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Photos to Inspire: Claudio Basso
By The Editors of double Exposure | Wisdom and Inspiration |
Jul 1, 2009
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 CLICK HERE TO VIEW A GALLERY OF CLAUDIO'S IMAGES
All photos � Claudio Basso
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| Nikki Taylor and her daughter |
In May 2008, Claudio Basso�renowned fashion photographer and founder of Renovance.tv Reality Training workshops�suffered a major brain aneurysm and was very close to death. Nonetheless, he made a miraculous recovery within a year. He has not only begun his photography workshop series once again, he is re-entering the photography market specializing in portraiture. �I took this experience as a spiritual journey,� he remarks. �I felt that God was giving me a second chance at life.� This incident, combined with the fact that he�s about to turn 50, forced him to pause and think seriously about what he wanted to do in the future. �I realized that I wanted to go back to my true love�photography.�
He feels that he�s grown artistically, and the portraits that he�s created recently have resulted in rave reviews. Basso has a powerful capability to tell a story with just one image, and he draws on 25 years of fashion photography experience to make his subjects look good.
When he started his career as a fashion photographer, Basso was taken under the wing of Alberto Nodolini, then art director of Italian Vogue, and was influenced by the work of some of the biggest names in fashion photography. �I was lucky enough to develop artistically with one of the greatest art directors who ever existed,� he says. �He allowed me and a few others to see the magazine being created, but also to look at the light box and see the work of some of the great masters of photography.� Basso learned a lot by �seeing how the magazine was manipulated by Nodolini into becoming an icon of our culture, issue after issue.�
Early on, Basso visited the art directors of various fashion magazines, and Italian Vogue was his first success story in the industry. �Nodolini had a handful of young photographers who he believed had outstanding talent, and he guided them to reaching a level at which they would work for the magazine,� Basso explains.
Rather than becoming complacent about his success in just one location, Basso wanted to branch out into other fashion markets around the globe. �I always had a dream of being able to go anywhere in the world and being able to work quickly,� he says. After he became successful in Milan, he says, �I packed my bags and went to Paris. After that I went to London, and after that, to Germany.� He also met a representative from the Ford Modeling Agency, who convinced him that he should move to New York. He overcame his fears (�It was a big jump�), and he eventually made the move. �My guardian angel watched over me again, because my first job was with American Vogue.� He says his first image published in the magazine was a small one, but it led to his getting an agent and he was off and running.
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| Frank Dispensa |
Over the past few years, Basso and his wife Sheree have led the Renovance.tv Reality Training workshops in fashion and portraiture. Currently, he�s offering a �hybrid� program� a full training in lighting for fashion photography, one day in the studio and one day on location�in Denver, Colorado at the end of July. Basso�s Reality Training workshops, however, are on standby for the next few months because he�s currently developing a revolutionary new product. �This will be geared towards the amateur market, but I can�t say very much about it right now,� he says.
According to Basso, his primary focus is to get back into the shooting arena, specializing in portraiture. �I get a great high from taking pictures,� he maintains. He will also consider some advertising fashion or catalogue work, but says that he doesn�t want to do any more editorial assignments because of the extensive travel it involves.
Basso is a strong supporter of Canon technology. When asked about his camera gear, he replies quickly, �I only shoot with Canon these days. In fact, I use Canon for everything.� He uses a Canon 1DS Mark III, and his favorite lens is the Canon EF 70�200mm IS (image stabilizing). He also utilizes Canon�s ITS 5100 large-format printer, which he describes as �beyond any expectation I ever had,� and a Canon digital projector for video presentations.
As a parting shot, Basso offers a quote from his website: �When I look through my camera lens, I realize the sky�s the limit. I do it for the love of photography and the people. With every shoot, I learn more about life from the people in front and around the camera. Making pictures makes me happy because I can make people happy with my pictures.�
Visit Claudio Basso�s newly re-designed website at www.claudiobasso.com
CLICK HERE TO VIEW A GALLERY OF CLAUDIO'S IMAGES
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© Copyright 2010 by PHOTOWORKSHOP.COM
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Last Updated: Jul 10th, 2010 - 16:19:44
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