"My Santa Fe"
BYOGRAPHY
Claudio Fiordellisi, also known as Fiore, received his first camera (pictured below) when he was six years old from his father. At the time, Fiore lived in Milano, Italy, where he grew up and became a professional photographer. As supervisor in one of the largest commercial photography labs in Milano, to freelance photographer for advertisements, portraits, and weddings, Fiore continued his on-going love and career in photography when he moved to the United States to be with his future wife. Fiore's agility, love of travel, and attention to detail complement his work as a visual artist. Fiore's interest and subsequent education in film-making guide his latest work. With a Bachelor degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Cinematic Art and Technology with high honors, he broadened his abilities by working with the latest in camera digital technology equipment and software. As a photographer he works individually and in film he works collaboratively as part of a team. Still, his contributions in either medium remain the same: an artist that can see things that others may quickly dismiss, his original eye and unique perspective, and the way a scene is successfully composed. Currently, he lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Fiore's first camera.
Artist's Statement
"My Santa Fe"
When I moved in Santa Fe I did not know Santa Fe at all. I was living in New York City at the time when my wife and I decided to move here to Santa Fe. When we arrived in July 2003, I started to walk around to learn the city and get oriented. I enjoy walking. It relaxes me and helps me find some inspiration for my photography as well. I immediately recognized how different Santa Fe is from the other cities I‘ve been to. There are no skyscrapers or modern buildings. Here, most of the houses are adobe or adobe style. I was attracted to the architecture. I began to explore more and more, visiting streets in downtown and residential smaller streets. The kind of streets where nobody goes and nobody is around, too. What I started to notice was that most of the houses are different from each other. Houses do not have the same layout. Walls have very smooth corners. Most of them are rounded. The stucco is applied by hand and you can see strokes on it like on an old painting. I was inspired and I began going out with my camera to see if I could take some pictures of details and little corners of anything that I caught my eye. I like to include stucco and sometimes I incorporate shadows which give depth and shape to the picture. When it is possible I frame the sky in. I like to have the sky as background to add some color but most importantly, the sky here is incredible. When I went home to download the pictures, I took, I began to see on the computer screen how beautiful this particular project was coming out. I used a long lens to be able to get close to roof buildings, small corners, etc. When I see something interesting, I move around it trying to get the best angle, including something in the background or foreground, or even better, both. These close ups became an abstract depiction of Santa Fe. ‘My Santa Fe’ is a project of how I see Santa Fe.