- What was your first passion: photography or the ocean?
The ocean, definitely. It has always been part of my life, even though when I was little I didn't know anything about surfing. But I grew up in Genoa, a city by the sea, where my mum worked as a lifeguard for many years, so I spent most of the time with my grandparents at the beach with her. Basically, yes, I grew up falling in love with the sea and always thought I couldn't live without the ocean.
- So how did you get into surfing? Because not only do you capture others surfing, you also tend to keep an eye on the forecast to catch some waves yourself.
There were several occasions. I tried it for the first time when I was 25 years old, in Genoa, because a friend of mine was surfing already. I almost drowned that time, because there was a storm. I'm a very good swimmer, I mean, I used to compete in swimming when I was little, but it was too heavy. And after that, I moved away from the sea. I worked a lot in hospitality back then and moved to London, because my dream was to travel and learn languages. Thinking about that period, on the one hand, I missed the sea and began to resent the lifestyle in the big city, but on the other hand, it made me grow a lot. At the time, I was quite shy, and in this industry, if you don't pull your socks up, you don't get very far. There is very little camaraderie, and nobody gives you anything for free. It wasn't an easy time, but what I learned has served me well for the work I am doing today. I also learnt English, obviously, but yes, I was very far from a life in the ocean during that period (she laughs).
Then, on holiday in Lanzarote, I tried surfing one more time, and even though back then it was more of a struggle than fun, I knew that this was the life I wanted to lead; it was just not the right time yet. So that’s when I got infected with the surf fever, and when I returned to London, I worked very hard to save money and move to Australia.
- So moving to Australia was the first step towards life the way you live it now? Revolving around surfing and photography.
Yes. I started with surfing. Back then, 10 years ago, it was already trendy, but not as much as it is now. I still remember the 36-hour flight. I didn't even know who I was when I landed. But once I got to the town I was going to stay, a village near Noosa, I was absolutely flattered. By nature, the sea, the way people lived, walking barefoot everywhere. It was so different from the European way of life, which, at least to what I knew until then, was much more stressful. Of course, I knew that life in Australia was expensive and that I had to start working as soon as possible, but I also wanted to enjoy this adventure and not fall back into that workaholic routine. That’s a lesson I learned from surfing: to enjoy life and take more time for activities I enjoy, especially for surfing (she laughs).
- In fact, surfing is an activity that takes over a lot of time, and we haven’t talked about photography yet. How did you start that chapter?
Well, at the beginning I was crazy about surfing all day long, getting into places where I shouldn't have… It was a broken rib that stopped me. Thanks to that, I started with photography. Guess what! I was 27 years old and had never held a camera in my hands before. I always read stories about photographers who played with cameras from an early age, but that wasn't the case for me (she laughs).
As I had to stay on the beach anyway at that time, I thought, why not make the most of it? I bought a very basic camera that was on sale, and that's how I discovered my passion for photography. Taking photos of my friends going surfing.
From that moment on, the camera was my constant companion, because after Australia I started travelling a lot... Asia, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South America, I always took the camera with me. I loved to capture what I saw, discovering these worlds that were so different from what I was used to. I will never forget all these trips.
- And how did you come up with the idea to start shooting in the water?
After a sort of existential crisis. One of those that shake us all from time to time I suppose. Sure all the travelling and dreaming, that all sounds very nice, but in the end I had to do something with my life. So between these trips I always went back to Italy to be with my family and during one of those breaks and a lot of thinking I found the solution.
I knew I liked photography, but it's very difficult to make a living from it. A friend of mine, who works as a professional photographer, let me help her a couple of times and motivated me to give it a try. So, after spinning around the matter over and over again, I said to myself, why don't I combine my two passions, the ocean and photography, and make that my differentiating factor? To give it a try, I bought a GoPro and asked a friend who was a kite surfing champion what he thought of the idea. He was very supportive and helped me get people to buy my photos. The only downside was that I started during COVID. I was in Italy and couldn’t go any further. But after a month of selling crappy GoPro photos, I decided to take the step.
- And that step was to buy a water housing for your camera, right?
Yes. At the time I had very little money, but life is funny sometimes, isn’t it? On Instagram, I saw a post with #surfphotography from the United States by someone who was selling a Canon with a super cheap water housing. To me, it felt like a signal. I spent all my money on the camera and delivery, because customs are freaking expensive. And that's how I got my camera. Without knowing anything about any of this. I didn't even have a computer to edit the photos. I edited them with my iPhone 5, imagine! It was the best investment of my life. Obviously there was a lot of fear involved and from time to time I still feel these moments of uncertainty about if I’m doing the right thing. But I think when you love what you do and believe in something so much, you just have to jump.
- Totally! And I suppose one of the goals of any photographer in a way is to find their own style, which is a journey in itself. Your photography is focused on everything in and around the ocean, what or who inspires you? What are you looking for in a photo?
I love the light reflections on the water, they’re just incredible, as well as textures. And something I began to appreciate when I was in Sri Lanka is the feminine form of women. I see a lot of beauty in women. I noticed that in Sri Lanka, because without a wetsuit, of course, the shape of women stands out much more, and well, I really like to capture the beauty of women. Obviously, always in a very delicate and respectful way. I think that approach is reflected in my photos. At least I try. It’s something that inspires me a lot and makes me very happy, because for example sometimes there are girls who, after a shoot, thank me for seeing them so beautiful. But that's just how they are. And I love sharing that connection that we have between women. I mean, I love men (she laughs), but shooting them is not the same, there's too much testosterone in the water.
- And does the name I Sea You Photography have anything to do with this philosophy?
Yes, well at the beginning, when I started out, I had a lot of ideas and wrote everything down. I even wanted to print T-shirts and sell them for charity, because with I See You I wanted to express that I actually see you, as in I notice you, I'll help you. But of course that idea needed a connection to the sea. Well, as I love word games, I saw that thing about Sea = See on the internet and that was it. I loved it! I mean, I didn't really invent anything, but for what I wanted to do, I Sea You Photography was great. I haven't managed to develop the idea fully yet, but step by step.
- What are your preferences for taking photos in the water? And, since it's your job, how do you deal with the fact that you can't always shoot the way you want to?
Yes, it's not always easy. The other day in a private session, for example, I would never have gone into the water in those conditions. There was a lot of current, and I swear, I was swimming for an hour at the same spot and couldn't get out of the channel. But the girls didn't want to surf where there was less current. You can imagine, I wasn't very happy with this shoot. Yes, that happens too.
If I could choose what I like, I would always go for action. I surf short boards and I like more radical surfing, so I love capturing the action. In fact, I'd like to throw myself into bigger waves, which sometimes scare me. Taking photos in these spots with giant tube waves must be incredible... but little by little, I'm easy for the moment.
So to put it short, the things that inspire me are: action, the feminine side of surfing, palm trees and lights.
- Janina Zeitler, Aritz Aramburu, Rob Machado's daughter... you've already had several pro surfers in front of the lens. Do you aspire to take photos at championships or in the world of professional surfing?
Well, up to now it's been a mixture of chances and opportunities. Janina for example lives here so I got to know her, because we share the same spot basically. Then the photos of Aritz happened by chance, really. I didn't even know he was there, but some people told me while I was in the water taking photos. And then there are other occasions like with Macy and Giulia Calcaterra, which I think happened, because of that special connection between women I mentioned before. For example, with Macy, when she was here, we connected in a very natural way, and we were able to take the chance of the moment to do a shoot that I really enjoyed. And the same with Giulia, I actually met her through a friend of hers who does boxing. I had a shooting with her in Sri Lanka and the next time she travelled with Giulia, as there was trust, we connected.
So it’s not one of my principal objectives to enter the world of the pros. I mean, I’m not actively looking for it. Of course, it would be incredible to shoot in a championship. If that happened, I mean it would be like a dream! But if it doesn't, that’s ok, too. I mean, I have a certain age as well (she laughs). My idea is to evolve my photography into a direction so that I don't have to be in the water every day. It's very physical. Especially because I like the action. So I can't do that every day with the same intensity. That's why I'm branching out and starting to work more with brands, preferably surf brands, but not necessarily only water shoots. That gives me a better balance. In the end, also from an economic point of view, it's very difficult to live off surf photography just in the water, I mean, I have to pay rent, too.
- Of course. And the fact that surfing and, I imagine, the same goes for aquatic photography, is still quite dominated by men, does that have anything to do with it? Do you notice anything like that? Or is it different?
Honestly, as far as aquatic photography is concerned, I can’t say anything about negative tendencies. In fact, I think they treat me with a little more affection (she laughs). It's just that physically it really is very hard work, being out there for hours without a board… I wouldn't have thought about it before either, but once you try it, you do notice the difference. That's why I feel really thankful when there are also women who congratulate and support me. But I think it also always depends on how you deal with people, regardless of whether they are women or men. I always try to smile and usually get smiles in return.
As for surfing, yes, it is dominated by men, and you have to fight for your place in the line-up.
- Among photographers in the water, is there the same kind of localism as among surfers in some places?
Well, yes, it's more or less the same as in surfing, but again, it depends on how you turn up. I think it’s important to respect the local hierarchies. For example, recently I found out that a guy who was here for a while gave away his photos for free. Which is fine, and maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but in the end I contacted him, without any bad vibes, but just explaining that if he gives away the photos, he's ruining the job of those of us who sell them. It's like with surf lessons, if you give them away for free, people say why should I pay 50 € somewhere else. But it's a job, just like ours.
And then of course, as there are always more people surfing, there are also always more water photographers. But keeping up is difficult in this job, physically and financially. There are a lot of people who start out, and then you never see them again.
- Speaking of which, what is the biggest challenge in your work?
The cold. I'm very sensitive to the cold and being underwater all the time, you get cold much faster than when surfing. And then, of course, the currents. They can be very tricky, and you always have to remember to save energy to get back out of the water. Like in surfing, but without a board, it’s even more important. In the end, once you're without a board, you actually realise that it saves your life. Just a single second is enough, if your brain panics, it gets complicated. It happened to me once, I was in a place with a lot of current, tired and the tide was coming in as well so I couldn't get out. Some surfers helped me in the end, but I was really scared.
And then there are obviously a lot of technical aspects too, the sea moves, being in the right place, the drop of water in front of the lens. If the level of the surfer is not so good, it's harder to capture the right moment. There are a lot of things that make it difficult, but I love it. Because in the end, achieving it despite all these difficulties makes me feel strong and keeps pushing me to pursue my dream.
SHORTIES:
1) What song would accompany you in your work in the water?
I never think about that, because in the water it’s super important for me to hear. There are always waves, especially with shorter periods, when there’s not much distance between the waves. Imagine I'm down there, where you can't always see, for example, the next set of waves, and if you pay attention to what you hear, it's a great advantage. It’s like an alert to anticipate what's going to happen next.
But if I had to choose a song as a soundtrack, there is one that is pure poetry for me: Shallow Water - Yehezkel Raz, Sivan Talmor. I grew up with classical and neoclassical music, because I was doing ballet, so I love this one and will save it to do something very special.
2) The conditions are incredible, surfing or taking photos?
I'm still trying to find that balance. I always prioritise work, but after a few days without surfing, I get frustrated and need to surf, too. It's difficult, because of course, the best thing for me is to work when the conditions are good, but I also want to surf in good conditions. That's why I loved Sri Lanka, it was perfect all the time and I didn't have to stress about it.
3) Which situation do you enjoy more for taking photos, shootings or free surfing?
It depends, each situation has its own thing. With a shoot, the difficulty is that you need to take good photos. That's what people pay for. In free surfing, if you don’t get any good shots, that’s no problem. On the other hand, shoots push me to get into the water even if I’m not so motivated. Or to go to places I would never have gone to. So it makes me step out of my comfort zone a bit more than shooting free surfers.
4) Imagine you can travel through space and time to take the photo of your dreams. Where would you go?
Hawaii! It's my dream, I'm really fascinated by this place, also because of its surfing history. Maybe I also would have liked to have started surfing and surf photography earlier, to experience that time when there was more adventure, more discoveries.
5) Which other photographers inspire you?
Morgan Maasseen, I love everything he does.
6) What was the most unusual place, spot or session that you got to through water photography ?
Sri Lanka last year. It was super special for when I was in the water with all these local pro surfers. It was an honour for me to be able to share those moments. Meeting the people you admire in the water and being able to take their photos, for me, it’s an honour.
Thanks a lot Pagi, for sharing your experiences with us!
Photos:
Photo 2, 4, 6, 8, by Pagi - I Sea You Photography
Header, photo 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11 by Giulia Parise