Born in Catania, Sicily in 1986, Claudio Majorana has always had a passion for both art and science – hardly surprising since one of his parents is a doctor, the other an artist. A brilliant documentary photographer now in the final stages of becoming a medical doctor, he has a passion for capturing incisive images of youth-related social issues ranging from young migrants in an Underage Refugee Camp to skateboarders from his hometown. Here is his compelling and heartfelt story.
You said your photography is “focused on young people” and “youth-related social issues” and that you’re “keen on film cameras and skateboarding.” Why do you think so many of today’s best documentary photographers began by participating in and photographing skateboarding? And what draws you to shooting black-and-white film?
Over the past 15 years skateboarding has exposed me to different viewpoints and has had a powerful impact on my artistic experiences. It’s in a skateboarder’s nature to create and to find possibilities where none seem to exist. I believe this tight connection between the arts and skateboarding is due to the creativity skateboarding requires. You need to be creative to be an artist and you need to be creative to truly enjoy skateboarding.
I started taking pictures almost ten years ago with a film camera and black-and-white film. After a year I bought a digital camera that I used until I realized that only working with digital equipment was slowly detaching me from photography. The day they stole my black Vespa scooter I chose to use the insurance money to buy a Leica M6 and to fix my bicycle. That changed everything because using a film camera again triggered a constant challenge. The fact I knew I could potentially risk each shot kept my attention level much higher, and the fact that I could not see the pictures immediately allowed me to be more objective in editing my work. I’ve always had a penchant for black-and-white. I think my mind sees it as a synthesis of ideas and remembers them more easily. It’s a way of seeing things very clearly, of getting straight to the core of a message.
What are the main cameras and lenses you currently use. And what are some of the characteristics and features of this equipment that you find especially useful in your work? By the way, what are your favorite films, and do you develop and print them yourself?
I mainly work with a Leica M6 and a Leica M7 generally with 28mm and 50 mm lenses, both Summicrons. They’re very similar cameras, both feel solid, and they’re very silent, with a discreet appearance. I really like working with light and reliable equipment and Leica’s rangefinder cameras are a very good choice. Regarding darkrooms I guess I’m more into shooting pictures than printing them. My darkroom is equipped for developing film, and I typically shoot Kodak Tri-X 400.
One of your parents is a doctor, the other a painter, and you’re a “documentary photographer and medical student.” What made you choose these two careers?
I think I’ve been influenced by both of my parents after spending a lot of time in their respective working environments. My father would take me to his medical conferences and my mother’s painting studio was in our house, so after school I’d do my homework and learn the basics of painting and etching. In high school I was very keen on both scientific and artistic subjects but when I graduated I hadn’t developed a specific interest in the arts yet so it was natural to go for a scientific career. After one year though I realized that I missed my artistic side and that’s when I started showing an interest towards photography.
Everything became very clear after a teacher from an art school showed me the book IN OUR TIME – The World as seen by Magnum photographers. From that moment I started visualizing the kind of photographer I wanted to be. It wasn’t easy to choose between photography and medicine but after a lengthy period of reflection I decided to keep doing both, but that hasn’t been easy because photography projects require a lot of time in planning, shooting in the field, and then carrying out the final project. Documentary photography actually has a lot in common with medicine. Even though it’s very challenging doing both the hard work pays off.
Image 1 is a straightforward close-up of a young man getting a haircut, but the oblique angle and the tension in the barber’s fingers as he gently holds the guy’s head gives this image a visceral, empathetic quality. You said you shot it at an Underage Refugee Camp in Sicily where you were documenting the life of kids who escaped, mostly from Libya. What does the image say about life in that camp, and what motivated you to document it?
During my days at the camp I had the chance to take pictures and to interview some of the kids. Listening to their stories helped me confront their reality in a more heartfelt way. Most of these kids had gone through harrowing events like having their parents killed, being kidnapped and beaten up, or seeing their friends dying while crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Seeing them cutting each other’s hair with so much dedication was something that struck me. It meant that they still felt like taking care of themselves and that there was still hope in their lives.
Image 3 of a local Sicilian skateboarder is taken from your book “The Recent History of Sicilian Skateboard Tours.” It’s a beautifully composed picture with the skateboarder looking very nonchalant in a pleasant setting framed by silhouetted trees. Why do you think Sicily is experiencing a growing interest in skateboarding and what are the sociological implications for Sicilian youth culture?
The potential for Sicilian skateboarding became evident around 10 years ago when the first skateboard tour from United States to the island was organized. Sicily has all the fundamentals making it perfect for skateboarding. You can travel here all year round without worrying about cold temperatures. It’s also a place where not many people have skated yet so it’s easy for photographers and filmmakers to produce pictures and footage of unique undocumented places. Sicilian legendary hospitality is also a big factor. This phenomenon has had a positive impact on Sicilian youth culture infact a lot of the finest Italian skateboarding projects come straight from the island!
Image 6 is a vintage photo because and it was taken in the ‘50s by your grandfather, a Sicilian politician and passionate photographer. Why did you decide to restore your grandfather’s negative archive?
My grandfather died a couple years before my birth and this archive represents the strongest link I have with him. His name, like mine, was Claudio Majorana, and ever since I was a kid he always felt like a real presence thanks to the stories my father told me. Restoring the archive is a way to get to know more about him, and I’ve found out more about the political mission he was part of in 1957 when the American State Department invited a delegation of Sicilian politicians to the United States. Unveiling his pictures was a great discovery and tangible proof of his life experiences. In the pictures you mentioned you can see President of Sicilian Region Giuseppe Alessi (second from the right) with part of the delegation. That, and the shot from inside a car, are among my favorites.
How do you see your photography evolving over, say, the next 3 years, and can you tell us about any projects you have in the works going forward?
Certainly I’d like to work on new documentary projects where I’ll have the possibility to develop new skills, strengthen my own photography language and learn how to create stories with images.
Over the next few months I’ll be working on a new book documenting a group of young skateboarders from my hometown I’ve been following over four years, focusing on their family and personal lives. My goal is to document the ongoing changes in that uneasy phase of life that transforms kids into adults. In the meantime I’ll keep working hard on my medical studies.
Where can people go if they want to learn more about you and see more of your work?
You can check out my website and Instagram:
www.claudiomajorana.com
www.instagram.com/claudiomajorana
