Quaderno 2021 -N°1

This Notebook isn’t born by chance. I wanted it because we’ve received so many fashion shootings, from so many photographers from every country, and all of them so beautiful, that having only published them on our website was not enough for me. I wanted to give them more. More space, more importance. I wanted the creativity, passion and professionalism of all those who contribute to the creation of the perfect shot, the one able to move and transport us into a world of enchantment and poetry, to be recognized. Because taking a good picture is not just about pressing a button but imagining a story and giving it life, finding the right light and location to place it, organizing every single detail on set, interacting with the children, establishing an authentic relationship with them, entertaining them so that their effort is somehow relieved. There are photographers and stylists and models of extraordinary talent, hair&make-up artists, location scouts and even amazing mothers behind each shot. Then, when the photos arrive at the editorial office, the story has to be told through the layout and the photos arranged in sequence to emphasize the most exciting moments, as does the narrating voice of a novel, that raises its tone where the action is concentrated, and then calm it down and lively it again following the plot. Or like the scenes of a movie that follow one another between close-ups and long shots, fast and slow times, lights and shadows. And this is where the art director comes in. Rossella has the gift of combining photos with such mastery they look even more beautiful. She always finds the ideal font for every title that often matches her calligraphic writing. And her unique and personal calligraphy, along with her drawings, are among the major values of Scimparello. We work well together. Not just because we’ve been doing it for a long time and have the same taste but because we share the same passions. As the one for print media, for example. And, like herI kind of miss it. This Notebook was also born to bring me back to that emotion. Of course, this is a digital edition and I can’t touch it. But, on ISSUU, I can flip it. And when I turn the pages off my computer screen, I hear the same familiar rustle as I used to. It doesn’t matter that it’s just a sound effect, it’s so true that I almost get the smell of ink. Not to mention that the web has many advantages: it allows me to publish many more shootings than I could have published once, it travels fast and reaches all over the world, it is an inexhaustible source of ideas and reflections. Besides, it will always be possible that Scimparello and its Notebooks become printed, one day. I dream of a small production to be realized with precious papers, different textures, and natural inks. Not just magazines but refined collectibles.
And while I’m working on it, you swipe through this first Notebook of ours! It has all the spirit of Scimparello in it. A world full of colors and joie de vivre, where the wonder is everywhere, we just need to know how to see it.  A world where being different is beautiful, because it’s feeling equal to each other that matters.