Paolo Ferretti
Born in 1955.
Based in Genoa, Paolo Ferretti presents himself as a «young» photographer and links his practice to a family tradition of photography which, he says, extends back to his great-grandfather; he states that he took up photography around four years ago and describes his temperament as «relatively introverted but sociable».
His studies in psychology and his passion for cinema are among the influences he cites, supplemented, according to him, by eight years of personal analysis that may have helped shape his way of seeing.
His practice is grounded in a discreet and gentle approach: he seeks to «bring forth what is hidden» by giving his subjects the feeling of being welcomed by the camera, and states his preference for technically questionable images («bad photos») which, in his view, capture true and authentic moments; this position first found expression in street photography intended to immortalise everyday scenes.
He subsequently broadened his fields of activity to include sport and events, while specifying that he is not interested in the action itself but rather in people: portraits and close-ups remain at the centre of his attention; the profile also lists the declared fields of Event & Wedding, Fine Art, People, Photojournalism, Portrait, Sports and Street. His website includes an entry entitled «Summer Turbulence» in a section called «Paolo's Awards».