Vito Lauciello is an Italian Photographer and Art Director based in the province of Bari, Italy. He works across fashion and art photography and has been published in magazines such as Collateral, Lomography, Artribune, and PhotoVogue among many others.

Ilaria Sponda: First of all, how would you define yourself as a photographer?

Vito Lauciello: I currently feel that I am in a phase where I cannot completely define myself as a photographer. My passion and curiosity push me to experiment with photography in multiple fields. Although I have spent many years alongside it, I still perceive myself in a continuous process of exploration and definition of my creative practice.

IS: What is your approach to commercial photography, specifically fashion photography?

VL: My approach with respect to commercial, or fashion photography, barring specific directives from the client or other professionals, leans mainly toward empathy, the identification of the product contextualised in the ‘world’ it belongs to. Subsequently, I like to experiment with a concept I call “analogous contrast,” that is, I like to create within the images, any kind of contrast, visual or perceptual, simultaneously trying to establish similarities between the product, the environment, the models and the viewer.

IS: Moving outside the commercial sphere, are you working on any personal projects at the moment?

VL: Yes, I am currently working on two separate projects. The first one is more complex in nature, and prolonged in its execution, dealing with a deeply intimate and very introspective subject matter. In parallel, I am working on an art project, less personal, focused on reinterpreting mythological and biblical stories.

IS: How do your personal and commercial work coexist and influence each other?

VL: I actually prefer to keep the spheres of my personal and commercial work distinct.
Despite sharing a passion for the subject matter, photographic medium, visual language, technicalities and the act of photography itself, I try to avoid one influencing the other. Commercial photography is often a result between collaborations and the union of my vision with contributions from stakeholders; on the other hand, my personal projects fall into a more intimate sphere dictated by an often liberating creative process.

IS: Is there a particular project you have in mind and waiting to be realized?

VL: Currently, I have not yet defined a specific project, but in March 2024 I am planning a trip to New York to exhibit one of my works. I hope this experience will inspire me for new ideas and future projects.