Visual Storytelling Series | Valentina Solfrini
The first interview in my visual storytelling series is with Valentina Solfrini, a photographer, blogger, and photography teacher based in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. Her blog, Hortus Cuisine, won Saveur’s Best New Blog in 2014. Her work has a sense of moody romance from times past, a Renaissance painterly quality to it, which I find so inspiring and unique. I love how everything she creates is with intention and a clear story. You can feel how deeply aligned she is with the soul of her work. I hope you will be just as inspired by her work as I am! You can see more of her work here too.
Enjoy!
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What does visual storytelling mean to you?
To me, visual storytelling is the art of describing feelings through images. All artists are sort of peddlers of feelings and dreams - be it musicians, painters, what have you. You give attention and, sometimes, money, to witness art that makes you feel the feelings you want. As artists, we’re trees nourished by what we feel - what we are excited to talk about or what we need to process - and you’re left to pick the fruits we bear.
When did you start to develop your own style?
I think straight away. I attended an art-focused high school in one of the most stunning Renaissance cities in Italy, Urbino, and I grew up surrounded by buildings covered in frescoes and museums filled with chiaroscuro paintings. During my school years, I used to draw and paint a lot, copying leaves, flowers, fruits, and little animals on cotton paper. All I did was translate the paintings into photography.
Do you feel like the style of your work is a “product of your environment/home?”
Absolutely. Following up on the question above, my school was near the Ducal palace, where Duke Federico of Montefeltro lived around the mid-1400s, and which hosts a wonderful museum. I had access to it for free, and I have roamed its halls countless times. I also live in a very old farmhouse and right next to a castle, which I see and access almost every day. These buildings have thick walls, and the light filtering through the windows produces that beautiful chiaroscuro. Everything in these buildings looks like it’s coming straight out of one of those paintings. It’s just there. It’s part of the magic of Europe and Italy.
Your work has a sense of ethereal magic and nostalgia quality about it– was that always there from the beginning or did it slowly evolve with you?
It’s definitely always been there. It was there in my drawings, and people tell me it’s there when I make music or write, and it’s what I want to feel when I watch, read or listen to something. I am glad this is what people perceive in my art. I think your feelings seep into the art you make whether you want it or not. I’ve had people reaching out to me to ask if I was all right when my work seemed a little sadder than usual. That’s a good indicator of how much of yourself goes into what you put out in the world.
When crafting a visual story of a place, recipe, or for a client, where do you begin your creative process?
I think of the feeling I want the image to give to the viewer. Colors play a huge part in this - the first thing I think of is creating a color palette that complements the color of my subject. An example: I need to photograph apricots, or an apricot cake: Does this need to be airy and fun, or simple and elegant? I can use a yellow tablecloth on the apricots to create a cheerful, warm scene. Or, I can move everything outside and create a summery picnic-like scene. I can use a blue cloth instead of a yellow one to dampen the summer cheerfulness a bit and provide an element of contrast. If using a blue cloth but keeping the light temperature warm and sunny, it will feel like Greece. If you shift it to a cooler blue light, it will feel like Northern Europe. The possibilities are endless. If you don’t have a clear understanding of color and are not sure of what feeling you want out of the image, building a scene can become overwhelming and confusing, leaving us to wonder why we don’t like an image that is - apparently - perfectly fine.
Storytelling is so subjective; everyone has a unique eye and creative voice. How would you suggest new photographers to define theirs without being swayed by new styles or trends?
Storytelling is subjective because we’re all unique. When you’re just starting out, you’re trying to identify something out there that feels closest to you, and try to be like it. It’s normal, and it’s good for learning, but it’s also limiting. These days, I feel that the only way to not be influenced by trends is to just not look too much at social media. Creativity can be a beautiful form of ingenuity that shines when options are limited and you are left alone with yourself. The things you look at the most are the things that give you your favorite feelings. Is it the colors? Is it the shapes? The environment? Write down some notes on what gives you the good feelings about the photos you look at the most, and try to give it an identity. Then close everything - social media, images you’re looking at, everything - and see how you can recreate it using what’s around you, your personal story, your culture, and your skills.
Does sensitivity play a role in your creative process?
It does. Sensitivity is a huge part of being creative. Being sensitive means being perceptive to what surrounds you and being responsive and attentive to change, ebbs and flows, and inputs. To me, creativity stirs when I am present in the world and can truly connect with what’s around me. This is why I often feel like I have to do simple things like just listening to music, go for a walk, and get away from social media, lest I lose contact with myself and remain trapped in what is the absolute opposite of a vicious cycle.
In the creative planning process, do you map out every detail or leave room for spontaneity and play?
I keep a notebook where I sketch the scenes I would like to build, take some notes, and make lists of things I will need that I might forget. Then I will sometimes throw it all out the window and just experiment right there on the spot, if I see a ray of light that is falling just right or a prop I did not consider. Being prepared is key because it saves you time and energy, but the ability to improvise is a godsend when things do not go as planned. I’m happy I can work both ways!
What is your favorite type of light to shoot in? (I think I can guess!) And does that carry a specific emotion for you in general?
Absolutely natural light! Lately, I fell in love with rays of direct sunlight through a window and long shadows, as well as using normal warm lamps rather than official photography lights when shooting in studio. I got the cue from a friend who took some amazing pictures using cheap IKEA lamps and I loved the idea. I Love these light sources because they are golden and very warm. I think I love this warmth because it reminds me of oil paintings, the fat contained within the paint yellowing with time.
Is writing an equally important part of your creative process?
To me, it is. You might not believe it, but in my life, I probably wrote more than I photographed. Stories - short and long ones, notes, diaries, recipes, ideas. I wish I’d feel like putting out more of it, but I’m also happy to have some writing that I can keep to myself and that only serves as inspiration. One day, I would love to put out in the world a novel I wrote and that is very dear to me.
So much can be said in the composition of the photograph; how do you let the scene “live” naturally without it feeling overly styled or contrived?
I take it step by step, starting from the bigger element that needs to be positioned in the scene. After that, I’ll see if there’s any more to add, from larger to smaller. I try to give more life to the elements in the scene rather than getting carried away by adding more. Let’s get back to our apricot example: rather than just a bowl of apricots, you can move things around by cutting one in half and exposing the pit, or using one that is more ripe and one that has some spots or changes in colors, adding leaves - some whole, some yellowing. There are many ways to give movement to a scene. Have a loaf of bread? Cut slices and put the knife next to it. Have a cake? Cut a slice and take a bite; show the crumb. Taking someone’s picture outdoors? Capture your subject while moving, twirling - freeze a moment in time. We like images where you can see, or imagine, human interaction.
Lastly, what or who inspires you right now? What are you working on or looking forward to?
I’ve gone a bit back to my origins and are taking some time to read and listen to lots of Early music. I am working part-time as a chef in a restaurant, and the process of shopping and creating menus is one of the most fun things I am doing today, as well as researching medieval recipes and history for a new project coming this fall (as I mentioned, I do live right next to a medieval castle and have access to lots of amazing reenactors). Working at the restaurant gave me the chance to talk to other chefs, and I am learning how to run the actual business. I am focusing a little bit on this until September when I’ll get back to blogging and sharing a few things I learned and Images I have in mind. I am also opening my little Airbnb.
Inspiration for photos does not have to come only from other images!
See more of her beautiful work here…
