Photographing without stopping, without dedicating time to look and listen, ends up telling only an isolated moment, not a real story. It is like expecting to guess the entire plot of a complex film by observing a single frame chosen at random.
The Error of Seeing Without Looking
In the beginning, after hours and hours spent roaming the streets shooting frantically, I would return home packed with digital images. Yet, when I looked back at them on screen, I often couldn't find any deep meaning. This happened because I limited myself to passing by and taking quick shots, exactly as a distracted tourist would do.
My photographs were distant, cold, and mundane, whereas my true intent was to tell the story of authentic Basilicata—the one hiding right in plain sight. In the end, I understood my error: I wasn't really looking; I was merely seeing. In essence, it was like pretending to cross a river without wanting to get wet.
Learning to Listen to the Land
So I opened my eyes and finally began listening to my land, breathing its air and living it deeply. In the past, I believed that a good photograph depended solely on purchasing a prestigious lens or a powerful computer for post-processing; instead, I realized that the only indispensable tools are the author's heart and eye. For this reason, I stopped rushing and let myself be submerged by the waters of the river.
In this wonderful journey lasting nearly 4 years, I traveled the region's inner roads, meeting, speaking with, and photographing hundreds of people. Each of them gifted me a fragment of their personal story and the memory of the places they inhabited. I spent entire days contemplating silent sunsets, solitary rivers, mountain lakes, and pristine forests, slowly savoring the solemnity of the landscape.
I photographed stories. Stories gathered in my spiritual journey to discover Lucania that deserve to be told before this land and its traditions disappear forever.
This visual journal represents my small testimony of love. It is the starting point of my entire journey, described in the manifesto of Un giro in Basilicata and explored further in the philosophy of Elogio alla lentezza.
Roberto Lacava