An interview with Daniele Dainlli

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli

RH: Who is Daniele?

DD: Daniele Dainelli approached the world of photography in the winter of 2012, when he bought his first reflex camera just for fun, as almost everyone does. His focus is on street photography, since Florence offers some of the most beautiful settings ( and faces ) in the world.
He started to discover the pleasure of wandering in the cities of the world, catching with his eye, every kind of possible beauty.
He toured lots of Europe nations and USA bringing back some important photographic project.

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

Planning

RH: What attracted and inspired you to your current documentary project?

 DD: India has always attracted me, there is a spectacular feeling about traveling so far away from home looking for new cultures.I’m really happy about the final result of my project “Struggle For Saints” and the printed zine that I’ve made. I’ve seen so many classic and famous photos about India, sadhus, colours and stuff like that.For this reason I wanted to create a project with a new/non-common point of view, creating a dualism between ordinary life and religious life. People aim to the after life ,that’s the most important thing to reach in their lives, and this thing really impressed me. Life in India is very tough and rude, people work 15 hours per day, they only rest few hours and then they are ready to start again his job. But they don’t mind, that’s life.

RH: Can you talk us through the planning stage for your project?

DD: My girlfriend Irene, helped me a lot planning this trip and this photo-project, city after city. I decided to stay a longer period in Varanasi during the Shiva Festival ( and I’m really happy to made this choice :) ), because that city could offer me lot of magic sets and incredible faces. My whole trip to India lasted one month, full of positive things and negative things, like my food poisoning ehehe! I toured India with trains, flights and also a car ( that brought me through the countryside far away from big cities), what a great experience !

RH: Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

DD: No there’s nothing I wish I had done in a different way from mine.There’s only one thing that make me sad : when I was in Jodhpur, I got a terrible food poisoning, and I’ve missed 3 days of my journey in the blue city. I was waiting for a long time to wonder through the little blue alleys, but in that case, luck wasn’t walking with me ! 

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

Implementation and Completion

RH: How have you dealt with any challenges and difficulties within your project?

DD: My biggest challenge about my “Struggle For Saints project”, has been to do the edit of my whole pack of pictures. I had to cancel lots of good pictures, but in my personal opinion they didn’t fit into the message and idea of my project. You have to choose only the essential, every single piece of the puzzle has to be a part of you story.  I also have to say thanks to some great street photographers that helped me into the creation of this project and then the zine that I printed, like Salvatore Matarazzo, Gianluca Morin and Lorenzo Catena.

RH: How long do your projects tend to take from start to finish?   

DD: I don’t exactly know how long my project will be. It’s a choice that I plan during my trip, shot after shot. it could depend on various things. I decided to stay one month in India, and for me it was ok. It would have been so difficoult to stay more, I was so tired when I returned home. I’ve also been working on another project for 3 years, about my city, Florence, and that’s is a different way of taking pictures and planning the storyline of a project. I don’t know when it will be ready, I think it will last 2 or 3 years more maybe…

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

Editing and Sequencing

RH: Do have several images to edit of one fleeting moment or do you have one well-constructed precise image that you have captured?

DD: In India I had a different approach with people, I decided to stay a little bit far from the subject than I usually do with my tipycal flash portraits, in order to involve the smell of the city, the chaos of the alleys, the holy rivers. I enjoyed a lot the changeling of my style for that month. I was with my camera every day, shooting at every single hour. Don’t get distracted by “common places” typical of India.

RH: Within the editing stages, have you felt the project has taken on a different narrative than first envisaged?

DD: Yes, while the editing was going on, the project was getting more “powerful”. I think it’s a common thing for every photographer who try to create a story.  It is impossibile to create a project without a deep touch of editing. As I said in the previous questions, some photographers helped me a lot . That’s the beauty of street photography, to share the passion! The editing of my whole pack of pictures lasted more than one month. Then I started to plan and create the photo-couples, that are the guideline of my “Struggle For Saints” project.

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

Tips and hints 

RH: What would you recommend for people starting their own photographic project?

DD: I’d recommend to read books, learning from other photographers. Another important thing to know, i wanna tell to all the people who shot street photography, follow your heart, don’ take pictures for fun, do it with a personal idea. First You have to plan something, and then you can plan the shot ! Shot everywhere , city, countryside, seaside. Try to re-inspire you buying some new photography books or zines. In street photography there are no rules, every photographer has its own style and how to approach the strangers , don’t be scared and keep your eye trained.

RH: Does the camera really matter? 

DD: Camera it’s not important. To me the most important thing is to be comfortable, I shoot with Fujifilm xe2, it’s old but it is very light to use and to keep on the shoulders for many hours! Now I know “her” very much, and it’s hard to separate each other ehehe :)

RH: Any books you would recommend reading to get the creativity started?

    DD: I’ve got some books to recommend : 

        1) The eyes of the city - richard sandler

        2) Open at noon - Marc Alor Powell

        3) Charles Traub - Dolce via

        4) After the off - Bruce Gilden

        5) Nick Hannes - Mediterranean. the Continuity of the Man

        6) Wim Wenders - Written in The West

        7) Martin Parr - Life’s a Beach

        8) Harry Gruyaert - Morocco

        9) Dougie Wallace - Road Wallah

       10) Alex Prager - Silver Lake Drive

RH: Would you recommend attending photography workshops?

      DD: Yes of course, photo workshops are useful to start creating your way of thinking, your way to create, your way to catch the decisive moment, your way to start to understand what will your photographic style will be. 

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

Copy Right-Daniele Dainlli - Struggle For Saints
 

DD: checkout my Instagram and Website

instagram :  https://www.instagram.com/daniele_dainelli/

website :  https://danieledainelli.carbonmade.com