Unspoken

“Things will never change
And our hearts will always separate.
Forget about you, I’ll forget about you.
The things we never say
Are better often left alone.
Forget about you, I’ll forget about this time.

But it’s the same old situation,
We made it through this far, ooh.
We watched the rockets kiss the sky,
I saw the flames burn out in your eyes.

Nothing that I do
Will ever be enough for you,
Whatever I do, whatever I do.
Take me as I am,
I’ll never be the other man.
Forget about you, I’ll forget about this time.

So won’t you save this conversation
And find a better time, ooh, ooh?
Don’t you ever understand
That if it hurts I’ll do whatever I can?

And if it’s set in motion,
I’ll watch it all pass by
And leave the rest unspoken:
I’ll never change my mind.

I’ll leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken,
Leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken now.
I’ll leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken,
Leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken now.

I’ll leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken,
Leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken now.
I’ll leave it unspoken, leave it unspoken,
Leave it unspoken, we’ll fly away tonight.

So just let me go, I won’t change my mind:
I’d rather be lonely than be by your side.
And nothing you say can save us this time:
I’d rather be lonely.”

[ Unspoken – Hurts ]

Unspoken is one of my favourite songs on Happiness, in particular its live version (which can be found on the Live In Berlin DVD). Nevertheless, it was one of the last songs from the album that inspired me with a possible visual rendition. The theme of this song is breaking up, pretty much the same as Blood, Tears & Gold, but Unspoken is different in that it doesn’t have a visually immediate title and has a very subtle approach to the theme. Rather than a very heartbreaking story, it tells how a relationship can simply die off, regardless of what one might try to say and do. No drama, no blood, no shouting: just leave some things unspoken because you know they won’t do any good and walk away. To some extent, this is even more heartwrecking.
The idea to represent such an emotional situation with two chronologically ordered images in a diptych was quite immediate, as was the black and white, grainy appearance. The rest of the image, like the location and the specific weather conditions, came quite easily: the Molo Audace in Trieste is a rather romantic place, but it gets melancholic with gloomy weather. Also, on a cloudy day, light is less dramatic and the sea very bright, which gives the scene a somewhat more peaceful ambiance. Indeed I wanted the drama to come from the models’ pose and acting in a mundane, mostly indifferent setting.
The choice of models was quite simple, too: I wanted BriarRose in it because this song is very meaningful for her, and I wanted to be in it because I like how well we work together in this kind of photos. The combination of the very specific location, weather conditions and models forced me to postpone the shoot for several months until now (BriarRose and I originally planned to shoot it when she came to Trieste last year in July, then postponed it to October, and then to February). Finally, beside those three right conditions, I also had the assistance of Richard Novak, which was extremely helpful given my lack of a remote control. I could set my camera on a tripod with the right angle and stuff, but the timing could prove to be very tricky give the distances from the shooting to the modelling points, and the second photo would be nearly ipossible anyway. Things went smooth and I’m very satisfied with the photo. I hope you like it as well.

Sunken Soldiers Ball

[ Sunken Soldiers Ball – Agua de Annique ]

Normally I’m a very impatient person, but when it comes to photography I can be extremely patient. Like, for years. This photo has been lying written down on my “Random photos with BriarRose” text file literally for ages, until I finally got to shoot it.
Today, BriarRose, Nitrogen Frostrhyme and I had a very profitable session and this was the last photo we shot together. We developed a couple of BriarRose’s ideas, then some of mine, including this one. It actually does not have much to do with the lyrics of the song, but the title inspired me this very scene, some sort of Forties ball with a soldier that has return home after the war and greets his girlfriend with a flower, which they eventually drop together with his hat in a fit of tenderness, passion and joy to be reunited. I had no idea about who could pose with BriarRose, but she and Nitrogen work spectacularly together, so I asked him to join the project, which proved to be the right idea.
Technically, this photo has been hell to shoot: I had to use my room’s electric light, which was trouble not much because of the temperature, but because of the intensity, with several of my shirts hung to the handle of the door to screen the desk lamp and get the right amount. Plus, I only had one single suitable background for the photo with very little space on front of it, which forced me to do acrobatics to get a satisfying angle and focus correctly. The photo was definitely worth the trouble, but I really do wish I had a studio sometimes.

A small, posthumous addendum: the photo has been online for a few days now and I’m totally surprised by the huge success it received, both on deviantART and on BriarRose’s Tumblr. It’s not a real portrait, it does not have a very handsome boy in it (well, except for his feet), but it got the recognition I hoped it would have. I’m really glade you appreciate it so much: thank you guys!

The Storm Before The Calm

“Never, never, never, never ever, ever worry,
I will, I will always, always be there for you.
Found you, found you, I will never ever
Leave you, never, I will always be here with you,
Getting better, better, better, better, better, better.

It’s getting colder, I’m getting colder, colder, it’s getting colder.
Let it get colder until I can’t feel anything at all.
It’s getting colder, it’s getting colder, colder.

Come on, come on, on me, on me,
Touching, laughing, ha ha, love me, love me
For me, holding, watching, loving,
Getting better, better, better, better, better, better.

It’s getting colder, I’m getting colder, colder, it’s getting colder.
Let it get colder until I can’t feel anything at all.
It’s getting colder, it’s getting colder, colder, I’m getting colder.
Let it get colder until I can’t feel anything at all.

It’s the shadow.
It’s the shadow, it’s the shadow, it’s the shadow, it’s the shadow,
It’s the shadow, it’s the shadow, it’s the shadow, it’s the shadow,
It’s the shadow, it’s the shadow, it’s the shadow, it’s the shadow inside.

It ebbs and flows and comes and goes
And rips you up and lets you go.
It eats inside and splits your mind.
As you search around for others’ kind,
You gather strength from the depths,
Fight the fight from day till night, till night, till night, till night, till night, till night.

This beautiful feeling soars over the skies
Moving through my body, out my mind.
It rises up and floods my brain.
This is fucking insane, this is fucking insane!

Am I still here as one with the fear?
Am I still alive as one with the fear?
Am I still here as one with the fear?
Am I still alive as one with the fear?
Am I still here as one with the fear?
Am I still alive as one with the fear?
Am I still here as one with the fear?
Am I still alive? I’m still fucking here.
Am I still here?”

[ The Storm Before The Calm – Anathema ]

Apparently, each and every project or series I work on must have an entry that’s the “odd one out”. The Storm Before The Calm is that for Weather Systems. If you give the song a listen you will easily understand why: for one thing, it is over nine minutes long, for another it has two climatic moments which split it in two parts with very distinctive feelings and emotions. Usually, such a work would require a diptych, but since all the works in the projects are diptychs to begin with, I just decided to split it into two parts: The Storm and The Calm.
The story behind this work is rather interesting: I had the two parts perfectly mapped out in my mind since spring, but they required the right conditions to be shot, which meant fitting weather in Alghero (I necessarily had to do them there because Trieste doesn’t have beaches, either sandy or rocky). The Calm was actually the first work I completed for the project – I shot it during the break between my autumn exam session in September and the start of the term in October, while the sea in Sardinia was still warm enough (I ever had a quick swim after I was done). Originally, I wanted it to have a cloudy feel, but it was my last day of holidays and while it was perfectly cloudy when I went out of the house with my mother, it became sunnier by the time we reached the sea. The photos turned out unexpectedly good nevertheless, so I stored them on my computer waiting for the right occasion to shoot the first part, which occourred now. On a side note, The Calm is the last photo I took with my Canon EOS 1000D camera that I’m publishing, as I purchased my 5D the next week end.
About the photos themselves, the first part, The Storm, is meant to represent the first five minutes of the song with their electronic, psychedelic storm. I intended for it to be windier with my hair flowing all around, but I’m very satisfied with it nonetheless: it has a very distinct fashion feel I totally love (while the stormy feeling is given by the photo of the foam). Afte the electronic part, the song has one in which it builds up until a climax (at about 6:45) which really feels like emerging from the water and taking a deep, relieving breath before finally laying to the shore, to safety: this is exactly what I tried to represent in the second photo, The Calm.

The Gathering Of The Clouds

“Searched the whole world,
Found I can’t compare.
Searched the whole world,
Found I can’t compare.

But we’re here because we’re here,
We’re here because we’re here
And there’s nothing to fear,
No, there’s nothing to fear.
But we’re here because we’re here,
We’re here because we’re here
And there’s nothing to fear,
Yeah, there’s nothing to fear.

Time is not what it would seem,
The life we live is like a dream.
Release belief, let it wash over me,
Let love reveal what I feel, what I feel,
What I feel, what I feel.

All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be, is happening to me.
All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be is happening to me.
All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be, is happening to me.
All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be is happening to me.

Searched the whole world,
Found I can’t compare.
Searched the whole world,
Found I can’t compare.

Fight for what you believe in, dare to live your dream,
In this life don’t be afraid of yourself, don’t be afraid.
Fight for what you believe in, dare to live your dream,
In this life don’t be afraid of yourself, don’t be afraid.
Fight for what you believe in, dare to live your dream,
In this life don’t be afraid of yourself, don’t be afraid.
Fight for what you believe in, dare to live your dream,
In this life don’t be afraid of yourself, don’t be afraid.

Time is not what it would seem,
The life we live is like a dream.
Release belief, let it wash over me,
Let love reveal what I feel, what I feel,
What I feel, what I feel.

All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be, is happening to me.
All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be is happening to me.
All that I’ve seen, all that I feel
All I could be, is happening to me.
All that I’ve seen, all that I feel.”

[ The Gathering Of The Clouds – Anathema ]

You know, when it comes to Weather Systems it’s really hard for me to pick a favourite song. I mean, except for Untouchable, Part 1, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard. Nevertheless, I think The Gathering Of The Clouds might qualify as my favourite right after the two Untouchable. I always, always shiver while it builds towards its climax, I literally can’t listen to it without feeling the need to catch my breath after its abrupt, superb string ending. And of course, I just see myself in the lyrics. I’ve rarely heard a song that has such a strong effect on my emotions and of course it was one of the first ideas I had for the project.
What you can see above perfectly corresponds to what I saw in my mind while listening to it: a breathtaking view of Capo Caccia (near Alghero, Italy) with heavy clouds above the rocks and the sea and me standing in front of it. An impressive 200 meters limestone cliff that drops into the sea, it’s one of my favorite places on Earth, it gives me the same exact feelings of that song: the noble, splendid and terrifying that merge into the sublime (check Kant to see what I mean). I knew all along that could be the one and only place where I could shoot this photo. The problem was just to get a cloudy day in Alghero while I was there on holiday (apparently they become frequent only whenever I’m not there), which means I brought all the clothes I needed for this photo back and forth at least three times before I could finally go there and shoot the photo (I had a very clear idea of the styling for this photo too). Well, at least I got a full-frame camera in the meantime, which improved the overall quality of the work.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I was standing just on the edge of the cliff, in front of Foradada Isle, with strong wind all around me. I was very cautious so I would not say I was in danger, but I love this song and photo so much I wanted to do things properly, including taking some risks. The outcome totally justifies it and the wait, it’s extremely rewarding when you can get an image from your head to the camera exactly like you wanted.
About my modelling work here, I was afraid I’d end up looking like an emotionless porcelain doll like I often do, but I basically playing the song in my mind while posing, which gave me the right mood and expression. I really can’t put in words how much this work means to me, soI just hope you can get it from the photo itself.

2012: Crisis and Rebirt

A bit late, here’s my review on what happened to me last year. To sum 2012 up in few words, I can say it’s been the year of my artistic crisis and rebirth.
According to my deviantART statistics, I published 167 works overall (excluding a few photos from the year before that were left in January), 49 of which featuing me only as the model, 35 being non-portraiture works and the rest being portraits I shot. Yet, if we analyse my timelime, we’ll see there is a huge discontinuity in the different categories: my work as a photographer peaked in the first four months of the year, then drastically declined during summer with the publication of just a few shots, then increased a bit in September and flourished again from October on. Meanwhile, what I did between May and August was mainly modelling, with Miss Lucy, my Canon EOS 1000D camera gathering dust most of the time.

So, what happened is easily said: I outgrew my equipment. After I purchased a 50mm f/1,8 lens late in 2011, which boosted the quality of my work, I was prompted to try and take more professional-looking photos. I also started to look up to professional photographers as my source of inspiration, so my ideas became more and more technically challenging. After a scanty January which only offered me the occasion of shooting some non-portraits of frosty plants, I had three very busy months in which I had five very satisfying photosessions; yet, I soon found out that while most of the photos were good – many of them being among my personal favourites – some could have been better, some needed a lot of work in postproduction to look how I wanted them to, while others were downright disappointing and were to be scrapped due to the limits of my entry-level camera, which didn’t allow me the freedom and technical quality I needed. After shooting Dance In The Dark in late April/early May, I had to come to terms with this: the difficulties I had to face with that photo, its light conditions and the huge amount of postproduction I had to do really brought me down. I had some kind of block whenever I took Miss Lucy out for some photos, which resulted in only a few non-portraits in May, one single portrait in June (for the Infernal Lords project), another one in August, and just a few photos in September; when I shot a few portraits in July, I used BriarRose’s Nikon D80 to shoot rather than my Miss Lucy.

What helped me get over my block was a pure stroke of luck: Giovanni Salvatore, a photographer BriarRose had worked with, sold his perfectly working Canon EOS 5D and I could afford the price. In between when we arranged the purchase and we actually met, I revamped Miss Lucy and got back to shooting in anticipation for the arrival of Evelyn, which occourred on 14th October (after an amazing brunch with Wiegenlied). Despite the very first attempts being rather frustrating (at first glance, because when I uploaded the photos on my MacBook I was astounished), Evelyn and I quickly grew to understand and love one another and I immediately started getting amazing results with her. I had three big sessions between mid-October and December and I don’t recall having been so satisfied in a long time.

Fortunately for my artistic year, at the same time as I blocked as a photographer, my model self was suddenly and unexpectedly released. I’ve already written about how much my session with Cunene helped me accept my body the way it is, and it really put me in the modelling mood for the next few months. So, while I was reluctant to shoot, I really enjoyed posing for DamaInNero, Massimo Caregnato, ContessaNera, Giulia Biletta and BriarRose. It was the first time I worked with analog photography (posing for Massimo), which was a bit weird but extremely fascinating. Also, after a really fashionable session with ContessaNera, BriarRose pushed me past my own limits once again having me pose almost-nude for an almost-erotic miniseries, something I would have never ever considered without her. I even dared try to apply for a casting by Cecilie Harris, although it didn’t work out. But well, that was really flying too high, and for the rest 2012 turned out to be a very profitable year in modelling.

Another interesting “collateral” experience was assisting other photographers while they were shooting. I helped The.Ory and another photographer with the lights on five occasions, with both reflecting panels and remote flashes. These experiences helped me learn a lot, in particular about how lights affect a subject and how different methods produce different results. I also got something of a photography-related job, as my friend Barbara from Dama proposed me to work with her recording studio if some band that got there to record needed promotional photographs or visual material.

One strange thing about this year was how I handled my projects. Beside developing two short-term projects with BriarRose, the Salomé miniseries with Cunene and the Fight Like A Girl series on our own, I kicked off two new long-term projects, Artpop Generation and Weather Systems, based on Lady Gaga’s music and Anathema’s latest album respectively; the former had a very quick developement, with a lot of works done in little time. I also defined all the details for two more project, although I’m still waiting to kick them off.

Nevetheless, my older projects were severely slowed down: letting alone the Murder Ballads, I only shot two Infernal Lords, the lowest rate per year since I started the project (I actually published four, but two were shot on December 2011; also, I shot only two in 2009 as well, but that’s because I started the project in October). I think the project suffered a lot from my block, but I’m curious to see what comes out with my full-frame camera now; but don’t worry, I’m still into it and I’ve also started writing a story about my Demons. Also, my Inspiration Hurts project slowed down a lot, with only one song-title and two collateral photos added to the series. This is entirely to blame on other people, as I had 9 photos ready to shoot, eight of which with BriarRose, but those who had to provide us with logisitc help such as hosting or driving us to the set locations backed up and screwed us over at the very last moment. I’m almost afraid the curse that was placed upon the Infernal Lords simply moved to this project, which would be annoying.

Now, 2013 has started with really big plans, some of which await confirmation wile others are already around the bend. But while we wait, here is my year month-by-month as of the summary above.

• January – On Most Surfaces: The year started all frosty and snowy. A I mentioned, I didn’t get to shoot with anybody, but I actually didn’t even try to organise anything because I was still packed up with a lot of material to publish from the year beore. Nevertheless, while I was waiting for a bus in Milan, I unexpectedly found snow and took some photos of plants covered in it, which was something I wanted to do since forever.

• February – The Wait: I had two sessions late that month, one with Shinichi, the first Asian guy I shot, and one with Deborah Luna. Both took place in Milan Central Station and were very fashion-oriented, but had totally different visuals, the first focussing on a more street-kind of imagery, the second drawing from the Thirties. For the first time, I really focussed on giving the whole sessions a coherent look.

• March – Cathedral Walls: This was the month that saw the birth of the Artpop Generation project. Alessandro Jonah modelled for its first two photos and also for a fashion-oriented session in the centre of Milan. I managed to blend my gothic roots with my new approach taking a step forward in the definition of a more mature style of my own. Also, I took a few non-portaiture monochromes I really love.

• April – Vincent: April was a really busy month. I had new sessions with both Deborah Luna and Alessandro Jonah, the former with a Fifties pin-up flavour and the latter going in a spring-summer fashion direction that brought a lot of light to my work. I also shot some cityscapes, as well as one of the photos I’m most satisfied with, a monochromatic portrait of Anathema’s lead singer Vincent Cavanagh, right at the end of an interview I had with him.
• May – Dance In The Dark: I was running fast and I hit a glass barrier. It was painful, I had to stop and understand how to get past it. Meanwhile I got back to modelling for Cunene, Massimo Caregnato, my mother and Giulia Biletta, while shooting a few citiscapes of Venice. That’s when I started considering the purchase of a full-frame camera.

• June – Agares: This is the only photo I shot that month, on the 30th. But on the other hand, ContessaNera and I didn’t meet since 2009 and it was great to see each other again. After I shot her for my project, she shot me on a very beautiful summer fashion series I really enjoyed doing. I also found out I was quite good at doing my own styling, which thrilled me.

• July – Fashion: July was a slightly disappointing month. Briar Rose came over and stayed at my place for a couple of weeks, but we only got to shoot few photos together because it was horribly hot and she was full of work. I only shot a small fashion-oriented session in Burano, Venice, which brought a lot of colour into my photography, but due to a sudden change in the light conditions I only saved four photos. On the other hand, I modelled for her on my first (slightly) erotic photographs, the Obsession series (which I’ll write about soon). We barely shot anything we had planned before, but the sudden gusts of inspiration were extremely rewarding.

• August – Confide In Sweetness: That’s really the only photo I took in the whole month, and I did because I didn’t want to miss Theo Hutchcraft’s birthday. It was a funny little thing, but overall that’s been my most uncreative month since I started taking photos.

• September – Magic Is Coming: I totally got into ABC’s Once Upon A Time and, in the eagerness for the second season premiere, I took one of my best self-portraits ever with the assistance of DamaInNero. I also shot a few monochromes of Venice, but nothing more.

• October – Scheiße: That was the month of my rebirth. I reserved Evelyn and, while looking forward to getting it, I shot some cemeterial photos and a few portraits with Miss Lucy. After I purchased Evelyn, BriarRose came over at my place again for two weeks and this time we worked hard (despite other people screwing us over all the time). It was difficult to pick one single photo for the summary, as we did a lot of different things, including me modelling, but I chose Sheiße because it was the most significant sigle photo I shot. Beside that and Bubblegum Bitch, we shot a whole miniseries inspired by Emilie Autumn’s latest album Fight Like A Girl in Venice, turning the city into our own Asylum. As the first big project I did with my new equipment, the result was far beyond my expectations.

• November – Somebody That I Used To Know: My plans for November included a trip to Belgium for Within Temptation’s Elements special concert. While planning, I looked for some handsome local model and found Tuur, who I immediately contacted to organise a photosession. This is one of my favourite works to date as it has a really fashion yet melancholic feeling, thanks to the amazing colours of the Belgian autumn.

• December – Rootless: Nitrogen Frostrhyme asked me for a photoshoot and I agreed, as I had a great time working with him back in 2010. What I did not expect was the snow that settled the night before the day we had arranged, which gave me the unexpected chance to develop a lot of photos I had sketched in my mind in the last few years. I love snow, so I was extremely eager to finally get to shoot those photos, some of which are extremely meaningful to me. The year closed where it begun, with snow, but with a growth in my artistry I didn’t really expect.

All I Want For Christmas Is New Year’s Day

“Everybody waits for Christmas;
For me it’s New Year’s Day
That’s gonna come and take my blues away.
I’m wishing on the stars for Christmas
And hoping for a better day
When it doesn’t hurt to feel this way.
And everywhere there’s joy around this festive time of year
And happiness has never felt so far away.

All of the bells ringing out for Christmas,
I’m singing goodbye to the year before:
I know that the next one will be different
So much more.
All of the bells ringing out for Christmas,
And I’m not supposed to feel this way,
But all that I want this year for Christmas
Is New Year’s Day.

It’s only seven days till Christmas,
Six more till New Year’s Day;
It’s not a good time to feel this way.
Everywhere the snow surrounds you
And melts your troubles away:
I can only hope to feel the same.
I know that there will be tidings of joy this time next year,
But happiness has never felt so far away.

All of the bells ringing out for Christmas,
I’m singing goodbye to the year before:
I know that the next one will be different
So much more.
All of the bells ringing out for Christmas,
And I’m not supposed to feel this way,
But all that I want this year for Christmas
Is New Year’s Day.

I remember how I used to feel at Christmas.”

[ All I Want For Christmas Is New Year’s Day – Hurts ]

This is a quite accurate portrayal of how I felt at Chrisrmas last year. It was not the easiest of periods for me, I didn’t really know who I was and what I wanted to do with my life anymore (with photography being my only exception to an otherwise bad moment) and I was totally out of the festive mood. As I always find relief in music, I was listening ot this song to exorcise my feelings when I got the idea for this exact image with that tiny tricot Chrismas Tree that I had at my mother’s place. Due to the whole ordeal I was going through I could not fly home and shoot it there and then, so I decided to wait. Despite the fact that fortunately things have changed and got better in the meantime, I still loved the idea, so I waited to get back home for Christmas to shoot it as soon as I could. As for Magic Is Coming, it is a self-portrait I set up myself and took with the assistance of my mother, DamaInNero, who made everything much easier.
This is the first photo of the Inspiration Hurts project I shot with my Canon EOS 5D and I’m amazed by how the bokeh came out and how I managed to handle the light. I really can’t wait to take more photos for this project, in particular now that Hurts set a release date for their new album. Let’s cross fingers.

Sunlight

“Sunlight failed, but only for a while.
In the moonlight pale someone made me smile.
The shining almost took me, but I made it through that night
And, in the morning, life it graced me and I ran for miles
Into sunlight, in a billion dreams that are lost and won,
And moonlight. In spite of all you’ve seen, there’s only one way out:
Say you will love me until I leave the world.

Say you will love me until I leave the world.
In a billion dreams that are lost and won.
Say you will love me until I leave the world.
In spite of all you’ve seen, there’s only one way out.”

[ Sunlight – Anathema ]

The first work for my Weather Systems project is Sunlight. I really do hope the photo speaks for itself, in particular if accompanied by the music and the lyrics, but I’d love to spend some words about it anyways.
There’s no particular reason why I chose it to open the project, except I got it ready first. As promised, it is a diptych with one photo portraying the weather phenomenon from the title and lyrics and the other the related mood. Sunlight is a happy song. Yet, I think its more about serenity and optimism than an outburst of joy: that’s why I had Riccardo look content and serene rather than overjoyed. There’s confidence in his pose that expresses trust in the future while I tried to give the photo a generally relaxed atmosphere. On the other hand, rather than banally just shooting the sun with some landscape I tried to take a peculiar photo of it, something that would subtly suggest the sunlight: that’s how I came up with the idea of trying to turn that branch into a candle of sort.
To be honest, the idea was rather sudden, I had it just the day before shooting: at first I wasn’t expecting snow and this photoshoot was supposed to be very grim, but when I checked the weather forecast I was overjoyed because I’d been looking forward to shooting in the snow for years literally. I thought snow would perfectly fit the song because it is luminous as it can be, and here is the finished work.

Weather Systems

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m glad to introduce to you my new long-term project: Weather Systems.

I know I already have a handful of half-finished ones on the go, but you know, ideas stuck at random and I just can’t help it.

Once again, it’s a project inspired by music: Anathema’s latest album (and namesake of the project), Weather System, was released earlier this year. 2012 has been blessed with so many amazing records that it’s really hard to pick a favourite one, but this album really gets close to the title. The amazing blend of beautiful music, essential arrangements, breath-taking lyrics and impressive emotional depth of each song makes Weather Systems a real masterpice and a highly inspiring piece of music. Indeed, once I got used to the songs enough to stop crying each time I’d listen to them (even on a train on my way to interviewing Vincent Cavanagh), I immediately started getting images and ideas for photos, and they were so consistent that I decided to develop them into a proper series.

Weather Systems is not strictly a concept album, yet it has a common theme that touches all the songs. Weather conditions and parts of the day used as metaphores to descrive the “internal landscapes” of people: their feelings, their reactions to particular situations they may go through, their fears, hopes, dreams, even near-death experiences. The emotional depth of each song is enough to inspire a photograph, but this general idea behind the album amplifies it all and inspired me with images that would give a double rendition of it.

The project will thus consist of ten diptychs – one for each song, except one song which will have two – and will feature an image of nature, sky or weather matched with a portrait to represent both the emotions and the metaphore of the song. This is the common ground on which the series will be built and will give it a stronger cohesion than ever.

Currently, I have two works done for the Weather Systems project: one will be released tomorrow, while the other will have to wait a bit (because it’s the second diptych for the song I decided to split). You will be able to see the progress by selecting the related tag on this blog, or by checking the related gallery on my deviantART. I really do hope you’ll enjoy this work, for I’ll be literally pouring my heart into it.