Ciao Daniele! (I hope that's right?). Can you please introduce yourself and explain how you got into photography?
My name is Daniele Dainelli and I am from Florence, Italy. I approached the world of photography in the winter of 2012, when I bought my first reflex camera just for fun, as almost everyone does. Since the first days I have loved to shoot landscapes, but then my focus changed to street photography, and since Florence offers some of the most beautiful settings (and faces) in the world I started to discover the pleasure of wandering in the cities of the world, catching with my eye, every kind of possible beauty.
A lot of street photographers I speak to seem to have started shooting landscapes, including myself! What made you change from landscape to street photography, what was your first experience of street photography and how has that changed from your work today?
I discovered street photography due to my attraction to the idea of the black and white pictures. I got bored from the same landscape pictures and I decided to test myself on the street. Capturing everyday life at the markets, in the city centers and in the little alleys of Florence. I started to insert people in my urban compositions in black and white. Then I discovered the photography of [Bruce] Gilden, [Mark] Cohen, [Richard] Sandler and many others. I started to try the colors and to approach people by going very close to them, from that moment I made some projects in that style and I'm so happy about it. The change in my process has been gradual, and I think it is still ongoing.
I can definitely see the Gilden in your work, it takes a lot of balls to shoot like that? Do you get nervous when shooting in that style?
Yeah, I totally love Gilden, he is a master of this genre, and lots of photographers are inspired by him. That way of taking pictures is so hard, even if my style is less savage than gilden's style eheheh! You always have to find the right face in the crowd, you have to keep your eye trained in finding something rare in the streets. I really get nervous because sometimes people get angry, and see you as an alien with a camera. It's the bad part of street photography.
Having had a few confrontations with people in the street myself I understand where you are coming from. How do you deal with people who get angry with you?
Usually I try to make people understand about what I’m doing. I try to be polite with strangers, and sometimes they understand, other times they do not. It happens that I have to cancel the picture, but it is a rare case. A big part of people are happy of being photographed by me, and I explain to them that I love how they are, how they are dressed… It is not a problem to me to deal with people, because I know that I'm not doing anything wrong!
I think that's the best way man, do you have any plans for your work in the future? What would a Daniele Dainelli book or exhibition look like?
My main plan for the future is to keep on shooting, no matter what genre. Take pictures to keep my brain alive, to break up with the ordinary life of the everyday. I made a fanzine and a great solo exhibition 2 years ago in Florence, about my India photo project; "Struggle for Saints", and it made me really satisfied! Im working on another project, but at the moment it Is stuck due to the emergency of Covid 19. in the meanwhile I have fun, taking pictures of my dog while they are fighting and playing! i also got load of film pictures that i never posted on my gallery... so photography it Is anche important part of my Life and a big passion... we Will see day by day , what future will bring to me.
Amazing talking to you man, one last question… What are your dogs' names?
My dogs' names are Matis for the male and the big one, and Zoe the female, the little one!
