Shooting for Editorial with Marco Secchi

 

Marco Secchi is an English speaking Italian whose professional work takes him to the UK, Ljubljana and Budapest covering the whole of Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and the Balkans. He has been providing images for the editorial and commercial markets via Getty images since 2002 and he will be joining us LIVE on Facebook this Thursday at 7:30pm BST. 

 

Marco will cover a masterclass of two halves as he shares his top tips for editorial and commercial photography as well as taking us on a journey through Slovenia - where Marco currently lives. 

 

What was your first camera?

I first got into photography when I was 10 - so quite a while back! My first camera was a Kodak Instamatic 500 then followed by a Leica M3 that I still treasure and use.

What does photography mean to you?

It means really a lot. It is my work under different umbrellas from shooting news and commercial to workshop, to social media for photographers.

What equipment do you have now and what is your favourite lens?

I shoot in both analogue and digital. When shooting to film I use my Leica M3 and Leica M6. When shooting digitally I have a variety of kit including; Leica M10, Fujifulm XT3, Fujifilm XH1 and some Fujifilm lenses - 10-24  /  16-55 2.8 / 50-140  2.8  / 100-400 as well as a DJI Air Drone & DJI Osmo Pocket 2.

My favourite lens is the Leica 28-35-50 - it’s super versatile, especially for travel and street photography when you don’t want to carry a lot of lenses. 

 

Where do you get inspiration?

I try as much as I can to have different sources of inspiration. Especially when I am at home in the countryside. Walking is a good way to relax and free the mind to develop new ideas and concepts. 

I read a lot about photography and I am positively interested in the works of others. Museums and Galleries are an excellent source of inspiration, they help me to concentrate and to think from a different perspective. Learning new skills is also an interesting way to feed your creativity, it also gives me ideas on how to shoot "normal" subjects in different ways. Light is always my biggest inspiration. 

 

Do you plan what you want from a photo in advance?

Depends, for example if I’m shooting news 90% of the content is unplanned however if I’m shooting commercial and corporate it is generally planned..... for the rest not planned at all! It just happens probably because I like the light!

 

 

 

Studio, on location or both?

Location all the time! Studio are the exceptions.




What has been your most memorable photo shoot and why? 

On Royal engagements there are typical positions where photographers will collect to get a shot however on this occasion I decided to take a gamble and seek an unusual position.  I wanted to wait for the carriage of her Majesty to pass whilst going from Buckingham Palace towards Parliament.  It was a lot of guesswork to get on the right side to see Her Majesty, calculate the speed of the carriage, and capture people in the background.... but in the end it paid off!


 

 

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start out or to someone looking to go professional?

Take note of your surroundings. When you're out and about in the evening and see something that appeals to your eyes, take note of the direction from which the sun or light is shining. Or, when visiting your favourite blogs, take a look at a stunning image and determine the source of light based on the shadows. A fantastic photograph is composed of numerous aspects, and lighting is a significant one!

Find out more about Marco and the courses & tours he runs through Clik Trip