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Culture / Insights
Oct 6 - 2023
Reading time: 5'

The Static Force of Photography. An Interview with Giulio Di Sturco

The winner of the three-time World Press Photo on his current work: “I don’t care about the photography. I care about what a person discovers beyond my photos.”
Read the interview.

READING TIME 10′
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Aerotropolis© Giulio di Sturco

Giulio Di Sturco is one of Italy’s most prominent documentary photographers. Through his lens, he’s told stories from around the world. His “gaze” possesses the extraordinary ability to make viewers pause and ask themselves, “What am I looking at?”

We meet with him via video call. He’s connected from his studio in Arles, the European capital of photography. The encounter is digital, but with Giulio, the conversation feels instantly genuine and grounded. Perhaps it’s because it’s August. It’s hot, and we’re all a bit more relaxed, or perhaps it’s his Ciociaro accent. Either way, we feel immediately at home. And not just any home, but the home of a master in international photography. We take advantage of the moment and delve right in with a question that leads us catapults us into his life.

Aerotropolis© Giulio Di Sturco

Q. What did we interrupt with this call, Giulio?

A. I’ll give you two answers, one less formal and one more formal. The first is that my wife and my 4-year-old daughter went on vacation, so I was enjoying the silence and solitude (he laughs). No, actually, I’m editing a book on a project I’ve just finished… Well, I’m not sure if it’s really finished, but it needs to be organized. It’s a project about airport cities (note: the project is Aerotropolis) I started it in 2014. Now I’ve printed all the photos and I’m selecting them. Then, a contemporary art curator will help me piece it all together. You know, on long-term projects, an external perspective is crucial. It always seems to me that something is missing, but that’s not necessarily the case…

Q. That’s great news! But before we talk about the future, let’s go back to the very beginning. When did you realize you would become a photographer?

A. I come from four generations of photographers. I’m from Roccasecca near Cassino, a town in the lower Lazio region. During the famous Battle of Monte Cassino, my great-grandfather took photos of soldiers fleeing the war. Then, my grandfather and my parents continued the tradition: they had a portrait studio in town. But in those days, as per the norm, I ruled out the possibility of following in their footsteps. Then I went to study at IED in Rome, and that’s where I met Angelo Turetta. He’s one of Italy’s most important documentary photographers and a renowned scene photographer. He has an energy, a way of immersing you in stories, in a reportage, that I really liked. He was the light that illuminated everything.

Q. Do you remember your first documentary project?

A. Of course! After school, I moved to Canada. Back then, “city portraits” were in fashion. I wandered around and took photos, while also working with an Italian wedding photographer in Toronto. I saw these absurd weddings and explored the city. But instead of “city portraits,” I was essentially documenting my own experience… When I returned home, I put the work together and, quite unexpectedly, sold it to “Amica,” a magazine that featured a lot of reportages at the time. From there, I said, “Cool!” And I started going back and forth between Canada and the USA: I would go, take photos, come back, and sell the reportages. That’s how I eventually joined the Grazia Neri agency.

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Ph. Giulio Di Sturco

For me, a photographic project is like a movie: it needs a plot, it has to tell a story.

Q. You’ve always told stories with your photos. Why?

A. Yes, that’s right. I’ve never focused on pure news or events. I’ve never been able to think about a single photo. I’m not interested in the beauty of the photo itself. I’ve always wanted to piece together photos so they tell a story.

Q. Over the years, your stories have become increasingly “involved.” As a photojournalist, you’ve worked for many NGOs, various United Nations agencies, and numerous humanitarian organizations. How did that happen?

A. It happened because at a certain point in my life, I moved to India. For me, that’s where my real career began. At that time, India was experiencing a massive economic boom. Everyone wanted stories about India, and I had become somewhat known as “the Southeast Asian photographer.” I started working with The New York Times and National Geographic, and from there, collaborations with Médecins Sans Frontières, Amnesty International, Save the Children, and some United Nations agencies began. It was through some of those projects that I met Blossom, by the way… Back then, I was shooting in black and white with a very dramatic style.

Q. Today, your work still revolves around social issues, but you’ve completely changed your approach to photography. Why?

A. While in India, I began to feel like I was telling the same stories over and over again. It might have worked for me, as I already knew which photos resonated and how to support the work of many NGOs. But I was afraid of going on autopilot. So, at that moment, I decided to look for other ways to address the same issues.

At a certain point in my career, I decided to seek a different, more metaphorical language.

Q. Is that how your Gang Ma project was born?

A. Yes, exactly. At the time, I was interested in climate change, and the Ganges River forced me to change my approach to reportage. Before, I would be in the midst of Kashmir during a war, where everything (too much!) happened right in front of me. In this case, I was positioned on the Ganges where nothing was happening. It wasn’t enough to set up the camera and capture everything going on around me. I had to find the right way to tell my story, my idea.

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Gang Ma© Giulio Di Sturco

Q. Why did you feel such a strong need to find a new aesthetic?

A. Because I felt that new images were needed to shake up people’s thoughts. When talking about water pollution, for example, all the photos used to show plastic bottles in the water. I felt like that approach was no longer effective. We needed a more delicate, less explicit way to convey the message. Or rather, that’s what I wanted to do. So, Gang Ma was born, where pollution is what makes the photos aesthetically beautiful. Anyone can be drawn to these photos because of their colors and compositions, but it takes a moment to realize that the beauty of the colors is due to pollution. It’s certainly less immediate photography, but for me, it’s more powerful. Because it’s not finished; it leaves room for interpretation first, and reflection later.

Unfinished photography is not disposable. It takes more time, but for me, it’s more powerful.

Q. From the way you describe it, it sounds more like contemporary art than documentary photography. Do you agree?

A. I’m not sure… Perhaps now my photography lies somewhere between documentary and fine art photography… But these are just definitions. In any case, I come from documentary photography, from “real things.” I always want to show you something real. The difference is that today, I want to take something real and transport you to another dimension. But that doesn’t mean it’s not social or political photography.

Q. Is this what you’re pursuing in your current projects as well?

A. Yes, for me, that’s still the focus. The thing is, I don’t want to say whether something is right or wrong anymore. We’re surrounded by people passing judgments without real knowledge, and today it’s impossible to know everything. That’s why I prefer unfinished photography. Because it represents a “reality” that may be unknown, perhaps is still in its infancy, and brings it to people’s attention.

Let me give you an example: when I exhibit my airport city projects (the most recent one was in Padova), some people react very strongly, saying, “This is hell on earth!” Others are attracted and fascinated by them. That’s because they’re fake, constructed cities, but their architecture is futuristic, so they hold a certain beauty, giving the idea of a functional city. Opposite reactions to the same photo.

Q. How do your current projects come about? What sparks your curiosity today?

A. Well, looking at my projects with a bit of perspective, I realize that I’m working on the future and on solutions that might become the norm in twenty, thirty, or a hundred years. Airport cities are places where we might live in the future: cities where the airport is at the center, and everything revolves around it; a structural change that is anthropological. The pediatrics department in Bristol, where I’m about to shoot a documentary video, saves premature babies at 22 weeks who had no chance of survival twenty years ago. Then there’s the space project, and on standby, another one about transhumanism featuring a series of photos of humanoids I shot in China… Anything that pushes the boundaries of the foreseeable future, in other words. I would say I’m doing science fiction, but with photos of real things.

Ph. Giulio Di Sturco
Ph. Giulio Di Sturco
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Ph. Giulio Di Sturco

Q. Do you have a photo you are particularly attached to?

A. One? No, no… Because photography bores me…

Q. Can I write that down? Watch out, Giulio, I’m going to use it as a headline if you say that…

A. (laughing) And that’s how I stopped working… No, but it’s true! Photography itself is just a tool. I’m much more interested in the concept, the idea, the project. And you know what else? Every time I shoot, for example, for the space project, I think I’ve taken the best photo of my life. Then I come back, take more photos, and I like those even more. In short, when I take the perfect photo it will be time to retire.

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Ph. Giulio Di Sturco

Q. What do you enjoy looking at instead? Where do you find your inspiration?

A. Can I make another strong comment? (he laughs) I’m not interested in photography. I don’t look at it anymore.

Q. Getting better and better, I’d say… What do you mean?

A. No, seriously, I look at very little photography because I know it stays in my mind, and then, even unconsciously, I might end up reproducing things that have already been done. So, I prefer to look elsewhere. I read a lot of science fiction, watch a lot of TV series, view a lot of art: the surrealists, the futurists, and De Chirico are a great source of inspiration.

Q. Does photography have power for you?

A. Well… that’s one of the big questions about photography. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have told you that photography changes the world, that we reporters give a voice to those who don’t have one, etc… The truth is, I don’t believe that anymore. Now I don’t want to change anything.

Q. So why do you do it, if I may ask?

A. Because photography gives me the opportunity to enter places that would be inaccessible. Because it allows me to bring out an idea and engage in a dialogue with the people who view it. Because, in any case, photography has great value, what I call “static force,” because it demands time from those who look at it and forces them to reflect, to ask questions. For me, today, this is stronger than saying, “Look, there’s a war here: these are the good guys, and those are the bad guys.” I believe a photo can say (or not say) much more than that.

Q. Your future dream?

A. To continue doing what I do, with the freedom with which I’m doing it. Because I do have to say, I’m happy with everything I’ve done: the awards, the people I’ve worked with, the works, the books… I can only be happy because I’ve been truly fortunate in life…

To be a photographer, you need a lot of curiosity and intelligence, and a lot of luck.

Q. When were you lucky?

A. The first World Press Photo was a total stroke of luck!

Q. You really didn’t expect it?

A. Absolutely not. I was 25 years old. I only submitted the entry because a friend had insisted. I didn’t want to send it… And yet, I won. Back then, such a victory was the equivalent of an Oscar; so, it certainly changed the course of my life… I’d be ungrateful if I said otherwise.

Luck or not, what’s certain is that since that day, Giulio Di Sturco has won many more awards. Over the years, he’s never stopped seeking new stories and different ways to tell us what’s happening in the world. Amid light and dark, problems and innovations, his perspective is a precious one that enlivens curiosity and understanding. Because sometimes, communicating isn’t about providing the answers, it’s about asking the right questions.

Innovation / News
Oct 3 - 2024
Reading time: 1'

Blossom and Illumia: a bootcamp to innovate together with AI

Two hands-on sessions that transformed perspectives and enhanced team skills

We conducted a bootcamp at the Illumia headquarters, our long-time client, as part of a training program aimed at their marketing, communications, digital, HR, and IT teams. Over two days of practical training, we shared tools and techniques we use daily, offering concrete knowledge on using AI for content creation – from text generation with ChatGPT to image creation with MidJourney and advanced research with Perplexity.

Two days in Bologna, four teams, four AI tools.
And one mission: shifting mindsets about AI.

This bootcamp marks an important milestone in our eight-year partnership with Illumia, built on mutual trust and a desire to grow together. With a creative and strategic approach, we supported the team in enhancing their skills, even encouraging those who were initially skeptical to explore new possibilities in the practical use of artificial intelligence.

We continue to share our expertise in communications and marketing, offering innovative and actionable solutions to transform the way companies work.

Innovation / Insights
Aug 21 - 2024
Reading time: 1'

Tool AI: here are the favorites of each team

At the service of creativity, strategy, and innovation: here are the tools that continuously evolve our work.

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At Blossom, we love to experiment, acquire new knowledge, and engage in constant learning. That’s why we test different AI tools every day, always on the lookout for those that can enhance our communication methods. These tools become an integral part of our creative, strategic, and consulting work.

But which tools are the favorites of each team?

Strategy Team

Perplexity. Why? With its ability to quickly gather and analyze large amounts of data, it provides us with a clear and detailed view of the market, in combination with other research tools. This tool makes strategic planning more fluid and effective, enabling us to make more informed and targeted decisions in less time.

Copywriting Team

An ideal tool for organizing ideas, developing content, drafting, and revising texts. Which one? ChatGPT. From brainstorming to translations, from editing to structuring complex documents. It’s always open on our desk, making the writing process more agile, creative, and precise.

Media House Team

In video production, Runway (Gen-3) is the most valuable support. Its advanced features and constant updates allow us to elevate the quality and diversify our productions, achieving increasingly stunning realism.

Design Team

When it comes to transforming concepts into images, we mainly rely on Midjourney. With its wide range of artistic styles, it enriches the final result, making each creation unique and distinctive.

AI Impact

The AI tools we adopt not only refine our creative and strategic approach but also enable us to quickly translate ideas and data into practical and concrete solutions. Thanks to this integration of technological innovation, expertise, and critical analysis, we can swiftly respond to market challenges, turning every opportunity into a tangible and valuable outcome.

Utilities / News
Jul 17 - 2024
Reading time: 1'

Oltre: our project with Matteo Berrettini for Illumia

An intimate journey into “The Hammer’s” energy, on and off the court, during Wimbledon.

Illumia chose to tell a different story. And to do so, they once again turned to the strategic and creative consultancy of Blossom. With the Instagram series “Oltre – Stories of True Energy,” we highlighted the most authentic side of Matteo Berrettini, the star of a unique and engaging journey.

Over two million views in one week: each episode of the series, filmed during Wimbledon, reveals not only Matteo’s grit and determination on the court but also his preparation rituals and moments of recharging with friends.

This series was developed as an integrated project within Illumia’s awareness campaign, aiming to amplify existing messages and reach a new audience. Thanks to Matteo Berrettini’s presence as the campaign’s testimonial, we reinforced the brand’s values and seized the media opportunity presented by Wimbledon. “Oltre” is built on a well-planned strategy that combines message consistency, impactful content, and perfect timing.

Watch the series and discover the true energy of Matteo Berrettini.

Manufacturing / News
Jun 11 - 2024
Reading time: 1'

With Prometeon into a new era: the launch video of Serie 02

An impactful video to present the first range of fully branded Prometeon tires.

The launch of Serie 02 was a key moment. It is the first-ever Prometeon-branded industrial tire range; designed, produced, and tested to meet performance and durability needs in every usage context.

For this occasion, we created a launch video with the tagline Unlock a New Era, announcing the arrival of this significant innovation that projects every journey into the future of transportation. In a post-industrial space, a man enters and opens a container revealing the first Prometeon-branded tire. 3D animations highlight its components and technology.

The video was presented in Egypt during the event celebrating Prometeon’s thirtieth anniversary of the Alexandria factory, attended by representatives from global branches and major suppliers.

We are proud to enter this new era alongside Prometeon. Let’s keep rolling together.

Watch the video.

Innovation / Insights
Jun 5 - 2024
Reading time: 4'

Mindset shift. Why change is powerful.

How do we face times of great transformation? At Blossom, we started with knowledge.

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It is said that to invent the light bulb, Thomas Alva Edison conducted thousands of experiments, using hundreds of plant fibers, and testing solutions for over 18 months. For this reason, Edison has been attributed with quotes like:

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

True or not, this quote holds great appeal in these times of technological transformation. Edison was able to innovate because he could adopt a new mental approach each time.

But, how easy is it to change our mindset when faced with new developments today?

If you don’t change your mind, you change nothing

A survey we recently conducted at Blossom revealed an extremely interesting fact: after a year of continuous training on the use of generative AI, 42% of participants reported changing their minds on this topic.

While it is true that the majority remained in their positions, a significant portion of the course participants admitted to shifting from a more skeptical approach to a more enthusiastic one.

Snap Insight ENG

A Form Of Intelligence

The fact that the mindset change occurred in a positive or negative direction is not as relevant. What is interesting is that training, and therefore knowledge, has been the main factor of transformation.

It demonstrates that knowledge allows us to overcome prejudices; that “knowing” remains the first step to forming an opinion, even in these frenetic times; and that understanding helps us see the limits and potential of a change, even when it is still ongoing.

More Sharing, More Awareness

Along with knowledge, interaction has certainly played a fundamental role in the ability to view new developments with a fresh perspective.

The training within Blossom was conducted largely in the form of Communities of Practice, or “safe spaces” where people can learn together, putting into practice or deepening the theoretical notions acquired in exchange for constructive feedback, either among peers or with professionals.

In the survey, submitted to all participants of Blossom’s Communities of Practice, comments and considerations on the limits, risks, and opportunities of AI emerged, demonstrating an increasing awareness and an ability to keep up with the evolutions of AI itself.

“It’s always necessary to check the results, because mistakes are always possible.”

“AI has made routine operations faster and simpler.”

“I’ve sped up lengthy processes, even when it comes to creative processes (like brainstorming).”

“Sometimes I’m tempted to take the results at face value without applying critical thinking.”

It can WOOOORK!

Change, including a mindset shift within organizations, is a difficult but possible transformation. Of course, it needs to be accompanied and guided.

And if it’s true that the “light bulb” of AI is still quite imperfect, at Blossom we have learned that to get closer and closer to true innovation, we must never stop testing and trying. In other words… to be restless!

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