Matteo Castagnoli is an Italian photographer born in Florence in 2000. After completing high school, he pursued his artistic education at the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, graduating in 2023. Throughout his studies, he developed a strong interest in contemporary and conceptual photography, producing personal projects such as Insomnia and Memoriae.
Parallel to his artistic research, Matteo has maintained a deep connection with nature and travel, exploring different parts of the world and creating photographic prints inspired by landscapes and organic elements.
Alongside his personal work, he has been building a professional career in fashion and event photography since 2019, collaborating with various companies and developing editorial projects.
His artistic signature is strongly rooted in black and white, where contrast and atmosphere become expressive tools. In his printed works and paintings, he alternates between monochrome and color, always with a pronounced emphasis on light. In fashion photography, he favors the use of flash, giving his images a bold, distinctive look aligned with the identity of each brand.
Matteo currently lives in Florence and works between Florence and Milan.
“I seek a harmony between images so that feeling, memory, and beauty can speak without words.”
Matteo, you were born and raised in Florence, a city steeped in art and history. How has growing up there influenced your eye as a photographer?
The city of Florence and the beauty that surrounds it have always fascinated me, especially the elegance of Renaissance art and the colors of some authors that have inspired some photographs.
You studied at the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze and developed an interest in contemporary and conceptual photography. What drew you to this particular field?
I really enjoy being able to design a photographic project, whether editorial or conceptual/contemporary. This allows me to express a concept or idea, as in my personal projects Insomnia, Memoriae, and Aetherea.
Your personal projects, Insomnia and Memoriae, reveal a deep emotional sensitivity. How did these series
shape your identity as an artist?
Personal projects have been fundamental to me because they have helped me, and continue to help me, find my own photographic style. In particular, I strive to create a synergy between the images, both artistically and editorially, to better convey the idea I want to express.
You’ve described your signature style as a dialogue between fashion and contemporary photography. How do you make these two worlds speak to each other?
Through my photographic style both with a black and white similar for both but important is the use of photographic couples that have a visual sense between them understandable and that unite the two worlds.
You often work in black and white, yet your approach to color feels almost sculptural, soft, dark, and atmospheric. Can you describe the emotional language of your palette?
As you described, when I work with color, I prefer soft tones and images, as if the colors themselves reflected the highlights and shadows of my blacks and whites. I really like it because I see coherence in both worlds.
You’ve said you mix a “very soft and dark black and white with tones that recall black and white even in color.” What does that visual duality represent to you?
For me, this visual duality represents reality and dream. Reality, composed of color, and dream, composed of black and white, come together through the softness of the tones and the union of images that intertwine through meaning or photographic juxtaposition.
Do you begin a shoot with a clear conceptual plan, or do you allow intuition and emotion to guide the process?
It depends. I usually use both approaches, in particular I start the project in a natural and intuitive way and then I build the missing images visually.
Many of your images carry a cinematic stillness, almost as if time has stopped. What is your relationship with silence and motion in photography?
A reference to the past and the theme of the memory of a person or something within the image is always present.
Let’s talk about your latest editorial for Vanguard
Magazine, Soul Colors. What inspired this project?
Together with Caterina we wanted to create a new editorial that would unite our worlds using his style in styling and what he liked most by giving him carte blanche, and I instead trying to blend his ideas with my photographic and design vision through the images of Soul Colors.
The editorial explores the emotional resonance of color and texture. How did you approach translating such abstract ideas into tangible imagery?
Themes such as color and texture seen in the images through Caterina’s looks and the play of light with white and red backdrops.
What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from Soul Colors?
A dreamy feeling and the photos are visually impactful.
The series celebrates individuality through fashion. How do you use photography to reveal identity and self-awareness?
Through the shots, making the subject unique and showing its most beautiful points.
You work between Florence and Milan, two cities with very different creative energies. How do they each influence your photography?
Florence, which is home and beauty, inspires me a lot through its art and gives me peace of mind. Milan is a love-hate city full of opportunities but with complicated dynamics.
Social media is a powerful tool, but also a vulnerable space. How do you navigate sharing your work while maintaining your personal boundaries?
I simply divide my personal life from my public work life, showing only the professional part and almost never moments of personal intimacy.
What do you typically do when you are not working?
I really like travelling, trekking and sports, and finally watching films and themes about astronomy and nature.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Determined, Hyperactive, Sunny.
What are the three songs you are currently listening to on repeat?
Back to friends, we never dated, Before you go.
As your career evolves, do you envision pushing your conceptual projects further into the realm of fine art?
I’m already holding exhibitions in Florence and planning the next one in Milan and Rome. I also personally sell my fine art photographs.
What does the next chapter look like for you, any new series or exhibitions in development?
I am also carrying on a new project, a book of contemporary photography on the theme of Metarfosis and trying to create a new project where fashion and planning dialogue or as I do in the double photos of my projects
Finally, what do you hope people feel when they experience your work?
They get emotional. It was beautiful when some people came to the exhibition, with tears in their eyes for the story behind the project, or people reflecting on what you photographed. This
makes me very happy and makes me understand the connection with others.