READING TIME: 2 min 23 sec
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/20/2024
UPDATED: 08/29/2024
His images blend elegance and authenticity, capturing both the universal and intensely personal. For Cristiano Ostinelli, the camera is an extension of his being - a means to translate life's fleeting instants into powerful visual stories.
"I have been a photographer for 30 years," Ostinelli says with a satisfied smile, "working in the head of photojournalism and destination wedding all over the world." Born on the shimmering shores of Lake Como, his journey began documenting the raw human realities around him as a young idealistic artist.
Yet it was the inherent beauty of new love's dawn that ultimately became his creative passion. "I have been in the world of wedding for more than 25 years," he shares. "I began on Lake Como, where I was born and live and later traveled all over the world."
How does one put such a singular artistic vision into words? Ostinelli pauses, carefully selecting his phrasing. "It is difficult to describe yourself, but what I have always tried in my photographs is to make a moment unique, a descriptive and personal and elegant photography but also a creative photography that goes beyond the wedding world, a photography that finds a place in fashion, in photojournalism."
His images exude a cinematic quality, each meticulously composed frame rendered with a painter's sensitivity yet overflowing with unrestrained authenticity. No subject is too humble to become a resonant encapsulation of the human spirit.
"I have the good fortune and honor to be Sony brand ambassador, a brand that presents itself as a leader in the world of photography," Ostinelli states with pride, "I use their best cameras and lenses that I find perfect for my style."
He wields his artistic tools like a master conductor, coaxing a visual symphony from his orchestra. Each click crystallizes an instant - the staccatos of joy, the ellipses of profound devotion, the unguarded humor captured in parenthetical asides.
"I use a very accurate and natural post-production," he continues, "All photographs are manually post-produced by me and my staff."
For this romantic spirit, the greatest privilege is fusing his innate curiosity with creative passion. "I love meeting people from all over the world and I used to be lucky enough to travel a lot for my work, discovering wonderful countries, I feel very lucky for that."
No destination is too remote, no culture too foreign for Ostinelli to intimately understand and immortalize the subjective truths visible only through his lens. "I like to create a very confidential relationship trying to understand what are the expectations and attitudes of the couple. Every wedding is different, every person is different, it is very important to be able to adapt while maintaining their own personality and style in photographs."
With signature humility, Ostinelli acknowledges his artistic scope alongside boundless ambition. "30-40 weddings" is his comfortable annual volume, dedicating 10 fully engaged hours to each. This artisan views the creative process as an intimate collaboration.
"It is important to go to those who have a lot of experience and know the area well, choose a style that is as close as possible to your taste," he advises clients.
As for his personal touchstone, Ostinelli's eyes brighten - "I love the whole world, but at the top of the list I put my home, Lake Como."
In that transcendent place where soul and surroundings fuse, where the ephemeral and eternal intertwine, that is where you'll find Cristiano Ostinelli - a wandering storyteller, seizing the unseen moments that lie within us all.
