Photography that radiates the Cosmopolitan Interview with Photographer Modestino Tozzi By:Margaux Cintrano, Founder of Beyond TasteOltre il Gusto Magazine. Photo Copyright: Photographer Modestino Tozzi.
Firstly, who or what were the catalysts that opened the door into your profound interest in photography and where did you study photography? When I was a young student I have always been interested in art as a way of communication of my deep emotions. The point was that I couldn’t find my main “instrument” of expression: I tried pyrography, watercolor, music… but nothing impressed me as much as light. Light is the element that allows people to be photographers. That’s why I am a photographer, a self-taught photographer. I have been studying photography by myself and practicing “on the road”. After a few years I started to shoot in my studio and my main interest was (and still is) food.
Which types of photography are your specialties and the most rewarding for you: Food photography, Portrait photography, Landscape and Seascape photography, Architectural photography etc.? I’m a food photographer, working in all those fields in which food appears (chef portraits, restaurants, food tools,…). Considering that I love food as an expression of cultural identity, I can admit that food photography is the most rewarding one for me. Nevertheless I also appreciate urban photography which is the main subject of my artistic projects. What approaches to photography do you implement and which cameras do you find work the best for you? Basically I don’t have specific approaches to photography. I can say that I am a “one-light” photographer; in other words I shoot using just one light… it means that “I love shadows”. I use reflex cameras for food and mirrorless cameras for outdoor photography.
Who are your icons in the world of photography? I don’t have so many icons, because I believe that everyone has to be himself; in other words I firmly think that a photographer must have his own identity. At the same time it’s impossible not to consider icons, and some characters such as Henry Cartier-Bresson, Burk Uzzle, Peter Lindbergh and Letizia Battaglia.
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