Andrea Pistolesi Photographer

Jan 27, 2008

COOKING UP BANGKOK...

Back in the city that can give deep thrills or sorrows... this time on the more earthly task of shooting the unique street food experience of the city... blade runner atmosphere once again: pork, fish and papaya as frame to incredible faces... I love it...

Jan 21, 2008

EVEN IN PHUKET...

Even in Phuket, you can find moments of peace... well, most of times is just apparent, but we like to think this way...

Jan 15, 2008

IN THAILAND, AGAIN...

Back in Thailand tonight. In Phuket for a new travel assignment. Somebody says life is easy, but you should see the mess tourism has created in this place to think again. We’ll need to see through the crowd to find a reason why this place means something, why somebody should travel 20 hours to get here. The first night out...

Jan 10, 2008

NAG SHOW AT FNAC NAPLES

And from today, January 10th, the NAG show will be at FNAC Naples through February 20th. If you are in the area and visit it let me know your impressions.

TUTTIFOTOGRAFI PORTFOLIO

On the January issue of TuttiFotografi (an important Italian photography magazine) there is an amazing portfolio of my NAG book and a story telling about my work. Rarely I found such a clever presentation of it, without the usual common places but pointing instead to the real aspects of our profession in these difficult times. I would like to thank the publisher for the (over 10 including cover) pages of images and clarifications. This will save me a lot of time answering the usual questions from photography lovers who have an unclear idea of the job.

Dec 28, 2007

TURIN IS STILL A PUSH....

Once again on assignment in Turin (and still freezing, grrrr)... This city keeps giving me peaks of good and bad (feelings)... must be in it's history, mood, devilish tradition...

Dec 26, 2007

REGENSBURG, TO KEEP WINTER FREEZE...

An assignment in Regensburg (Germany) provided a new opportunity to freeze my bones and look forward to the coming trip to South East Asia in January-February with greater desire. Beside the climate will be a great opportunity to explore the night scene in Bangkok (ah, ah, not the usual comments, please!) and the borders of Burma with China and the Golden Triangle in general. Will give more details in the near future. Have a good year!

Dec 23, 2007

BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU!

We need a great 2008 to give our creativity a chance to grow. Forecast is far from good, but we look forward and count on our assertive convictions to achieve better results.
In the meanwhile have a peaceful holiday season and start the New Year with new ideas and new ways to develop them.

Dec 16, 2007

LAST CALENDARS AVAILABLE

We have a few more Corpo da Ballo 2008 calendars (around 20) available. If you wish to receive it let us know asap. We’ll mail them just before Christmas.

FESTIVAL DEL VIAGGIO IN PISA

It was nice to talk last night in the City Hall hall in Pisa, sitting almost on the Mayor chair. The historical environment was challenging, but talking about prayer moments in the world, presenting the Io Credo book dedicated to the Believers project, helped keeping the austere spirit of the place. Festival del Viaggio (Travel's Festival) is a new initiative with a great potential, with a public extremely attentive and more competent then the usual esthetic gathering. Thanks for the intelligent conversation (a rarity). Furthermore the religious subject is still attracting a lot of attention, touching a very sensible side of humanity. I’ll have more moments dedicated to this work in the near future, maybe also a re-edition of the book. I’ll keep you posted here in the blog.

Dec 1, 2007

FOTOGRAFICA 07: A GREAT EVENING

Thank you everybody for the vast participation to my talk at Fotografica 07 in Milan tonight. It was an unexpected pleasure to see such a large number of people REALLY interested in photography and the difficult expectations for the reporter's job today. Sorry we had not more time to discuss imaging philosophy and what this work should become in the near future. If you have further comments, suggestions and questions please let me know...

Nov 18, 2007

FREEZING IN SEOUL NOW

Shooting at few degrees below zero in Seoul makes thinking difficult... but this city is really interesting. The classic metropolis in the Blade Runner atmosphere that I’ve been chasing for years and has been existing for a short while mainly in Asia is still lingering here. The modernization cleanup has almost been completed and the globalized modern life-style is here too...

Nov 14, 2007

AT CANON PHOTOGRAPHY WEEK ON DECEMBER 1ST IN MILAN

On December 1st I'll be participating at the Canon Photography Week (Settimana della fotografia) at FORMA, the Italian Centre for Photography. I'll be discussing Travel Photography around 6 pm but will be around before then. If you wish to come...
the link for more info is
http://www.canon.it/For_Home/fotografica/Calendario_1_dicembre.asp

Nov 12, 2007

SHOOTING IN HONG KONG

I’m in Hong Kong, shooting an assignment on the ethnic and cultural integration that this city begins to represent worldwide. It’s not simple as many of the subjects are illegally present in the territory, but is also a great opportunity to give a new look to this changing reality. I guess from now on reporting will be more on this aspect of humanity then on the traditional geographical aspects of a place. This is where the world is going...

Nov 9, 2007

WHITE STAR ADVENTURE PRESENTATION

Thanks to all the participants to the Markets book presentation at White Star Adventure bookshop. Is a pleasure to see that many people are still interested in cultural venues, and travel stories in general. For the people who asked more information, but we had no time there, please feel free to write and I’ll do my best to answer. I’m in Hong Kong on assignment right now and my time is scarce: please be patient.

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower
(Steve Jobs)

Travel is at its most rewarding when it ceases to be about your reaching a destination and becomes indistinguishable from living your life. (Paul Theroux)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain)

Noi invece che abbiamo per patria il mondo, come i pesci il mare, noi, che pure prima di mettere i denti abbiamo bevuto l’acqua dell’Arno e amiamo Firenze tanto da subire ingiustamente l’esilio per averla amata, noi poggiamo le spalle del nostro giudizio sulla ragione piuttosto che sul senso.
(Dante Alighieri)

Bertrand Russell

"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."

"The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."

"A hallucination is a fact, not an error; what is erroneous is a judgment based upon it."

"Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery."

"I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its Churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world."

"Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy."

"A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure is allowed to take whatever form it will is sure to be short."

"What i wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite."

"The secret of happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible."

"Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country."

"It is preoccupation with possessions that prevents us from living freely and nobly."

"The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather the hostile."

"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education."

"The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to the moralist. That is why they invented Hell."

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."

"Right discipline consists, not in external compulsion, but in the habits of mind which lead spontaneously to desirable rather the undesirable activities."

"If all our happiness is bound up entirely in our personal circumstances it is difficult not to demand of life more then it has to give."

"Man needs, for his happiness, not only the enjoyment of this or that, but hope and enterprise and change."

"Anything you're good at contributes to happiness."

"The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd."

"It is possible that mankind is on the threshold of a golden age; but, if so, it will be necessary first to slay the dragon that guards the door, and this dragon is religion."

"Sin is geographical."

Albert Einstein on CRISIS!

"Let's not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress.
Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born from the dark night. It's in crisis that inventive is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies. Who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting overcome. Who blames his failure to a crisis neglects his own talent, and is more respectful to problems than to solutions. Incompetence is the true crisis.
The greatest inconvenience of people and nations is the laziness with which they attempt to find the solutions to their problems. There's no challenge without a crisis. Without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. There’s no merit without crisis. It's in the crisis where we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead.
Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it."

Ithaca by Kavafis

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.