidays and so I would too, a small Kodak Ektra! When I was 9 years old, I received my first reflex camera; a fantastic Yashica FX 2000. At that moment, I totally fell in love with photography. It was in 2008 that I decided to follow the photography path everyday.”
It was a dream from the very beginning, Alessandro says, but due to photography being such a difficult industry, he initially went down a different career path: “I started my career as a graphic designer in 1996, it was cheaper and faster than becoming a professional photographer in the ‘90s. Instead, I used photography like a limbo where I ran away when I needed it. Photography was a relaxing place where I could calm myself. I had to wait until 2008 to start doing what I really wanted to be; a photographer.”
He has now been a photographer for over 12 years and is currently living in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. An exciting thing about photography is that every project is different. Alessandro works on a range of photography, including candid wedding photography, documentary photography, street, portrait, product, interiors and food photography. But if he had to choose, documentary photography is his favourite to capture: “If you want to tell true stories, it’s the only way and I love telling stories.”
He also explains that weddings are his favourite to photograph: “I can do all photography styles in one day; documentary to tell a true love story; the bride and groom’s portrait; wedding rings are perfect for a bit of product photography and I can do interior and food at home or at the venue. Weddings are like a big box of Jelly Beans, a lot of different flavours... all together.”
So, what does a typical day look like for a professional photographer? Well, he explains that it would depend on the type of photography, but a usual day would be similar to this:
- 5:30 AM: “I like to wake up when the city is still sleeping, look out the windows, drink an Espresso and get something for breakfast. I find it magical - it’s just me and the world around me. Very important, workout.”
- 6:00 AM: “I follow my morning routine like a mantra, it’s very important for me. I need to stimulate my creativity and here’s my way of doing it: reading a book, watching my favourite series on Netflix or playing some video games. It doesn’t matter which one, I just do one of them.”
- 7:30 AM: “First contact with “people”: reading and replying emails and scheduling jobs for the days after.”
- 8:30 AM: “I follow my list of tasks, these could be thinking about a pre-production for the next shooting, editing pictures taken the day before or traveling 2 hours to reach the destination for a shoot. Every day could be different.”
- 1:00 PM: “If I stay at home doing pre-production or editing, I like to enjoy lunch time and a bit of free time with my family to have a break.”
- 3:00 PM: “Social media and websites are essential, I spent one hour a day writing and scheduling posts for my social media or fixing my website.”
- 4:00 PM: “That’s it, see you tomorrow!
Photography has also taken Alessandro around the world, the most memorable being Africa: “It was my first experience very far from home. Africa 2017 was my biggest personal project and it was a challenge. I wanted to tell a true story about a medical team in Ethiopia. Never do a project like that in a small village (Adwa) on the north of Ethiopia. As long as I was inside the mission Kidane Meheret, everything was fine, but when I put my feet outside the gate I was surrounded by people’s gazes. Fright was the right word to describe those moments.”
Having taken thousands of photographs over the last 12 years, it was difficult for Alessandro to choose his favourite, but he had one in mind that he thought was his best: “A bride on a roller coaster in Adventure Island, Southend-on-Sea. One shot, one opportunity. This picture was also nominated as Best Wedding Photo 2018 on Bridebook, one of the most important platforms for wedding suppliers.”
Alessandro seems to be living the dream, pursuing a career he is extremely passionate about. But he still has goals he wishes to achieve, the ultimate being: “Having one of my photos printed in the National Geographic Magazine. Maybe it’ll be the last thing I’ll do in my life…but it’ll happen!”
Alessandro finished with an inspirational outlook on what he finds so special about being a photographer: “Photography is a language and I use it to tell true stories. In a world full of lies, telling the truth is the best thing I can do.”