Capturing Memories

My name is Francesco Gallo, known on Instagram as @francesco.__.gallo,

I am 36 years old, working in the communications sector, and live in Naples in Italy. I am happily married, and I have a beautiful little girl.

I discovered photography with my daughter, and meanwhile, friends and family, in love with the work done with her, asked me to be their children’s photographer, and I enthusiastically accepted. From here, I began to enter the world of Newborn photography.

As a self-taught, I studied and practised a lot, and with the little time available it was not easy at all.

I started buying props, accessories and photographic scenarios to always take unique photos. You can see some of my works here: https://www.facebook.com/MemoriesByFrancescoGallo

The world of the Newborn is always growing, and I hope to be able to participate in some workshops, improve again and maybe one day make it my profession. I took every single photo with the help and above all, the support of my beloved wife/assistant Gemma. Without her, I would not have done it.

With the pandemic, my Newborn photography stopped a bit, not having a studio, I didn’t feel like continuing to take pictures at home, risking the health of my family as well as that of the children.

After a rest period, I started shooting on the street: monuments, landscapes, objects, practically a bit of everything. I bought another camera body: the X-Pro2, and a few months ago, the 23mm f1.4 (which has now become my favourite lens), a perfect mix for many types of photography, especially for street photos and everyday use.

I’ve always liked analog photography, I love the texture and for me, it conveys more emotions. For this reason, when I work on my photos with both Lightroom and Capture One, I try to get closer to those colours, that kind of grain, the old films that inspire me.

Later, while studying, I discovered the film simulation recipes from https://fujixweekly.com. They are fantastic, I highly recommend them. So I spend more time shooting around than at home editing, and by now, 90% of my photos are taken with these recipes. I love them, and over time I have created my own film simulation, it is called “LUX” and is inspired by my daughter Dahlia Luce. Fixated by the colours of the films, I then started shooting in analog.

“Olympus mju2” was the first analog camera, a point and shoot. Then I also went here to Fuji, and now I have a Fujica STX-1 with a 50mm and a 200mm, and recently they gave me a medium format: Fujica GW690. I’m still studying the camera, and I hope to take some pictures with it as soon as possible.

I don’t have a film preference to date, because I haven’t tried them all so I wouldn’t be able to choose, but I can say that each film has its own charm.

I have many projects in mind and a great desire to travel with my family and shoot; whether it is film or digital, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to have the memory of that day, of that place and with the people I love.

Thank you, Fuji X Passion Magazine, for giving me the opportunity to talk about my work in this article.