DS Studiofotografico

DS Studiofotografico is the studio of Simone D'Amico, a photographer and videographer who works from Via Pacinotti in Acireale, on the coast north of Catania. His bio says he learned the wedding trade by working alongside local photographers and videographers, then trained in reportage through workshops and his own projects. In 2013 a project of his on contemporary dance was shown at the Galata Fotoğrafhanesi in Istanbul, and the same year his Istanbul work was part of a group show at La Feltrinelli in Catania.

Reportage is the centre of the work. His site describes the photographer as a silent spectator who should not break the path of the day, and his approach to a wedding as telling the story without imposing how anyone should behave. He calls a wedding a full, exciting day made of a chaotic run of moments, from the nerves of getting ready to what comes after the vows. His galleries move between black and white and colour, close moments with family and guests, and wide frames of the setting.

“We do not make a photograph, we create it.”

DS Studiofotografico

He works with a team. His couples' testimonials thank Simone and his staff, and some mention the video maker; his site says the studio produces wedding reportage and video in a cinematic style, and he describes a usual team of four: two photographers and two videographers. His published code of conduct commits him to being present himself at every job he is booked for, with a substitute only for serious, documented reasons, and to giving couples a price list that shows every extra, such as additional prints and albums, before they decide.

Sicily is the setting he wants to show. He writes that his dream is to make the island known as a place for destination weddings, and he is available all over Sicily. His galleries include Noto and its baroque cathedral, terraces above the bay at Taormina, the sea stacks on the coast near Catania, olive groves, palazzo courtyards and seaside terraces, and his blog covers a baroque wedding in Acireale and a Celtic rite in Sicily.

Couples receive high resolution photographs, an album and HD video; album options and further prints are set out on his price list. He also offers engagement shoots of a couple of hours, just him and the couple, which he says are a good way to get to know each other before the wedding.