Donato Di Camillo of donatodicamillo.com is on his way to reaching the holy grail of photographers and artists alike… having his photography recognised as his own. In my opinion, Donato is developing into one of the photographers of our time.

I discovered his work via Instagram and was immediately drawn to his up close and environmental style and the people he was photographing. His work is based in and around the streets and beaches of New York and it's as if a mix of Bruce Gilden and Martin Parr have been blended and a striking new portfolio is being born.

Donato has a past that included prison and a tough childhood, which I'm guessing influences his photography today.

I love the amazing differences in people and how beautifully unique we all are. Good bad or indifferent; People never cease to amaze me.

I'm rapt to have him with me for this interview.

Here’s some of what we cover:

• Donato’s photography style
• How Donato learned photography
• How Donato approaches his photography subjects
• How Donato handles subjects who get upset when he takes stolen photos of them
• The importance of learning people’s mannerisms and body language for street photography
• Are model releases important before photographing people
• The challenges associated with signing model release contracts
• How Donato got into photography
• How long did Donato take to develop his photography style
• Why Donato thinks his photos are not good enough
• Can you make a living from street photography
• What Donato considers when conceptualising a photography project
• Using photography to release anxiety and frustrations
• Becoming the photographer that you are now through life experiences in the past
• The importance of being approachable when doing street photography
• Donato’s initial feelings when looking for his photography subjects
• Can approaching people and making them feel comfortable be something you can learn
• Donato’s plans for his street photography
• Donato’s workflow
• The benefits of slowing down and shooting less
• How Donato backs up and archive his images
• Where Donato looks for inspiration in his photography

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to read your feedback and comments. Was there something from this interview that struck a chord, inspired or motivated you?

Will you take any kind of action after hearing what Donato had to share?

Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

Slowing down taught me to look more, to be more observant – Donato Di Camillo

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Donato or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below too.

I’m my worst critic. Any photograph that I take is just not good enough. It’s almost become an obsession with me – Donato Di Camillo

I learned how to use a camera through trial and error – Donato Di Camillo

My main goal was to be able to express myself the way I needed to express myself – Donato Di Camillo

I approach people like it was an attack, like I was on a hunt – Donato Di Camillo

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Donato Di Camillo Website

Donato Di Camillo on Facebook

Donato Di Camillo on Instagram

Donato Di Camillo on Twitter

Donato Di Camillo on YouTube

Donato Di Camillo on National Geographic

Beach Body Bingo Project

Schizophrenia – Our New Neighbor by Donato Di Camillo

Donato Di Camillo’s Playful New York City Street Portraits (American Photo Mag)

The beautiful story of one man who taught himself photography in prison (Feature Shoot)

Everybody inspires me. I learn from everyone – Donato Di Camillo

Eddie Adams

William Klein

Bruce Gilden

Martin Parr

William Eggleston

Vivian Maier

Prison opened my mind to the possibilities of maybe exploring the avenue of photography – Donato Di Camillo

Equipment:

Canon Rebel XSi DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (OLD MODEL)

Leica cameras

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening to the show and thanks to Donato for coming on and experimenting with a new and different format for this photography podcast and for sharing his thoughts, views and ideas on photography.

Also, a big thanks to Chris and Yuan from Studio Ninja for sponsoring this episode of the podcast and making the show possible.

My photography, the way I look at it, it’s this certain…there’s a bit a soul to it. I’m looking for like a bit of soul to a photograph. It separates from a snapshot – Donato Di Camillo

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me, hope everything is going well for you in life and photography!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew