The Understated Quirkiness of Uncertainty : The Street Photography of Michele Liberti
Copyright ⓒ Michele Liberti
Head down, the man in Italian street photographer Michele Liberti’s photograph, clings to a pole. We see the top of his head, a slight shadow on the crown. People walk past on either side of him. It is an unusual perspective, the man, we assume, is either drunk or in despair, perhaps both. He, on the other hand, could be dizzy, could be physically ill or he could be mentally ill.
Here is the wonderful uncertainty of street photography as it impacts with existence. Who is the man, what is the man, what is going on, it inspires a natural curiosity. It is also involves the chasing of the, often, elusive light, and shadow, the constant vigilance that comes from constantly looking for THE shot. Sometimes of course you don’t really know what you have until the shot is made, until you’ve clicked and you have captured that image within the frame.
There is always the chance, of course, that the man has somehow been shot, not as in photograph, but as by firearm. Unbelievable? Yes, of course, look at the way the people are walking past barely giving the man a second glance. Surely he has not been shot, he hasn’t got a bullet in him, but, then, has he been physically injured in some other way? Whatever has happened, we can’t help but try and find patterns and design to the random situations of this genre of photography.
“In the street,” Michele Liberti starts up. “We find all aspects, joy, hardness, passion, emotion, irony, fantasy… Finding myself immersed in a scene and being able to grasp ‘that infinite moment’ gives me an adrenaline rush that is out of the ordinary.”
He’s right of course, the street is a wonderful mix of fantastic human ingredients, not only urban architecture and backdrop but also the shapes, sizes, emotions, intentions or non-intentions of the people who populate the city.
“Certainly,” He agrees when I suggest his style seems to gravitate toward an understated quirkiness and playfulness. “What strikes me most are the rather strange scenes, the characters, the out-of-the-ordinary. I grasp those scenes so fast…that they seem like flash-backs of life… so quickly lost.”
I liked the feeling of speed in thought and action in his articulation of how he, as a street photographer, went about his work. Photographs, after all, are aids to memory, a link to the past, a particular situation, incident, or simply a solitary moment in time.
“When,” He continues. “In all this, I can also take advantage of the colours, the light and the shadows I consider myself very lucky. However, as I said before, on the street I look for life in all its facets.”
Michele Liberti lives and works in Naples, the third largest city in Italy, and while he spends six months labouring at his day job, the rest of the year (the summer) is spent immersed in photography.
He is a self-taught photographer who learned the art, predominantly from books, but also as an assistant to wedding photographers. With regard to the latter he claims to have ‘learned a lot’. He is also a member of the Street Photography Now Community on Flickr.
Copyright ⓒ Michele Liberti
A bearded man, selling bubble machines, leans against a sea wall, brilliantly caught and photographed in a bubble of his own making by Liberti.
“Well I called it ‘On The Waterfront’,” Liberti explains and it resonates – wasn’t there a movie of the same name starring Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger? “It is part of a series of shots taken on a stretch of road that runs along the sea for at least two kilometres. Of course, we are talking about my city, Naples, where on fine days, especially in summer, whole families flock [to the beach front]. The curious thing was that that day it was quite cold, and there were few people, and this lone seller made me [feel] so tender…I wanted to put him in a soap bubble imagining that his journey (being an immigrant) could continue and make him happy.”
Copyright ⓒ Michele Liberti
A rotund woman in a garish, tight pink and black swimsuit is laid out on a pink and blue beach towel on the sand. A dark figure stretches out beyond her. It is one of many fleshy, at-the-beach shots that Michele seems drawn to.
“Yes, this is something that has always fascinated and intrigued me,” He said of his liking for naked flesh. “I remember when I was much younger, it was difficult to see all this [flesh] – sailors or people who ended up in jail did it –
while it is now common practice. On each of these bodies if you want you can read the story of their life, or discover the true personality of the subject.”
It is a street photography with an edge to it, not rare but a diversion from city streets. But we were still caught up with the thrust of his street photography and I asked Michele to describe his own work.
“This is indeed a demanding question,” He said sounding suddenly reticent. “To tell you the truth I never asked myself. I just hope that my photos are successful, convey some feeling.”
Copyright ⓒ Michele Liberti
One of my favourite shots from Liberti is a couple who seem to be consumed by light trails. I love the portrait of the lady in particular. Her glance to the side gives her an air of mystery.
“Let’s say that I often use the flash to give more brightness to the photos,” He said. “Sometimes I like to experiment, trying to get particular effects. This photo made me think that the two subjects were mother and daughter and projecting it into my subconscious, I imagined that when the daughter is alone, she will always have an angel next to her.”
Michele offered us an imaginative, if esoteric, image sounding as mysteriously intriguing as his shot. Quirky, mysterious and entertainingly complex the street photographs of Michele Liberti are, nevertheless, exciting frames of narrative – ironic, juxtaposed and with all the ingredients of delightful uncertainty…
To see more of Michele, head to his Flickr
Michele Liberti uses a Ricoh GR, and two old analog compact cameras, A Mamiya 135 and a Minox CL
Comment
Interesting reading and very outstanding images