By Giulio D'Ercole - www.romephotofuntours.com
Campo dei Fiori is a very popular morning market in the heart of Rome, situated in between Piazza Farnese and Piazza Navona. Historically speaking this square was never really of great importance, and it was paved "only" in 1456, under Pope Callixtus III, Ludovico Cardinal Trevisani who wanted to improve the look and the life of rione (district) Parione, where Piazza Campo dei Fiori is.
The square has always been a focus for commercial and street culture, and what makes very interesting, providing a strong identity to the neighborhood are the names of the surrounding streets, called after the trades situated in each one of them: Via dei Balestrari (crossbow-makers), Via dei Baullari (coffer-makers), Via dei Cappellari (hat-makers), Via dei Chiavari (key-makers) and Via dei Giubbonari (tailors).
The photos here below shows a restaurant runner passing under the arch that leads into a small and very characteristic courtyard along via del Pellegrino. He is going to a storage place in there, to pick up the vegetables and other ingredients needed by the kitchen of a very famous restaurant in Piazza Campo dei Fiori.
It's a simple scene, very simple scene that most likely repeats itself since centuries.
The beauty of street photography is capturing life as it happens. Sometimes a good shot is the result of a sudden revelation, the quick understanding of a moment matched by an equally fast clicking. Sometimes it is the consequence of the knowledge of a place, of habits and routines happening there. So, sometimes, the secret of a good street shot is patience, technique, good positioning and, again, Patience.
One of the Sebastiao Salgado's sentences that I like the most, says:
"Who does not like to wait, can not become a photographer. When I photograph I breathe the effort of man, his rhythms, his anxieties. But also his hopes. "
I like to think that booking and taking my street photography tours and workshops in Rome, people will improve their ability to look, wait and shoot great photos capturing the secrets of life and making visible its inner beauty.
