Emerging: Angelo Sgambati’s “Hollywood Youth” Editorial

Italian born, Australian bred, with a stint in London and a permanent stay in Los Angeles (2 years and counting) makes emerging photographer Angelo Sgambati‘s capture a well-rounded body of work. From sifting through his latest portrait project “Hollywood Youth” and chatting him up left and right, we channeled our own inner child while talking about his; a young man with his camera who just wants to make a connection, perhaps create a book of images after his last three week stint in Greece, and with no urge to shoot anyone in particular but as long as there’s a connection are the subtleties that made us giggle and find that inner, you know, peace.

As whimsical as that sounds, Sgambati has done some serious work on the commercial front, with clients like Nivea, Kenneth Cole, Americas Next Top Model, Stance Socks with editorial clients such as Schön magazine, Vogue.co.uk, The Fashionisto, making him a solid candidate to add to our radar. Maybe we have him in our print’s future, we’ve been known for seeing such things. Check him out:

LA CANVAS: When did you first pick up a camera?

ANGELO SGAMBATI: I was going on a 10 day trek with a group of friends to Papua New Guinea in 2009, raising money for charity, and I bought a camera to take pictures.

LAC: What happened next?

AS: Everyone loved the photos, I ended up having an exhibition afterward and sold all the images. From then on I was hooked. That’s when I decided to move to London and pursue a career in photography by assisting and learning from some of the best photographers in the world.

LAC: What are some of your photography rituals?

AS: Before a shoot I spend a lot of time researching images to create a mood board. I often refer back to my folders that I’ve collected over time from the Internet, movie stills, & my collection of photographic books. I feel this is an important part of my process as it helps to create a cohesive visions amongst the team I work with. I also make my selects right after a shoot as I find I’m more instinctive as opposed to waiting and second guessing my choices.

LAC: Tell me a bit about this editorial, Hollywood Youth.

AS: This is my most recent portrait project. It started from a fascination I developed after moving to LA. So many young people come to this city to chase a goal, some of them get realised and others don’t. In the series so far I’ve shot actors, musicians, a DJ, and even a gamer who have all moved to Hollywood from other cities and countries. This to me is what keeps LA so inspiring and buzzing with creative energy.

LAC: There’s many images in the series. How long did it take?

AS: I’m still adding to the series but the images I have so far I shot in three weeks.

LAC: Not bad! Let’s move on to your likes. Favorite photographer of the moment:

AS: Matteo Montanari’s images are beautiful and timeless.

LAC: Favorite photographer of all time:

AS: Alastair Mclellan. No one makes simple look so beautiful.

LAC: What are you working on that we can we add to our radar?

AS: I just came back from 3 weeks in Greece. I didn’t shoot a single digital image on the trip, I just took one camera and one lens and shot about 30 rolls of film. I plan on putting together a travel diary series and making it into a small book.

LAC: What would you be doing, if not photography?

AS: It’s almost impossible to say but I’m sure it would be something that involves traveling and meeting interesting people.

LAC: If you were able to shoot with anyone today who is living, who would it be and why?

AS: I don’t really have a strong urge to shoot a particular person. I get excited when I’m with the person I’m shooting and we are connecting. Doesn’t matter if they are famous or someone I met on the street. Its more about a connection you get when your in the moment.

*Well, we’re having a moment with this capture.