Francesco Bognin lives in Verona, Italy with his girlfriend Valentina and dog Noce – a wedding photographer (by accident, he says) and an osteopath (we suspect, by design). Francesco believes a life worth living for should be filled with ambitions – and we believe him. You’ll agree too when you see his photography – raw moments captured so beautifully with a unique point of view. That’s what weddings are all about when you want to look back and remember them.

1. What is life to you? What it should be?

For me, life is a mission. I think the best thing is to have goals and fight with all your strength to achieve them, a life without ambition is a life not worth living. Obviously I am not speaking only of professional ambitions but also human, find the right person, make a family etc. Life should be this, an obstacle course with the results to be achieved, first alone and then in two.  

2. There are a lot of professions out there – why be a photographer?

I became a photographer by accident, it was not in my plans and I never thought to do this work. There are no other photographers in my family, the only other artist was my grandfather, who died before I was born, he was a painter. I started taking pictures by accident, I found myself one day with a camera in my hand and I have not stopped since. I think photography chose me and not the other. In life I studied to become an osteopath, and today I make both of these beautiful works.                            

3. How much is your family an influence on the way you view life, see things?

My parents are teachers, who have always been great parents with me. I have many fond childhood memories growing up. I think their greatest influence on me has been to learn to organise and manage the time I have available, and believe strongly in what I do. Now that I’m all grown up, sometimes I wish they had taught me to be even more ambitious!

4. What is your favourite non-photography passtime?

I love watching movies! I love going to the movies and I often go alone in the evenings of weekdays as  there are fewer people, sometimes not a single soul, and I feel like I’m on the couch in my house, with the difference that I have a big screen in front of me 😉 Another passion I have is to play tennis but I don’t have much time for it these days, though I’d love to return to it soon.

5. What do you like to eat?

I love homemade bacon burgers, sushi, grilled chicken, pizza and tuna tar tar. I love to eat and my girlfriend Valentina is a very good cook; a typical Italian girl who is good at cooking 😉

6. Is/Are there any project(s) you wish you could do – or might do?

I would love to completely revolutionize my brand (I think I’ll do that soon). I would also like to begin to travel a little more for work.

7. Is there a big difference between your personal work and commissioned work?

I have so much commissioned work that I can hardly find time to pursue personal projects, luckily I love photographing weddings and my personal projects would not be much different from my stylised wedding shoots. I’d love to have photographs of my girlfriend, Valentina and I with our beautiful dog, Noce, which I do not have.

8. Do you shoot with your left or right eye?                        

Right eye, but often, almost always, I keep both eyes open.

9. Are there any unseen experimental images in your attic you’d like to show us now?

I did a boudoir session of my girlfriend but I can’t show them otherwise I’d be single tomorrow hahaha 😉

10. If you were to start all over again, is there anything you would do differently? Why?  

I probably would start branding and marketing my business as a destination wedding photographer. It’s never too late – never say never. I’m still young, I’m 27 years old so I have time. 

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