Ilenia Brunelli
For our interview this week, Intercru spoke with Ilenia Brunelli. She’s a 21 year old photographer from the small town of Forlì in the north of Italy. We spoke to her about her work, inspirations, and how she got started.
Intercru: When did you start doing photography?
Ilenia: I was given my first reflex camera when I was 14 years old. It was a Nikon D3100. I’ve always loved taking portraits of my friends and I just did it for fun.
In 2018 I decided to improve my skills and that was possible thanks to one of my friends who taught me how to shoot in manual mode. So I bought my first portrait lens (a 50mm f1.8) and I practiced everyday.
In June 2018 I decided to open my photography page on Instagram (@ilenia.brunelli.ph) just to collect pictures I took of my friends. I NEVER though I’d get so much support. I’ll be forever grateful to those people who put their trust in me since the beginning.
Well, that’s how everything started. Photography became essential. After two years, I still have a lot to learn but I feel I’m finding my own style. I started collaborating with professional models, make up artists and stylists and I feel this is my world.
How would you define your style as a photographer?
I love portraying feminine beauty. The girls I look for my pics are varied, but they should convey elegance, femininity, seduction, and delicacy. For my photography I chose soft and warm colors that I change depending on the season and on my mood. Lately the main purpose of my photography has been to narrate moments of freedom in everyday life: taking a shower, swimming in the pool or in the sea, running on the beach, or jumping on the bed.
What are some of your biggest inspirations?
Thanks to Instagram in these years I got to know many incredible photographers around the world. The first one who impressed me at the very beginning was Julia Trotti, an Australian portrait photographer. Over time I have often changed my points of reference and I think I got influenced and inspired by the mixture of these many great photographers I follow. I should definitely mention the great Alessio Albi, Jean-Philippe Lebee, and Ed Freeman, but I’d still have an infinite list of talented artist to mention.
What would your dream photoshoot be like?
Currently my dream is to shoot models underwater. It’s something I’ve never done before and that’s why I’d love to try, but I need different equipment.
My other dream is to shoot models in Paris ( I was given the opportunity but unluckily Covid-19 emergency canceled all the plans). That city is so romantic I think I could find great inspiration there. Honestly I’d love to shoot in many places around the world, I’m always looking for new locations and new faces.
This picture was one of the first photos I took right after the lockdown. When I was at home I was looking for some models in my area to shoot once out and I discovered that this beautiful girl, Lucia, lives just 4 minutes walk from my house. So we arranged that shooting in her little garden when we were finally able to meet (with all the precautions of course).
This was an incredible and unexpected coincidence. When we planned the outfit for the shooting we didn’t know the colors would match perfectly with the background. Once we got to the beach, we realized everything matched so I decide to take this picture.
