Based in Florence, Film Photographer Stefano Santucci values analog for many reasons, including the significance of cherishing imperfection and focusing on the soul and story of each image. His goal is to intervene when he senses that something great is happening and he focuses on quality over quantity as well as delivering meaningful images. Stefano Santucci is passionate about sharing his love of film photography with his couples and travels worldwide.
Tell us about your business!
My name is Stefano Santucci. I’m a Wedding Film Photographer and Darkroom Artist based in Florence, Italy and I founded my Studio in 2011.
I do not see myself as a traditional photographer nor do I follow trends. Instead, I seek the truth and authenticity in couples with a story to tell.
In my Studio I have the possibility to develop, process, print and scan every single film roll I shot.
This approach gives me better control over quality and better safety since there are no shipments of films.
Quality over quantity has always been my priority.
What would you like couples to know about you?
The first thing to know about me is that I’m an experienced film and digital photographer based in Florence, Italy.
This is my passion and my craft. Photography for me is a privilege and art must be a mission.
I am a very calm and not at all intrusive person, in my photographs I like to follow a precious silence, a slowness of certain instants, and have a very calm mental approach. People often tell me that I am a figure who brings tranquility and well-being. For me, being relaxed and calm while working is an indispensable constant for bringing home an excellent job.
I was born in 1983 in Cremona, a small, foggy town in Northern Italy, best known for its violins. In 2002, I moved to Florence, nestled in the heart of Tuscany, to study nonverbal behavior and facial expressions in children at the University of Psychology.
In 2010, I pivoted from psychology to become a full-time film and digital photographer. A year later, I established my studio (@photosantucci) and began traveling and publishing globally.
For me, photography is therapy: I have always given a therapeutic and meditative value to the image and to producing images. Photography as pure inner research.
My reflective and introverted nature has guided me in my choices. In the summer, I discreetly tell love stories, immersing myself in the feelings of people unknown to me and interpreting their lives through my sensitivity. In the winter, however, I find energy in solitude, photographing empty places that evoke absent presences. I take Penny for a walk and, through photography, I find my balance.
This is how many of my projects were born, while others arose from the need to reread the past with a new look.
Film allowed me to slow down and delve deeper into what I was observing.
And it is thanks to film that I found my rhythm. In the darkroom, between developing, printing and scanning, I rediscover slow gestures and manual rituals. These repetitions, with a profoundly meditative value, have helped me find myself again.
The purpose of photography should never be success, fame, or even material enrichment.
I believe that photography should really be used as a medicine, as a tool and a mirror through which one can understand the world, and consequently oneself.
Where are you based?
I’m based in Florence, Italy, the cradle of the renaissance in Tuscany.
Do you travel for weddings?
Yes I do, so far I’ve been telling stories with my camera in USA, Greece, Morocco, France, Thailand, Australia and I’m always available to travel for my couples.
How would you describe your style?
My approach is documentary, and this means that I do not pose or fake scenes, instead I prefer working behind the scenes and telling a story based on my vision and your REAL personality.
I'm drawn to informal yet curated events with distinct personalities and a healthy dose of chaos.
Among all vendors, I believe I'm the one who cares most about your memories and the aesthetic of your event. I'm a very easy person to work with, and I would do everything in my power to make you feel comfortable and deliver my best work for your cherished moments.
I'm a calm and quiet person. Working with film is a natural extension of my approach to life.
What is your most memorable career moment?
Every time someone recognizes me and truly sees me with a deeper connection.
In my work I have decided not to gain visibility through easy shortcuts: in my archive I have large quantities of photos of celebrities but I prefer to honor the ethics of these people and my own by choosing to respect their privacy. Maybe this is the reason many of them keep looking on my side and decide to trust my vision for their wedding day.
What inspires you?
Love. I often hear incredible love stories. They are timeless, and they span the centuries. Think back to the master works of the great Renaissance painters. Their subject? Love. Always love. What distinguishes the good from the great? I believe it comes down to one thing and one thing alone: the uniqueness of the sensibility and the willingness and commitment to treat each couple – and each story – as something completely different, extraordinary, and, well, unique. I bring this to my work. I bring this deeply personal way to the stories I tell about love.
How would you describe your working style?
In the past 14 years I worked for high budget production weddings and low budget events with the same smile and commitment.
What I learned:
Love can be everywhere and in every kind of person.
Big events are stressful mostly for bride and groom.
It is the most remote and unthinkable places that contain the greatest stories.
People are finally realizing that there is no need to pretend anymore.
True wealth is having the courage to be yourself.
Consequently, it's important to tell people's stories authentically rather than altering who they are.
I will continue to pursue a personal and close relationship with each of my couples to get closer to them as people.
In my work I have decided not to gain visibility through easy shortcuts: in my archive I have large quantities of photos of celebrities but I prefer to honor the ethics of these people and my own by choosing to respect their privacy.
The world is a big place, it took me 42 years to be what I am and if people don't like me it's better that we don't work together.
Even if it is often not recognized (at least at the beginning), our work has the greatest responsibility of all in our industry and we are compensated for all the experience gained from our failures.
Do you shoot digitally, on film or both?
As a film photographer, I shoot primarily on film, but there is also a digital component to complete.
Do you have custom packages to suit individual needs?
I've organized my offer to cover all needs, and I'm happy to customize it if needed.
What is a favourite product or service that you offer and why?
Film photography is my signature style, especially using Rolleiflex. Owning a studio with all the expertise that allows me to develop, print, and scan, I care deeply about prints coming from the darkroom. They are unique and timeless.
Where would you love to travel to for work?
Japan. I’ve been there for a vacation and I fell in love.
Who is your dream client?
Someone with a gentle delicacy, with style, elegance, curiosity, shyness. Someone who has suffered and managed to see beyond the surface.
I'm drawn to informal, yet curated events with distinct personalities and a healthy dose of chaos.
What is your advice to couples getting married?
In these years I’ve noted that the magic of wedding photography ultimately comes down to trust. If you foster trust, I, as your photographer, can freely use my artistry in way that surprise and delight, and hopefully enrich the way you look back on your wedding day.
Stefano Santucci Website: photosantucci.com
Instagram: @photosantucci