Ciao, I'm Luca
ABOUT
My name is Luca Cuomo, and my passion for photography was born from a chance encounter with an old camera belonging to my father. It wasn’t a particularly valuable model, but in that moment, I realized that the world behind the lens fascinated me in a special way. I started taking pictures without any real awareness of the future, but over the years, I’ve come to understand that photography has become, for me, “a way of telling stories.” Stories that captivate me, often move me, and drive me to always seek something in the people I photograph. If I had to describe myself in one word, I would say I’m a “Witness.” Every shot is an encounter, my way of storytelling, of capturing the most authentic moments, of listening to people, and giving them something in return something that leaves a lasting impression on their lives.
GET IN TOUCH
Dive into my world
The Roots of a Passion
Photography has never been just a profession for me. It’s a language I’ve learned to understand over the years. I grew up in a house where photographs were evidence of vacations and celebrations. My father had an old film camera and a Polaroid, and I would curiously examine them every time I held them in my hands. It wasn’t so much the technology that intrigued me, but the power of those machines: to freeze time, crystallize a moment, and give it a story. Every faded photo, every camera seemed to tell stories from a distant time, and I wanted to be part of those stories. Those cameras were left abandoned for years, but that’s where it all began.
Even though we live in a digital world, I can’t let go of my fascination with the past. Analog photography, with its slowness and development process, still captivates me today. Every shot was a small journey, an act of waiting and surprise, something you can’t find in hurriedly taken images. And that’s what I try to recreate now, even with digital photography: to experience a single photo as a journey, a moment of waiting and surprise.
For me, photography has become a way to tell stories, to observe the world with fresh eyes.
The Philosophy of My Work - Weddings
My love for weddings wasn’t immediate; it was the connection with people and their stories that made me fall in love with this aspect of photography. Every wedding is a unique narrative, a film unfolding before my eyes, which I strive to tell with the same intensity as a story.
I’ve always believed that wedding photography shouldn’t be limited to a series of posed shots. Instead, it should be a spontaneous and intimate narrative rooted in the unexpected, in the small moments that are easy to overlook but are, in fact, what give life to the story of such a special day. This approach has allowed me to establish myself as a wedding photographer, blending the documentary style of reportage with fine art portrait photography.
My goal is to create images that are not only beautiful but hold lasting emotional value. When I photograph, I always aim to be discreet, to avoid interrupting the moment, and to act as a silent observer. Every wedding I photograph is a story that unfolds in real time, and I am there to document it, to capture it. I don’t like to intervene too much; I prefer to let emotions surface naturally.
The Philosophy of My Work - Portraits
In recent years, I’ve had significant encounters with photographers who have made me fall deeply in love with portraiture more than anything else. I’m convinced that every face holds a story, a secret waiting to be revealed. I like to think that taking a portrait isn’t just about capturing a photograph but about being part of a small exchange, a moment of sharing that happens between the subject and me—a moment of intimacy where the person in front of the lens feels free to show who they truly are.
Before taking a portrait, I love to ask questions, to listen, to understand what lies behind the person in front of me, and then try to capture the essence of what I’ve discovered.
There’s always a part of me that remains hidden behind every shot, but I believe that’s the beauty of photography: the intimacy created between me and the subject, that quiet exchange preserved in the silence of a photo. The camera is my tool to explore people and to offer them something—to give back what I see and feel in that encounter.
When I shoot a portrait, it’s as if I’m writing a letter, a correspondence between me and the subject. I never shoot just to take a simple photo; I’m always searching for something deeper. Every face, every gesture, every gaze carries a meaning that deserves to be explored. For me, a portrait is an “intimate exchange”—a moment where there’s not just a photographer and a subject but two human beings meeting, silently sharing their stories. I’m not interested in the perfect pose or a forced smile; what I seek is what lies behind the eyes, that something unique that makes us who we are.
A Journey Through Color and Black and White, Exploring Light
My approach to photography is deeply “vintage.” I love the charm of black-and-white images. There’s something more intimate, more profound in black-and-white photography, something I don’t always find in color. It’s as if black and white have the ability to dig deeper, to reveal the hidden emotions behind a gaze, a gesture, a pose. When I shoot a black-and-white portrait, I always try to uncover that silent truth, that light that tells a story without the need for words. It’s a magic I never tire of pursuing, and every time I achieve that depth, I know I’ve reached something special. In that moment, I know I’ve given the other person something authentic and sincere.
Shooting in black and white amplifies this sense of intimacy because it removes the superfluous and forces us to focus on what truly matters: the essence of the person. Light and shadow do the rest. And when everything aligns, when the light is just right, and the subject is ready to reveal themselves, that’s when the magic happens. Every portrait I take is an act of listening, a moment that transcends photography itself, an encounter that changes both me and the person in front of me.
What truly changed me, and transformed my approach to photography, were the encounters with photographers who later became friends and opened my eyes and heart. In those encounters, I literally rediscovered light. Light is at the center of everything. Because it’s in light that everything comes to life, that a subject is revealed. Light is a confession. And when I photograph, I’m always searching for that light that allows me to capture the nuances of the person in front of me.
Light is never just one thing. From a single source of illumination emerges a dance of lights and shadows from which “thousands of photographs” can be born. Every angle, every reflection, every shadow creates a new dimension. This has driven me to explore light more deeply, to try to give my subjects not just a photo but a unique visual experience. Light is the key to telling a story; it’s like a secret language that unveils hidden truths.
This is the heart of my work, and it’s what pushes me to keep improving every day.
Inspirations Beyond Photography
My inspirations don’t come solely from photography.
I am a great lover of “music”, especially “rock”, which has always been the soundtrack of my life and work.
I like to think that photography, much like music, has its own melody. Every shot is like a song playing in my head as I compose the image, and the people I photograph are the notes of a score.
The lyrics of songs often echo in my mind as I shoot,
as if music and words are guiding my lens.
And every time I take a portrait, it feels as though that subtle music is leading me toward something that isn’t immediately visible.
“Cinema and TV series” are also a major source of inspiration. The visuals created in a film or series are never just aesthetically pleasing, they tell stories that stay with you. Cinema teaches you how to compose an image, to study the details, to use light as if it were a character in its own right. TV series, on the other hand, reflect daily life, the complexities of human relationships, and provide ideas for telling stories and capturing people.
Finally, there’s “reading”, a passion I discovered relatively recently. Books are a great source of inspiration; they stimulate the imagination and creativity. Every book is a journey, a way to live other lives, to feel what cannot be touched, to think what I might not otherwise consider. I also love writing, jotting down thoughts that come to mind while reading, listening to music, or photographing. Ideas, emotions, and reflections accumulate in my notebook, always within reach, alongside my camera. It’s a constant exchange, a weaving of notes and images that influence and enrich each other.
Between Photography and the Future
Over the years, my vision of photography has evolved. I’ve realized that every image is never just a snapshot, but a story that lives, breathes, and changes every time it is viewed. Every wedding I photograph is a new story to tell, a new light to explore. Every portrait is a new exchange, an encounter that always leaves something behind—something that enriches and inspires reflection.
Looking to the future, I never stop searching. I want to continue exploring light, telling stories through my lens, and discovering new worlds, new emotions, new people. Photography is my journey—a journey that never ends and continually brings me to new challenges and new connections. And as I travel this path, my notebook and my camera are always with me, ready to embrace the next story, the next light.
Because, in the end, it’s all about light and encounters. And I, like an eternal seeker, can’t wait to discover the encounters the future has in store for me.
