Photography of Irene Tondelli from Italy

About : My name is Irene, and I am a 30 years old. I graduated in Photography in Italy and took a Master in Art Direction. I worked in the advertising field as art director for several years but then I decided to focusing on my photography activity as interior design and adventure-travel-landscape photographer.

When I was 5, my parents bought me a Ninja Turtles camera, 110 film, I loved it but when I was a child I wanted to became a cartoonist. I decided to became a photographer later, around 20’s while I was living and working in London.

Photography helps me to investigate my intimate relation with the places I visit. It’s my privileged point of view on reality.

Statement, preferences, etc. : I try to capture a moment in the chaos of Nature, to give silence a rhythm made of color shades, exposures, contrasts. The greatness of Nature is one of my favorite subjects. I travelled a lot in the Northern Europe, with just my camera and a tent.

I like the light in the North - the purest I ever seen. And I like standing alone in these wide open spaces, plains, mountains, glaciers, to re-scale the everyday worries, redefine my place in the world.

My preparation for the “landscape-travel” shootings is just: pitch the tent and hike. I usually have maps of the trails, previously studied, a map of the light pollution and constellations and a compass.

My gears for the outdoor are a red beanie (my lucky- charm, I have one light for the summer and another warm for winters), Sony Alpha with a good wide-angle lens and a more versatile lens, ND filter, tripod, rain cover, extra batteries and memory cards. I need to travel light.

Projects : At the moment I am working on my next exhibition, the last few details, the opening will be at the end of September. It’s called Far North and it’s about my shootings in Iceland and Lapland. For the first time I will present also a limited edition of 8 one-of- a-kind pictures.

In autumn I will launch also some new photography courses in collaboration with some very capable guys I have met last spring and a lot of other things will happen: is gonna be a year of changes and news, I just came back from Scotland and now I am starting to arrange the future plans.

Influences and favorite stuff : I think that a photographer works 24\7, for the simple reason that he sees and watches at things, and those things sediment in his mind waiting to be rediscovered.

If I have to tell my evergreens: The Italian masters of photography as Luigi Ghirri, Olivo Barbieri, Francesco Jodice. The paintings of Edward Hopper, Francis Bacon, Mario Schifano. The books of Joseph Conrad, William Golding, Emilio Salgari.