Clara Vannucci

Photographed By Ottavia Poli

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED AND WHERE DO YOU PRESENTLY RESIDE?
I was born in Florence, Italy. Now I’m back in Italy after a few years living abroad. I live between Rome, Florence and Milan.

THE BEST THINGS ABOUT YOUR CITY?
Florence is definitely my city. It’s visually stunning. When you walk the streets of this city, especially at night, you can see the immense beauty. It leaves you breathless.

WHAT WERE YOUR CHILDHOOD ASPIRATIONS?
As a child I wanted to be a rock star. But growing up, I soon realized that the stage wasn’t for me. I prefer staying behind the camera rather than in front. I often thought of a possible Plan B, in case my career didn’t work out. Unfortunately, I never came up with one one. Since I started printing the first pictures in my father’s darkroom 18 years ago, I never wanted to do anything else. It’s pure magic.

WHY PHOTOGRAPHER?
I find a way to communicate with everyone, in every country, through images. That’s why i find it irreplaceable and reportage and spontaneity the best way to represent the subjects I photograph. I love giving people a voice through images, in the most respectful way, especially with stories that are delicate.

YOUR INTEREST IN THE PENAL SYSTEM AND DOCUMENTARIES IN GENERAL?
The first photography assignment I ever did it was in Florence's juvenile prison while I was doing a theatre project with the association OSA Teatro. I was 18 at the time. I immediately felt there was a story that needed to be told. It was the right place to show something that is seen as a taboo, hidden, but at the same time an important part of our society. From there I started working on many different prison project, “Crime and Redemption”, a reportage about the theatre group La Compagnia della Fortezza in Volterra, being the first important one. An example that I decided to show in the U.S. They had never seen something like this. From there, through the access of documentary photographer Donna Ferrato, I stearted a project in Rikers Island Jail, battered women section. Basically one project lead to another, to “Bail Bond” and the teaching of opera in a prison in Milan.

WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I didn't study photography, I wanted to be a photographer, but i wasn't sure about any photography school, so, after high school i decided on visual design, under the Faculty of architecture in Florence. After that, I moved to NYC where i did an internship at Magnum Photo and assisted, for over two years, the documentary photographer Donna Ferrato. After few years in NYC, i receives an offer from Enrico Bossan, to join with a one year scholarship Fabrica, the Benetton artist research center, Fabrica, is a place where you find the way to work and compare with other people, to talk about your work, to be criticized and to build something. They produced and published my first book, “Bail Bond, Bondsman, Defendants and Bounty Hunters”.

WHAT GEAR DO YOU USE?
I mainly use a Leica Q, with a 28 F/1.4 lens. It’s simply fabulous. I always have it on me. When I have specific assignments I use my Canon 5 D Mark II, lens 24-70 F/2.8, that’s still a magnificent camera.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
My creative process it usually depends on the story I have to tell. If is a long term project, the subject has to be studied deeply. I turn it over many times, analyze what I've accomplished and the go back, again and again. When I’m dealing with an editorial assignment, often you have to be fast and don't have time to go revisit the subject. I’ve learned how to do my homework in the best possible way.

WHOSE WORK HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST?
Being Donna Ferrato’s assistant for over two years gave me so much. She taught me how to approach the people I wanted to photograph. She’s my mentor and my inspiration. She taught me to never enter others’ lives, even for a short time, and mix them with mine.

YOU ARE ALSO A FASHION AFICIONADO, HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING UP ON FASHION WEEK AND HAS ANYTHING CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION THIS SEASON?
Yes, I covered the fashion weeks in the past, at the beginning of my career. This year I'm back documenting it, and I must say I did like it a lot. I love reportage, and fashion is of course a visually beautiful and I feel comfortable photographing its spontaneity.

ANY HOBBIES AND HOW DO YOU UNWIND?
I love to travel, that’s why what I enjoy doing the most - both for work and for holidays. I like seeing new places, faces, getting to know different cultures. When I have leftover time, I spend it at home, hanging out and going to the cinema.