In the creative world of photography, every artistic photographer adds up to the art. These photographers have a concept in their art driven by their passion.
Their photos are not only pleasing to the eye but also calming to the soul. And listening to their stories is as exciting and meaningful.
Today, in this blog, we will delve into the life story and professional journey of Luca Storelli, from his early beginnings as a graphic designer to the remarkable decision to embrace the lens of this artistic photographer.
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Q1. Can you tell us about your journey in photography and how you got inspired to study under renowned photographers like Joel Grimes, Chris Knight, Lindsay Adler, and others?
Ans. I’ve had a passion for images for as long as I can remember, I started my career as a graphic designer in the 1990’s and then started working as an assistant in a photography studio more than fifteen years ago.
After a couple of years, I realized that I wanted to be a photographer. I didn’t like photography in Italy, so I decided to start looking outside to see what other artists were creating.
At that very moment, I had the realization that my skills were really poor compared to all the amazing works I was looking at. Immediately, I saw the images of many incredible artists that made me lose my mind and my eyes…
I decided that I should study in detail all their incredible languages and works.
So I stopped shooting and spent two years studying from them, educating my eyes on their incredible art.
Q2. Your mentors, Joel Grimes, and Lindsay Adler, have distinct styles. How have their techniques influenced your own photography style and approach?
Ans. They completely influenced my approach to photography and retouching. By studying from them, I learned the right mindset, the way to work, how to compose scenes on set, lighting techniques, how to work with the creation team, retouching workflow routines …. practically everything.
Q3. “MASTERING THE MASTERS” sounds like a comprehensive learning resource. Could you elaborate on what inspired you to create this collection of courses and how it differs from other photography courses?
Ans. Mastering the Masters is a representative title. I am not a technician, I am an artist and I love making art.
In my classes, I don’t teach students how to use Photoshop, Midjourney, etc. I explain and show them how to make art and how to be an artist.
If I talk about fine arts, for example, first of all I have to talk about the main artists, the most representative ones…. Students need to know and see their work to understand the right.
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Q4. You’ve mentioned covering various aspects of photography in your courses, from color toning to fine art photography. Could you give us a sneak peek into how you approach teaching these different techniques?
Ans. It depends on the mood of the work. Each genre, Fine Art, Fashion, Surreal, etc., has different rules in terms of approach and retouching.
That is why it is important, before starting the work, to fully understand all the rules of each section. If you are working for a fashion or glamour shoot, you cannot apply the rules of fine art retouching, and vice versa. Each individual genre has specific and unique rules. This is what I teach my students.
Q5. With a diverse set of mentors, each having their own unique style, how do you maintain your originality as an artistic photographer while incorporating their teachings?
Ans. That is why I can feel free to create what I like best. The awareness of so many different artists and techniques makes you free to create.
Because you can mix all this knowledge with your own personal style, it is a great help in terms of creativity because you can have multiple visions of the same work.
You can experiment with new ways of working all the time, and that is extraordinary. The more you know, the more easily you can create.
Q6. How do you balance technical mastery, as taught by your mentors, and your personal artistic expression in your photography?
Ans. I think knowledge is a great help for creativity. But I have my own artistic personality and style, of course, but all this was “educated” by my teachers.
I always start working using my own mind and personal way of working. It is obvious that all the knowledge from my studies helps me a lot to be more focused and balanced.
Q7. Continuous learning is crucial in the field of photography. How do you stay up-to-date with the ever-evolving trends and techniques while staying true to your unique style as an artistic photographer?
Ans. I am eternally curious, I am like a child. I love to study and every day I take time to devote to learning.
Also I have an HD entirely full of courses I am studying, from many different artists in photography and retouching.
It is my database. And after I finish studying a course, I feel strengthened by what I learned from that course. It’s a great feeling. That’s exactly what I teach my students: never stop learning.
Q8. Many aspiring artistic photographers struggle with finding their artistic voice. Based on your experiences, what advice would you give those looking to develop their unique style?
Ans. What I suggest to new aspiring photographers is to look around and study. Don’t shoot without being educated.
You cannot make art if you have never seen art. Learn before you shoot. This is what I did and what made the difference for me.
Q9. Collaboration is often key in the photography world. Have you ever had the chance to collaborate with any of your mentors, or do you plan to do so?
Ans. My only problem is that living in Italy, I am far away from most of them. I am in touch with some of them, they write to me complimenting me on my work.
With some of them, I work as a tester of Photoshop actions or panels they create.
This is a great joy for me. In the future, we want to make these connections more stable. I also worked with some of their models who came to Rome just to shoot with me, and that is a great honor for me. But the possibility of meeting them is very real.
Q10. As an artistic photographer who has studied under diverse masters, how do you handle creative challenges or moments of artistic block in your work?
Ans. Lack of inspiration often happens to me. Most of the time I am not satisfied with my work. But I think these negative moments are crucial because failure and disappointment make you stronger.
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Q11. Could you share a memorable success story from a student who has taken your courses and seen a significant transformation in their photography skills?
Ans. I had an Italian student who studied with me for a couple of months, and he won the world rookie championship in the Photoshop category in 2023. It was a huge achievement.
Q12. With the photography industry constantly changing, how do you envision the role of education and online learning resources like yours evolving in the coming years?
Ans. I think, day in and day out, education is the most important aspect for people. Especially in this day and age, where there is a lot of concurrence and too many people doing the same things. Education and online classes can be the key to growing people.
I learned everything I do through online classes. I live in Italy and without all the classes and courses I studied, my career would not have been the same.
All my master’s degrees come from outside Italy. You can understand the great value the courses have had for my career.
And now it is a dream for me to be able to be useful to people who want to learn this beautiful work. I can share my experience.
And this is the most important thing for me. There is no growth without sharing and learning.
We see how the story of this artistic photographer is like a colorful painting that’s been created over time. They started with a spark of interest in pictures and turned it into a passion.
Learning from great photographers, they discovered their own special way of taking photos. It’s clear that this journey is ongoing, like an adventure that never really ends.
As Luca’s story shows, education is like a guiding light that helps us discover our talents and grow as artists.
And just like how they found their unique style, future photographers will add their own colors to the big canvas of photography. So, remember, the world of photography is full of possibilities, waiting for each artist to paint their own picture.
To know more about him and his work, check out his website here.
