Photography in Italy

There are many professional or amateur photographers, here.

Those who produce visual objects are not always artists. This is no longer decided only by the academy; today it is also the critics and the market that define “what” can really be called art. Often virtuosos of photographic art are not necessarily artists. Just like artisan painters and sculptors, although in Italy they are often excellent professionals. Italy has certainly experienced eras of enormous artistic creativity, and in the wake of this, artisans and workshops have taken hold until they have become an important productive sector. Yet according to many statistics, Italian small companies has been in steep decline since 2008. In the ten years since, some 165,000 arts and craft businesses have closed their doors, including studios and photo publication companies.

Digital photography is on the rise, and at the same time, photo printing labs are disappearing.

On-call professionals who develop and print online (from even quite remote foreign companies) remain. These most often fall into the category of the event and campaign photographer and at best work in an advertising agency.

But it is not necessary to question ISTAT research and big numbers to understand what is happening. To search aroundne only has to look around a bit to find shutters closed on every corner of our cities and more so in small towns in the province.

While it is true that the luxury sector (lusso in Italian) has withstood various crises and indeed gained strength (at least in the most popular narrative), the local workshop, more traditional and popular in its features and still rather difficult and expensive in its production techniques, has not been as fortunate.
To keep up with the times, the Italian craftsman has had to adapt to the constant search for ecological and sustainable solutions, but he has not been rewarded for this effort, either in local venues or online. On the contrary, it has been rather immobile in getting noticed on the web and in exploiting the network to make its product known and placed.

Does the store still work?

Yes, the reality is that artisan shops/workshops endure especially in very touristy places. But if we take Venice as an example, we cannot have failed to notice the spread of the so called “ugly copies“, that is, industrial products made and imported by foreign companies at very low cost in the guise (more or less) of local artisanal products.

Photography in Italy : What is the strategy to get out of this unfortunate trend?

Certainly today there is no path that can be pursued without contemplating the use of the web and social media. Yet big web stores like Amazon or craft specialists like Etsy do not seem to be promoting great initiatives. On the contrary, they incentivize with new fees the closure of small craft businesses that fragment the brand image and cause dispersion.
An initiative to promote local handicrafts could come through a unique authenticity certification system. With a branded mark and spread internationally, which can be recognizable to all. The concept and regulations of MADE IN ITALY should then be redefined and publicized worldwide. The goal is to preserve and discourage copying but at the same time in a more positive and purposeful way: to promote authenticity by taking full advantage of the potential of digital.

But how to apply these rules in an industry like photography, where what is original is increasingly generated or manipulated online, remains an in-depth unanswered question.