ALESSANDRA CANTERI
Where are you from? Where do you live?
I was born in Verona, in a small town near the hills and the river. At the age of 19 I moved to Bologna, Paris, and now I live in Milan, but I don’t think this will be my final destination.
How old are you?
I’m 26, but I often feel like I’m still a kid or whatever, luckily.
How do you pay your bills? Are you working as a professional photographer?
My parents helped me for a while, then I’ve started to pay my bills working as waitress. Now I’m quite sure I will pay my next bills working as a photographer: so yes, that’s the plan!
What cameras do you use?
I use a Nikon f90x most of the time, I use a Canon 7D for professional work and a Fuji Instax 210 when I’m with my friends (like the pitchmen in Milan). Sometimes I also use a Diana and two Polaroid 660.
Any photographer or artist inspiring you?
My big passion is cinema, and a lot of inspiration comes from the movies I watch: when I find something I like, I take a snapshot of the frame to keep it (it’s not so funny watching movies with me!). Most of all I like Wenders, Kim Ki Duk, Allen, Lynch, all the Nouvelle Vague, but also Hitchcock and Polanski, and so many new directors. In photography, the first coming to my mind are Eggleston and Bourdin.
What/who do you enjoy to shoot the most?
I’m not so good at explaining what I like, maybe that’s why I express myself through images better than words; I love empty spaces, things that bring me back to my memories, the beauty of women, and cranes.
Do you believe in god?
I pray God just when I’m in trouble or on an airplane, so I don’t think this means I truly believe in God.
What do you drink on a night out?
When I go out I drink wine or a Long Island, in summer a Mojito.
Do you like dancing?
I love dancing, especially when there’s a lot of people around me and nobody cares if I close my eyes or dance overtime. It’s one of the moments when I can be spontaneous and forget about the rest.
What’s your favorite first name?
I like Maja, Rebecca and Giuditta.
Are you a fashion addicted?
Often I’ve received criticism about the way I dress, so I realized that I’m not fashion addicted at all. I try not to be noticed, anyway, not for being fashionable nor too weird.
What’s your favorite tv series?
I began to watch tv series quite late ‘cause I believed that the perfect timing for a story was shorter, like in the movies. The first I loved was Twin Peaks, then Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire.
Recommend us a book.
“Meno di zero” by Bret Easton Ellis, “Le strade per Los Angeles” by John Fante.
What’s the country of your dreams?
Paris is the closest to what I am, but I don’t think that just one place could suffice: I would like to find different favorite places where I can feel always in different ways.
Have you ever been to Iceland?
No I haven’t, it’s too cold.
What song would you choose for a slideshow of your work?
Photographs don’t need the help of music, for me: it’s like giving a too precise interpretation to your work, which is not (or shouldn’t be) strictly necessary. By the way, I would choose any of Wes Anderson’s movies’ soundtracks.
Ask yourself a question. Tell me your answer (like Marzullo does)
q: Why birds of a scary flock don’t crash into each other?
a: please someone answer me.
website: http://cargocollective.com/alessandracanteri
