Sabrina Franchi
Freelance Photographer in Pistoia
The Beginning of Everything: The Grammar of the Gaze
My name is Sabrina Franchi and I live on light, on anticipation, and on that millisecond when the chaos of the world finally decides to take a stand. If you asked me what I do, the short answer would be "a photographer." But photography isn't a job you clock in at the clock in the morning; it's a way of walking down the street, of watching how the shadow of a streetlamp cuts across the sidewalk or how the reflection of a building fades in a puddle after the rain. It's a constant hunger to capture the invisible.
Light: My raw material
For many, light is simply what allows us to see. For me, it's a building material, dense like concrete or light like a bride's veil. I study light like an architect studies foundations. Working with light means understanding that shadow is equally important. An image without shadows is an image without depth, without mystery. It's black that gives value to white.
Today, in the digital age where everything is immediate and infinite, I don't shoot in bursts hoping statistics will give me a good image. I wait. I look through the lens and wait for the subject to forget about me. Because it is there, when my guard is lowered, that the truth emerges.
The Portrait: An Act of Faith
My work often focuses on people. Photographing a human being is an act of invasion, let's not beat around the bush. You stand in front of someone with a glass and metal contraption and ask them to "be themselves." It's an absurd request.
My approach never begins with a camera in hand. It begins with a coffee, a chat, and observing gestures. I watch how a person moves their hands when they're nervous, how they tilt their head when they're thinking about something sad or happy. My goal isn't to take a photo that resembles the person, but a photo that is the person.
The ethics of the gaze
Being Sabrina Franchi also means taking responsibility for what you show. There's a profound ethic in my work. I never seek scandal for its own sake or the exploitation of pain. Even in the most difficult situations, I seek dignity. If I'm documenting a complex social reality, my goal is to inform, not to artificially move. The truth is already powerful enough that it doesn't need tricks. After years of this profession, I feel like I'm just beginning to understand how to truly look. Every photo shoot is a new beginning, a new blank page. I never know what I'll take home at the end of the day.
