My father was a southern, geographically and mentally ....
I could not go swimming with the school I attended because the instructor was a male.
My brother who was a male hand, but he was throwing up all the times we had to go.
I must say that many years later I still can not understand why I enrolled Technical Institute for Graphic Arts and Photography, attended only by boys.
From 1956 to '60 the school was being Sant'Ottavio right next to where it was later built the Palazzo Nuovo.
About Turin knows what I mean.
Last year he was transferred to Via Ponchielli across town, ¾ of an hour by tram. Currently the name of the institution is Bodoni.
studied in trams and repeat the lessons with my friend who was committed by the Vidor in Via Roma (the sale of cashmere garments, which still exists today).
Eight hours of lessons per day, with lunch breaks.
lessons on Saturdays, half day.
Then tasks to be done at home in the evening.
Theory so.
little practice.
a week attending classes artistic photos (portraits with a monument to plate camera 13x18, aperture always the same, more or less light as well). I still remember my professor: Professor Richard Scofield.
To me it seemed very old and made us the lessons by sitting in a chair with a blanket on her legs.
Lessons took place in the basement of the school but that did not seem so cold.
The week after we had industrial photography: shooting various 9x12 cm plates or films that were developed after 15 days.
So in short, to see the printed results of our efforts was to spend a month and a half.
When I started working at the Institute of Archaeology were pain.
I could do really little.
My director of photography, however, was a genius and when he was in Rome printed in color by comparing the samples directly to the mosaics that had photographed.
Then the color development, even in a photo lab, was done by trial and error by eliminating filters and from time to time, color casts that could appear on the specimens.
development times lasted an hour and the temperature must be constant: 24 ° accurate colors could otherwise deteriorate.
course laboratories had ensured that the temperature of the devices constant, I had to do it by hand.
Slowly I learned, thanks to my boss, all the tricks about photography
My job was in the filming of objects, of course, archaeological finds, reproductions of books, microfilms, printing black and white footage and color printing on paper, development of slides, murals on canvas and paper and all alone.
I've really done all the colors in every way.
beginning I had make reproductions from books of photographs that were used for the lessons of Greek and Roman Archaeology. I had to make printing from the negatives on transparent, mount mounts, pulendone slides, an avalanche every time, printing contact sheets and enlargements for handouts, in 3 copies.
Over the years the courses increased.
were added in addition to the courses already mentioned, and there are still those of Eastern Archaeology, medieval, Christian, and those of Etruscan studies.
Then they began the mission in Iraq from October to Christmas and sometimes not even coming back home and I fermavo fino a Pasqua.
In Missione il lavoro era di tutto riposo.
Dovevo fotografare centinaia di oggetti, a volte migliaia come nel caso delle bullae, di cui dovevo fare anche le diapositive.
Il lavoro doveva andare bene subito e non era ripetibile perché, a fine missione, dovevamo consegnare gli oggetti alle autorità iraquene .
Le diapositive venivano sviluppate in Italia e per il bianco e nero quello che non riuscivo a fare a Bagdad doveva essere completato in Italia.
Ovviamente dovevo sviluppare e stampare anche le foto di scavo e stamparle in triplice copia.
addition to his work as a photographer during several missions had the commitment to direct the course of the houses of the mission, a sort of ruler: directing the servants, to decide the menu, keep their accounts and arrange any business dinners.
Since we are an archaeological mission abroad, sometimes Sometimes you need to invite for dinners or receptions of ambassadors or other officials iraqueni nations with which we were in labor relations and with which my boss had friendships.
Then I began to go in Calabria and Sicily for more filming objects, but also to make photogrammetric.
I still remember with anguish when photographed from the excavations, with a special machine suitable for this type of shooting, in a basket like those who use the workers Enel for the repair of streetlights.
I did this kind of shooting in Iraq.
My manager did not want that, both during air travel outward and return , spedissi cameras that were kept in two wooden briefcases with the rest of the luggage.
had to take with me to the cabin: 2 wooden boxes weighing 16 pounds, one in each hand and her purse between her teeth.
In Iraq I had to make photogrammetric the Abbasid palace par excellence: TaK-I Kisra.
The history and importance of this building that represents the depth from Iraq would be going to those who wish to consult the pages, many on the Internet.
I still remember when, in the shade a tent and sitting on the floor, remove the slabs exposed by schiassis, puts them in the box of the exposed plates and replaced with blank plates.
Maybe someone will ask how I did it in broad daylight even in the shade of a tent.
I used a special hose thick black canvas that we photographers call "pants"
indeed looked like a pant, and this went on the high side, say an ideal life, a long hinge, which is open, we introduce all that we needed to change the sheets: boxes of new plates or empty containers from which to draw or fill the blank sheets.
from the two sides from which they had supposedly quit the arms and legs were introduced then, the exchange was made with caution.
And this type of shooting I've done so much.
When it came to blow, this time in the darkroom institute, I slide the magnifier on metal runners and projected the negatives on the wall.
The janitor helped me to place the paper or canvas, and secure it with tape then developed these sheets and this time alone in the tank 2 meters long
still do not seem true to be able to do this.
and weeks in the summer, go to photograph the bully who had a sort of dumpling-shaped ring of clay that were used to accompany the documents, each of which could contain from one to twenty footprints!. All of fotografare una per una. E con 2 lampade da 500 watts addosso e in una stanzetta chiusa.
Spesso il rilievo delle figure era appena percettibile ma io dovevo evidenziare al massimo ogni dettaglio.
La maggior parte delle riprese dovevano essere buone subito e con le diapositive non era possibile fare nessun ritocco.
Ricordo ancora il mio direttore che, gonfiando il petto con orgoglio, diceva ai suoi colleghi che il laboratorio fotografico era in grado di fare qualunque cosa.
Lo avrei azzannato.
Il laboratorio fotografico ero IO.
When the war in Iraq after the robbers looted everything they could in the Italian-iraqueno, gathered in the library all the books of which he was equipped to give them fire me was evil.
The books I had all I copied one of the first copier appeared on the market: a real monument.
A good part of those books I had photographed me reproducing the originals: reproduced and printed on photo paper for airmail to decrease the weight.
Now with the new technology is a godsend.
When I went to Lebanon and Jordan, I adored my little Canon in her purse, not a trolley full of cameras.
No more hours in the darkroom to heat or cold or warm as it happened to me in the basement of my house with the temperature of the bath at 8 °. I had to make absolutely the temperature at which happened right grade with immersion in a water bath tubs in the bathrooms containing development and fixing, of pots containing boiling water with a whistle that could otherwise develop and fix the prints.
Now being a photographer is easier with the digital computer and photoshop.
But there is always the technique, experience, knowing how to illuminate the findings to pull out all the details.
No editing program with a computer can do.
At least I flatter myself.
I just want to say, the conclusion that when I retired in Institute would need three people to do the job I was doing.
ALONE
.
