A Captivating Interview with Davide Esposito
Fun Facts about Davide Esposito:
– Born and Bred in Capri: Davide draws inspiration from his homeland, the enchanting island of Capri, which serves as the backdrop for his award-winning project, “Archetypes.”
– Dual Personality: Switching gears from commissioned photography, Davide navigates between two creative personas—one, the dreamy portrait photographer, and the other, a deep, philosophical explorer of life’s metaphysical questions.
– Musical Muse: Music is a key player in Davide’s creative process. Immersed in timeless melodies, he sharpens his artistic vision, capturing hidden symbols that his mind subconsciously seeks.
About the Project: “Archetypes”
Lead: Davide Esposito
Prize: Best of Best in Landscape / Photography and Winner in Nature / Photography
“Archetypes” is not just a project; it’s a symbolic journey through the soul of Capri. Davide Esposito, the visionary behind this masterpiece, dissects elements like rocks, sea, and moon, rendering them as primordial symbols. This symbolist research transcends the boundaries of space and time, with darkness becoming the canvas for impossible dialogues between earth and sky, rocks and shadows.
The project is a metaphysical exploration, a testament to Davide’s commitment to unveiling the unseen.
Exclusive Interview with Davide Esposito
1. Fresh from your recent win at the C2A Awards, can you share how the recognition has already influenced your perspective on your creative journey or business endeavors?
Davide Esposito: Gaining recognition for my project “Archetypes” with C2A Awards gave me even more confidence that my vision as a symbolist photographer is pioneering and unique. My network of connections is very impressed by this achievement, especially the fact that I achieved this award as an individual fine art photographer. What’s more, is that this recognition has inspired me to create a whole new project, one that enhances my vision even further and continues to push the limits of photography.
2. Let’s rewind to your journey through the submission and evaluation process for the C2A Awards. What were the standout moments, challenges, or surprises you encountered?
Davide Esposito: The first thing to mention about my experience with the submission process for C2A Awards is the fact that the style of communication, the tone of voice, and the register with which I was initially contacted was very professional, polite, and respectful.
I greatly appreciated such personal communication and felt that I was being encouraged to apply to the awards. I got the immediate sense that C2A Awards wanted to evaluate true excellence. My first touchpoint with C2A gave me the understanding this was not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ kind of competition, but one that is tailored to artists, and other creatives that deserve to be acknowledged.
My advice to those considering their journey with C2A awards would be this – if you’re doing something different and haven’t found a place for your works so far (especially if you’re doing something no one’s ever seen before in your field), don’t hesitate and apply. Uniqueness is key to take part in this competition and standing out from the crowd in a creative way is only a benefit with C2A.
3. Creativity is a mystic force. What fuels your imagination, and how do you approach the creative process?
Davide Esposito: I often feel the need to isolate myself within my own mind, for the purpose of listening to my inner self. I do that very often, in any place, even if I’m waiting at the Post Office. I let myself fall inside my own mind, to feel anything that is going on in that unattainable place of my soul, fearlessly. My mind silently wanders across trails of emotions from a past I don’t have much memory of. I often think and wonder about the time before I was born.
With my own photography, I need these kinds of reflections because I need to represent the metaphysical world through photography. This world is invisible, but coexists within our reality, where fast paced living without giving worth to the journey has become the norm.
The nostalgia I feel for the world where we come from inspires me to roam in particular times of the day around my hometown, Capri. I love the light from autumn until spring, when the weather is crazy and unpredictable, when the island is lonesome and mighty. This greatly inspires me. I never leave home without my camera. Everybody that knows me, has always seen me with a camera around my neck, even when I have to get groceries a few minutes from home. This too, is part of my creative process – interpreting and reinterpreting things I see and the world around me on a daily basis. It becomes a kind of meditation.
Photography for me works like a thunder in the night: it’s a powerful lightning unleashing all its power and light after charging for a long time. And so in specific nights I just need to go roam around to bring those sensations into the world of reality: two dimensional slices of the realm of beyond.
The process of selecting photographs is equally intense. I’m very sensitive to music, and I use it to enhance the mystical state of the mind. I lose myself in the music and the flowing of time listening to those timeless melodies, reaching a state where my artistic vision gets sharper, surfacing all the hidden symbols that my mind wanted to subconsciously capture.
Having a coherent, precise and powerful aesthetic is crucial, since I’m a strong believer that the meaning lies within the aesthetic, to me, they’re basically the same thing.
4.Navigating the twists and turns of a creative career often involves overcoming obstacles. What are some challenges you’ve faced, and how have you tackled them?
Davide Esposito: Switching from a commissioned photography career (portrait, wedding, couple photoshoots) to a solely fine art one has been the biggest career pivot and a creative challenge for me.
There are two different photographers that live inside of me, each one works in a different direction: the one taking portraits is glowy, dreamy, editorial, suspended within time. The one telling the story of my life long inner research is suspended within time as well, but in a mighty, moody, philosophical way – I produce images that raise important questions.
When I’m focused on taking airy shots for my clients, the other photographer in me feels neglected, it screams to come back as the protagonist of my daily path towards the truth. I want to dedicate all my energies to my life long research for the meaning of my (our) life on Earth.
I also had to go deep within me to find the right words, to be able to communicate with language what I’m looking for with my photography, with my new, fresh aesthetic. I overcame this obstacle by educating myself more on the market and ways to communicate with different audiences. I also spent a whole lot of time reflecting to draw out the right words to describe what it is that I do and why I do it.
5. The ink on your C2A victory is still fresh. In what ways do you anticipate the award impacting your credibility and reputation in the creative industry, and how do you envision leveraging this recognition as you move forward?
Davide Esposito: I see this award as having particular meaning for me. I’m not an agency, or a part of any creative team. It’s with my own strength that I was able to create and communicate effectively my innovative way of telling stories through photography. Leveraging this recognition with the realities in my field means demonstrating how much my sole mind was able to achieve which should be an encouragement to those thinking of applying to the awards.
6. Networking and collaboration are integral to growth. Have you already seen opportunities or partnerships emerge as a result of your C2A win, and how do you foresee these connections shaping your future in the industry?
Davide Esposito: My network was astonished by the results, and that gave me more authority, and a stronger voice as a creative. There are small businesses that feel encouraged to hire me for my vision to help them stand out from the crowd. This gives me great faith that I would be further considered for commissioned work where my fine art vision really gets the spotlight.
7. Immediate effects aside, do you foresee winning the C2A Award influencing the demand for your services or products in the near future?
Davide Esposito: I’ve been in touched with several entities and I’m currently waiting for galleries and agents to get back to me. I’m hopeful for a positive outcome.
8. As a recent C2A Award winner, what aspects of the experience have you found most valuable, and would you encourage others in the creative industry to consider participating?
Davide Esposito: The tone of voice of the whole competition, emails, website copy, everything is on point to make you feel a person and not someone that is targeted to be thrown down the conversion funnel.
I’m a photographer and by witnessing the works of my colleagues of other fields, I had the opportunity to learn more. I really got the impression that us C2A winners are truly a family of innovators.
9. Looking ahead, do you see yourself applying for the next edition of the C2A Awards, and what aspects of the competition would motivate you to participate again?
Davide Esposito: Absolutely yes. The main aspect is the challenge of doing something even more groundbreaking, enough to meet the standards of a C2A Award winner.
10. Staying current is an ongoing challenge. How do you currently keep abreast of new industry trends, and are there any emerging trends you’re excited to incorporate into your work?
Davide Esposito: In my heart, I’m an artist. I prefer keeping everything loyal to my inner truth. Art is the offspring of the truth. And it’s the truth guiding me towards the next challenges. I’ll incorporate my new style I crafted for “Archetypes” into still life, portrait, and I’m crafting even more extreme landscape photography projects. I feel everything is already within me, it just has to come to life.
11. Future gazing: what plans and aspirations are on the horizon for you, and how do you anticipate your creative journey evolving over time?
Davide Esposito: My main aspiration is to become an advocate of a certain kind of photography, based on inner meditation, following the authentic truth within. Getting recognition as a fine art photographer, being able to tell to my audience my story, my path, and my struggles, will inspire other creative photographers to ignite a passion for the arts.
Photography is still the core of any filed in the communication industry and I believe that a truthful approach is crucial to get new authentic ways of representing any subject. This is true even when the topic is commissioned by a company and you have to pour out your vision/style to work with the clients’ needs.
12. Zooming in on your recent triumph, what inspired the winning project you submitted to the C2A Awards?
Davide Espasito: I’ve always been fascinated by symbolism – the might, the primordial questions about life and death, the connection with nature, the meaning of life.
I was raised on the island of Capri. Here, we have a museum with the paintings of Karl Wilhem Diefenbach, a German symbolist painter that portrayed the island on many huge paintings. His works pierced my soul since I was a kid, when I was so little in front of those dark, mighty paintings. I felt challenged but never afraid. My photography project “Archetypes” is a spontaneous tribute to him, and that’s the reason for the earthly coloured tint in the monochrome images.
I didn’t plan this tribute, the story is that I felt something while I was wandering with my camera into the night. There was the sea, the moon, the howling wind screaming through the branches of the trees, and occasional screams from the seagulls.
I stared at the moon and spontaneously thought about his paintings, so I suddenly had the idea of creating a series directly inspired by him. I felt the need to separate all the elements that he represented in his paintings: water, rocks, sky, seagulls. And I wanted to do it translating the symbolist style he used in his paintings through photography.
An important creative part of the process is that I don’t do any aggressive editing: this is something I never do for any project since I want to be authentic and true to the things I feel, see, and craft on the field.
Embracing Davide Esposito’s Archetypes
As we bid farewell to this exclusive insight into Davide Esposito’s creative world, we are reminded that “Archetypes” is more than a project; it’s a revelation. Davide’s journey—from the enchanting landscapes of Capri to the symbolic depths of his mind—is a testament to the power of authenticity in art. We eagerly anticipate the next chapters of his artistic evolution, knowing that each frame will be a glimpse into the unseen, guided by the truth within.
Thank you, Davide Esposito, for sharing your unique vision and inspiring creatives to embark on their symbolic journeys. Until next time, may your lens continue to capture the essence of archetypes and unveil the mysteries of the metaphysical world.
—-
More about Davide Esposito and the Project:
C2A – Davide Esposito – Best of Best in Landscape / Photography and Winner in Nature / Photography
