The eternal challenge between man and nature and the unpredictable journey of life. This project has been for me a very tough and demanding experience which lasted for many years. It has been a long journey through tough trials: emotionally, technically and physically.
I have married a fisherman and with him I decided to create my family. It was him who introduced me and made me fall in love with the art of fishing, an art that demands skills, devotion and muscles. In the blackest darkness that only some nights can create, these men face everyday the hardness of life and during the long moments spent waiting, they put to the test their shrewdness and patience.
Being a fishmonger means loving and hating your job at the same time. Fishing gives you strong emotions that are unknown to the majority of men and women. At the same time this mighty sea keeps you away from your family and from your dear ones. Photographing this journey has been a challenging challenge. It was all about keeping lights to a minimum as not to interfere with the fishing, moving slowly even in the hardest conditions and using strong contrasts.
This is a documentary about strong men, about a forgotten art, a trade that is almost unknown. It is a story about wives who long wait for their husbands, about the worry during stormy days, about the hope for the sea to be indulgent.
This documentary has for me a great emotional value. Many are the exhibitions in which this pictures have been featured and they are also collected in a book. It all started because I wanted people to know how fascinating and strong the art of fishing is, and because I did not want this art to be wasted and forgotten.
This documentary is dedicated to all those women who read my book; to all the people who could find in it the face, strength and courage of a husband who deeply loved his job but was taken away too early from his love and greatest passion.
For more info on the “The art of fishing” exhibition and to purchase the book, contact me.
