I’m not sure it was our first meeting, but my enrollment in a tactical training course led me to meet Alessandro Folchitto. Larger than life, Alex as his sister calls him, teaches this course using his experience as an Italian Special Forces Officer of the 9th Assault Regiment Paratroopers. In other words, my friend is a badass.
The stunt community that we are both a part of is small and we often interact through social events. Our first time on set together was on “The Watchmen”, where he stretched his acting chops by playing, you guessed it, a thug.
He’s protective, gentlemanly and scary when he needs to be.
Knowing how small businesses are struggling during the time of the Covid shutdown, I decided to reach out to local companies that I might be able to help out. Offering to produce imagery for their marketing purposes and waiving my fee, seemed a pro-active step.
Borgo Italia restaurant was the first business to respond. I put together an old-fashioned storyboard of sorts and set-up a meeting. When I first sat down with Cristiana, Alessandro’s sister, she told me the story of how the restaurant came to be. Sharing her passion for cooking, her mother loved cooking with her daughter. Together they opened Borgo Italia, meaning Italian village. Passing two years ago, they brother & sister have a strong desire to keep the authenticity alive in her memory.
Brainstorming together, we discussed how important it was to capture the homemade goodness created in every dish Cristiana prepares. As Alex puts it, “Darling (said in a thick Italian accent), this is her baby. Whatever she wants.”
Their closeness is clear. Both born in Italy, their pride of country is evident throughout the restaurant. Boasting the largest selection of Italian wines east of the Mississippi, a vital element that would need to be tied into the shoot.
Returning home, I built a digital storyboard based on our combined ideas. Drafting a shot list based on menu items Cristiana would be cooking, I emailed them over. A shoot day was chosen, menu finalized and “customers” booked.
Being a landscape photographer, I shoot natural light and my subjects don’t usually move. This was my first venture using studio lighting inside with people and to say I was nervous was an understatement. Since I know a thing or two about scary moments, I committed to leaping.
With a good attitude and hutzpah, I was excited for the day ahead.
We started at 9:30A. In an effort to work efficiently, I thought I would start shooting raw ingredients; then Cristiana would prep & cook the dishes; lay out the finished entrées; the waitress would serve the dishes to the customers. We would circle back to dessert; prepping & traying up; then serving to the very satisfied customers. One last detail, I was to shoot the wine collection.
My arms were worked from my heavy DSLR and lighting the large dining area was a challenge, but the smile never left my face. I was in all my glory. The images produced were stunning. Walking away from my first official client felt empowering. They were thrilled with the job I had done.
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