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Monia Merlo
Monia Merlo
Monia Merlo

Monia Merlo

Country: Italy
Birth: 1970

She was born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, 1970. After finishing her studies in Venice, she teamed her work as an architect with her passion for Photography, making it her main expression medium. Monia currently works as a freelance photographer, her work is focused on fashion, including prestigious collaborations with famous brands. Her photos find inspiration in literature, poetry and her most inner feelings. They are means of creation, research and development of a work which undergoes a constant evolution, as well as being a way to represent, through fragile feminine bodies, the artist's search of herself.

Source: www.moniamerlophotographer.com


All the work of Italian photographer Monia Merlo is a feast for the eye: magical lighting, vulnerable intensely pale female bodies in a silent floral dreamscape. Sensuous and physical, yet innocent. Mystical femininity which verges on the sacred. It’s so beautiful you could almost drown in it. A view shared by many, since she has now collaborated with a number of prestigious fashion labels. Her work has been published in various international magazines including Italian Vogue, and has been displayed in leading galleries such as Art + Commerce in New York and Sakura Gallery in Paris. This is all the more remarkable when you consider that Monia only started working as a photographer 5 years ago.

Monia’s work focuses on fashion and flowers. She uses only natural light, bringing out the contours and detail more beautifully and making her photographs resemble paintings. She finds her inspiration in literature, poetry and the idealised femininity of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. A period which is currently enjoying increasing popularity amongst the creative elite and trendsetters. She likes to use romantic flowers in delicate colours with an air of vulnerability, such as blossom, fragile roses and daisies.

Source: The Green Gallery

Agency

Art + Commerce

Gallery

Sakura Gallery

Websites

www.moniamerlophotographer.com

@_ofresia

 

Monia Merlo's Video

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More Great Photographers To Discover

Thomas Dodd
Thomas Dodd
United States
Thomas Dodd is a visual artist and photographer based out of Atlanta, Georgia who has developed a style that he calls "painterly photo montage" - a method he employs during principal photography and in editing software with which he crafts elaborately textured pieces that have a very organic and decidedly non-digital look to them. His work often has mythic and quasi-religious themes that pay homage to Old Master art traditions while at the same time drawing from psychological archetypes that evoke a strong emotional response from the viewer. Although his artwork resembles paintings, his pieces are entirely photographic in nature, fusing many images into a cohesive whole. His larger works are often presented in a mixed media form that adds a depth and texture that complements the photography beautifully. Thomas has had numerous exhibitions of his works in many cities in the USA and around the world. He has had recent shows in New York City, Paris, Mexico City, New Orleans, Tokyo, San Antonio, Seattle, and in his hometown of Atlanta. Dodd's photographs have been featured in many magazines, on book and album covers and he frequently teaches workshops and webinars on photo-editing and marketing for artists. Thomas began his career as a visual artist in 2005. Before that, he was best known as the harpist and songwriter for the 1990s musical group Trio Nocturna, a Celtic Gothic ensemble that put out three critically-acclaimed albums ("Morphia", "Tears of Light" and "Songs of the Celtic Night") and performed at author Anne Rice's annual Halloween balls in New Orleans, as well as spawning an offshoot band called the Changelings. Thomas also played harp on two albums by Michael Gira (the driving force behind the influential post-punk band the Swans): "the Body Lovers" and the Angels of Light "New Mother". The images that Thomas creates are basically a visual equivalent of the music he composed in the 1990s. Mythic themes and their relation to emotions and psychological states continue to be his primary subjects and motivations. Source: thomasdodd.com Interview with Thomas Dodd All About Photo: When did you realize you wanted to be a photographer? Thomas Dodd: There was a period in my early teens where I was inspired by seeing a gallery show of Ansel Adams’ work, and for a short time thereafter I was compelled to study black and white film photography (of course, digital did not exist back then in the 1970s), but that inspiration quickly was replaced by the kick in the ass I received when I heard the Sex Pistols (in 1977) which made me run out and get a guitar so I could take out my teen angst upon the (non-listening) world! AAP: Where did you study photography? With whom? TD: My father taught me the basics of the camera back in the 1970s. I also took a darkroom course in high school. My reemergence as a photographer in 2006 (after a 25 year musical career playing the Celtic harp) was basically a self-taught one with quite a few online tutorials along the way! AAP: Do you have a mentor? TD: My father was a great influence on me- both as a photographer and a human being. AAP: How long have you been a photographer? TD: Since 2006. My brief dabbling in photography in the 70s barely counts! AAP: Do you remember your first shot? What was it? TD: My first real photoshoot was of my friend (and first Muse) Halley dressed in a beautiful Rococo-themed dress she made. We wandered through the streets of downtown Decatur Ga. at around midnight searching for street light to shoot in. AAP: What or who inspires you? TD: Beauty inspires me. Great painters inspire me. An artistic or chameleonesque model inspires me... AAP: How could you describe your style? TD: “Painterly” photo montage with an artistic approach AAP: Do you have a favorite photograph or series? TD: My favorite photo is always the one I am currently working on! AAP: What kind of gear do you use? Camera, lens, digital, film? TD: I really am not one of those photographers who likes to talk about gear because I think the most important tool that an artist possesses is their imagination... but I shoot with a Sony A57 using a 18-70mm lens. AAP: Do you spend a lot of time editing your images? For what purpose? TD: I seem to spend ALL my time editing photos - What purpose? Self expression and sometimes' client satisfaction! AAP: Favorite(s) photographer(s)? TD: Jan Saudek - for the way he created such boldly erotic personal imagery while hiding from a repressive Communist regime... He also used texture and color in a very painterly way which has influenced me a great deal. AAP: What advice would you give a young photographer? TD: Don't be in a hurry to "succeed", and shun advice like "Fake it ‘til you make it". It takes TIME and PATIENCE to develop your own style. Always follow your own voice and don't be swayed by what is currently popular, and don't forget to ENJOY it - this is not supposed to feel like work! AAP: What mistake should a young photographer avoid? TD: Becoming an imitation or a copy of another photographer. Being in a hurry to get published or displayed in galleries is another common mistake. Take the time and develop your craft for a few years before you start thinking about sharing it with the world! AAP: Any quotes you would like to share? TD: "I am steadily surprised that there are so many photographers that reject manipulating reality, as if that was wrong. Change reality! If you don't find it, invent it!" - Pete Turner AAP: What current projects are you working on? TD: Nothing I can tell you about, but I will drop a hint and say it involves shattering some commonly held preconceptions about a "marginalized" segment of society. AAP: Your best memory as a photographer? TD: There have been so many, it's hard to choose an absolute best but I will say my first solo show, my first print sale and my first publication were all high points! AAP: Your worst souvenir as a photographer? TD: My broken D50 which gasped it’s last breath 5 clicks into a nude shoot! Or maybe the memory card and external hard drive that I irretrievably lost data from. Here is some more good advice - ALWAYS use an online backup in addition to discs and hard drives! AAP:The compliment that touched you most? TD: When my 92 year old Mother came to my first big gallery show in Atlanta (featuring some very large nude images) and said she was proud of me... AAP: Your favorite photo book? TD: Bob Carlos Clarke's "The Dark Summer" and Helmut Newton's "White Women". AAP: An anecdote? TD: I long ago learned as a model photographer that the crucial things to pack in your camera bag are not extra lenses, filters and light meters, They are instead bobby pins, safety pins, hair ties, insect repellent and sun block. Oh yeah, and a few model releases too! AAP: Anything else you would like to share? TD: Please feel free to "like" my Facebook page and introduce yourself.
Kirk Crippens
Kirk Crippens
United States
Kirk Crippens is an American artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He had an early start with photography, inspired by his grandfather who kept a darkroom in his closet. Based in San Francisco since 2000, he began exhibiting in 2008. In 2010 he exhibited in thirteen shows, three were solo exhibitions. He was named Top 50 Photographer in Critical Mass, nominated for the 2011–2013 Eureka Fellowship Program, and invited to speak during PhotoAlliance’s Spring Lecture series at the San Francisco Art Institute. In 2011 he was included in eighteen exhibitions, three were solo, named Top 50 photographer for the second consecutive year, and a finalist for Photolucida’s book prize. In 2012 he was the artist in residence at RayKo Photo Center in San Francisco and participated in ten exhibitions. In 2013 he was the artist in residence at Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, Oregon. His portfolio Foreclosure, USA was recently collected by the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas and was featured in their exhibition State of the Art, Discovering American Art Now in 2014-2015.
Orna Naor
Orna Naor
Israel
1960
My name is Orna Naor, a street and documentary photographer from Tel Aviv. In my work, I focus on human moments and gestures, touches, and looks. I shot around the world; Everywhere I try to show the faces of people, wherever they are; whether it's about different ceremonies, different cultures, and places, in everyday life and on holidays - human faces are revealed. At the same time as street photography, I focused in recent years on documentary series photography. In all these projects, my goal is one - to regain humanity to humanity. And if one picture touches one person - I'm glad. My works are shown in exhibitions in Israel and around the world (Local Testimony, Tel Aviv Sea, Israel Photography Festival, Miami Street Festival, Streets Sans Frontieres, London Street Festival, EinZweiBlicke, and others) and were published in a variety of magazines and newspapers ("Haaretz" blog, L'Arch Magazine, Lens Magazine, 50 shades of black, and others)
Tanya Lunina
Tanya Lunina
Russia/United States
1973
Tanya Lunina (b. 1973, Russia) is a fine art photographer based in the Chicagoland area where she settled in 2006. Lunina's work is related to both the urban and its neighboring waterfront space in the city of Chicago. She always looks for a personal interpretation of a place and photographically strives to achieve order and balance in her works. Lunina's photographs have been exhibited at several galleries in Illinois, United States. Her work has been published in three juried publications by LensWork Publishing. She also was the first- place winner of the 13th & 14th International Julia Margaret Cameron Awards in the cityscape and landscape/seascape categories. Statement: Lake Michigan, Chicago... Although it is only a few steps from downtown, the city and its noise have been left behind. Located on the foot of Chicago, the lake is heavily affected by man; concrete and metal objects interrupt its shoreline. The altered urban lakefront seems imbalanced with the vast view of water and sky. But, in a big city, the interaction of man and nature is inevitable. These images convey quietness, yet the evidence of urban life. The content of the works binds together simple forms, created by man and nature itself, and gives a sense of presence on the Chicago lakefront.
Yang Yongliang
Yang Yongliang
China
1980
Born in 1980 in Shanghai, Yang Yongliang graduated from China Academy of Art in 1999, majored in visual communication. He currently works and lives in Shanghai. He started his experiments with contemporary art in 2005, and his practice involved varied media including photography, painting, video and installation. Yang exploits a connection between traditional art and the contemporary, implementing ancient oriental aesthetics and literati beliefs with modern language and digital techniques. His work as an expanding meta-narrative that draws from history, myth and social culture, and plays out in the context of the city and its ever-changing landscapes. He started to learn traditional Chinese art and culture since childhood, the influence of which is seen in the form of his art: a sense of traditional aesthetics can be clearly perceived. In terms of media and content, however, it is brimming with a strong sense of post-modernism. Yang’s work has been exhibited at Moscow Biennale, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art and National Gallery of Victoria among others and is collected by public institutes such as the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Source: Prix Pictet
Giancarlo Zuccarone
Giancarlo Zuccarone
Italy
1980
Giancarlo Zuccarone is an Italian photographer, contributor of Art Commerce (Photo Vogue). He graduated in Cinematography and Filmmaking at the "Roma Tre University" in Rome, Italy. He focuses especially on travel and street photography, and his photos has appeared in magazines such: National Geographic, Skylife, Life Framer, Dodho Magazine, Eyeshot Magazine, Travel & Leisure. His work has been exhibited in Milan and Rome, London, Brussels, Miami. In 2021 Bruce Gilden chose one personal image for "The Real People" photobook, a tribute project to his career. Awards: Maghreb Photography Awards - 2nd Place; TIFA (Tokyo International Foto Awards) - 2nd Place; PX3 (Prix de la Photographie Paris) - Silver Medal; Nikon Photo Contest - 3rd Place.
Justine Kurland
Justine Kurland
United States
1969
Justine Kurland was born in Warsaw, New York. She earned her B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in 1996. She went on to Yale University and graduated with an M.F.A. in 1998. Kurland first gained public notice with her work in the group show Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York's Van Doren Waxter gallery. The show included her large c-print staged tableau pictures of neo-romantic landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons's babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called Girl Pictures. The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent. As landscapes, she chose the "secret places" of late childhood; wasteland on the edges of suburbia, "owned" only by a feral nature and unsupervised children. Her book Spirit West (2000) featured similar work on a more ambitious scale. In early 2001 Kurland spent several months in New Zealand, where she created similar work with schoolgirls there. In her show Community, Skyblue (2002), Kurland turned to document the utopian communes of Virginia and California, highlighting the unworldly aspirations of the communards by having them appear naked in her pictures and showing them as only distant figures in their landscape. In 2003 she had European solo shows Golden Dawn (London) and Welcome Home (Vienna), based around these series of commune images. Old Joy (2004) turns to men. She shows visionaries trekking naked into the wilderness, where they undergo spiritual experiences. In her 2004 show Songs of Experience, she explored medieval and Biblical imagery. In 2005 she had a solo show in Japan. After having a son, Kurland began to photograph pregnant women and new mothers (Mama Baby, 2004-2007). Her son's interest in trains would lead her to photograph hobos and trains from 2007 to 2011 (This Train Is Bound for Glory); as he grew up, she became interested in American masculinity, and created photographs of cars and mechanics (Sincere Auto Care, 2014-2015). Kurland's work appears on the cover and liner notes of French electronic/shoegaze group M83's 2004 album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, as well as the covers of the EP releases for the album. In an article in ArtForum (April 2000) she talked of her inspirations: "I'm always thinking about painting: nineteenth-century English picturesque landscapes and the utopian ideal, genre paintings, and also Julia Margaret Cameron's photographs. I started going to museums at an early age, but my imagery is equally influenced by illustrations from the fairy tales I read as a child." Selections from her work Highway Kind were published in the book The Open Road: Photography & the American Road Trip by David Campany.
Silvia Alessi
Silvia Alessi
Italy
1975
I was born in Bergamo, Italy in 1975. I have worked as a hairstylist and make-up artist since I was 17. In 2004, while on a trip to Asia, I discovered an interest in reportage photography. I have since travelled extensively pursuing my passion for photography and “telling stories worthy of being told.” My process is a blend of artistic expression and reportage, inspired by an openness to diverse cultures and traditions. Blending this openness with curiosity and artistic expression has allowed me to produce award-winning photography. For many months before travelling to my chosen destination, I research and develop my concept, considering particularly the social context. I also consider deeply the question of finding the appropriate visual language to render the concept beautifully.
Kay Erickson
Kay Erickson
United States
1949
I have been a photographer since I received my first camera at age 7. After receiving a BFA in photography from the University of Minnesota, Summa cum Laude, I went on to earn a MS degree. I received a Mayoral Proclamation for a project I worked on with the Santa Monica/Malibu School System, teaching educational standards through photography. I also worked with the Boys and Girls Club in Long Beach, California, teaching photography through a grant with the Los Angeles Center of Photography. I started out photographing images using black & white film, then hand-tinting the prints with photo oils. As I combined my love of travel with my passion for photography, I transitioned into digital color photography, making images of diverse cultures and environments around the world. I have worked with several NGOs, including Calcutta Rescue, and the SWIC (Society for the Welfare of Indian Children), both in Calcutta, India. Currently I'm working on a project with the Ojibwe, a Native American tribe in Minnesota, to capture portraits of the elders, and record their spoken word stories for future generations. My work has been exhibited globally, including Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, Colorado, Washington, Amsterdam, Turkey, Paris, Berlin, and Spain.
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