I have written about Marco Ferrari and his photobooth art before. He is a passionate lover of this special genre of photography and I am a passionate lover of his work.
Marco uses his booth photos to create beautiful fine art prints. I am the proud owner of two examples. He doesn’t have his own booth in London, where he currently lives, so makes his art using public machines, some of which he maintains. When using booths he services, he can control exposure but, unlike other booth artists, he doesn’t control the timing of the photos. This not only leads to beautiful, spontaneous images but is a testament to his creativity and skill.
For him the booth is a safe environment for the subjects he wishes to photograph. Most of the people he works with are not used to posing for a photographer, so the closed, private environment of the booth allows the sitter to relax. This contributes to their ability to freely express themselves in the way they pose. Marco has an idea of what he wishes to achieve in a photo session, so directs the sitter from outside. When the photos are finished he shows them to the subject and suggests ways they could change or improve what they have done.
“I try not to direct too much because I don’t want the same photos from everyone. I try to capture their unique personality.”
I was very touched and excited when this original strip of photos arrived in the post as a gift from Marco. These are from one of the booths he maintains, so he was able to achieve the sepia tones by adjusting the developing chemicals. I love the poses he has chosen but I am especially enamoured with his wonderful, curly moustache.
If you have not already seen it, please read this post and check the links to Marco’s work.
Photobooth Journal 