Photo Diary: Europe in Contrast

My approach to photography is very intuitive. I tend to carry my camera with me wherever I go. As many photographers often say, there is always something that will catch your attention. Even when I’m just going to the shop next door, I make sure to bring my camera along.

Photos & Words: Gian Maitelli / @gcmaitelli

Over the last six years, as I’ve started to take photography more seriously, my approach has evolved. I’ve shifted between being more intuitive to being more technical and then back to a more intuitive style. I feel it’s a learning process, and like any other craft, it takes time to put all the pieces of knowledge together. With practice, I’ve developed quicker thinking, whilst always keeping in mind that the technical aspects are crucial—especially when shooting with analogue film.

That brings me to another point—I’ve always shot on film, with only a few digital experiments here and there for specific gigs. Analogue photographers are often criticised due to the cost of film, development, and camera maintenance, especially since you can produce similar work at a faster pace with digital photography. However, I stick with analogue because of the challenges it presents—the power of failure, the difficulty of capturing a great shot within a single roll, and the patience required to wait for the results. This lack of immediacy creates a certain freedom that allows me to produce more thoughtful and meaningful work.

These photographs are a mix of my work over the years. I started with a Canon AE-1 and a Yashica T3, and later, when I got my first rangefinder, the Canonet QL17 GIII, I realised it was the perfect tool for my style. Since then, I’ve moved on to a Fuji GS645, and now I primarily use the Leica CL and Leica M4, and all of it has been shot with Kodak Tri-X 400 film stock.

Check out more of Gian's work, HERE.