The Fantasy
of the World
Deserves Witnesses
Donato Di Camillo
I take people on the fringes of society.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. It may sound clichéd, but I think I became a photographer as a way to express myself. My thoughts, my feelings, my way of seeing the world around me. There are so many photographers who have inspired me, but if I had to choose one, I would say Diane Arbus.
I shot this photograph on Coney Island Beach, Brooklyn, circa 2018. This was a personal photograph. It was a spontaneous moment. I was welcoming something interesting; I was open to anything that may evoke thought or feeling as I walked along the sand on the beach that day, like I always do. This feeling is often triggered by subjects that subconsciously remind me of my childhood period, where I learned to think quick and use street instincts.
I’m not sure I have a process – it all depends on my feelings; it depends on what I’m feeling the moment that I’m executing a photograph. Whether it’s for an assignment, or on the street, I usually need to feel something. The photo is part of a bigger series that I hope to turn into a book one day.
Be yourself, shoot with your heart and not what others expect from you.
Donato Di Camillo
I guess I would use the word ‘whimsical’, at times. It depends; sometimes I would say deep or honest, it all comes down to the moment in which I’m taking the photo. I think a good photographer knows when they have something good right away – it’s a feeling, it’s something that you know will hold a viewer’s interest. I think it’s fabulous that people express themselves in all types of ways, it makes life that bit more interesting.
I think photography helps me understand humanity in a way that words cannot. It brings me closer to the heart, it moves me emotionally. Anything that evokes feelings can touch me with a photograph, something funny, something sad, something educational. Photography is such a powerful tool.
Photography is such a powerful tool
Sometimes people ask me why I choose Leica. To me, that’s like asking why wear a Rolex watch or an Armani suit; it’s about quality and performance – you get what you pay for. No other camera feels like a Leica, it’s in a class of its own. These days I’m using a Q2. When I bought my first M-series, I hated it! I never used a rangefinder, so it was difficult to create decent pictures that were in focus, but after some time the camera slowly tamed me; I became patient and began to believe in the process.
