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Anthony Mazza
@vagamazz
Photographer based in France
My passion for travel was inspired by my aunt, who lived in many parts of Africa (Chad, Djibouti, Niger and soon Nigeria). It was listening to her stories that awakened my curiosity about the world. After she met my uncle, she decided to settle down with him and start a family in Niger. When I was eight years old, my grandparents offered to take me with them to spend Christmas with my cousin. As a curious little boy, I didn’t hesitate, and with permission from my parents, I set off into the unknown.
I tried to picture in my mind what this new country must look like, based on the photos my aunt had shown me. My head was full of questions. When I arrived in Niamey, the capital of Niger, the first thing that left a huge impression on me was witnessing the poverty the people living there were experiencing, alongside this culture that was so beautiful, and so very different from everything that I had known as a little European boy.
"I still remember every feeling I felt at every place I visited, and every person I met."
"My uncle, who’s from Agadez, owns a travel agency in Niamey. He concocted the most wonderful trip for us. My first "road trip".
We left Niamey to join his family in Agadez, passing by the dunes of the Sahara, the mountains of the Air and the desert of Christ, along with several other nature reserves and wonderful places. Throughout the trip, we often stayed in villages way off in the middle of nowhere, so we ended up meeting some extraordinary people. This is how I began my journey of discovering what the world had to offer me.
The culture shock and all the new sensations I discovered at such a young age during that first trip to Niger really had an impact on my discovering what I wanted to do with myself, and who I wanted to be.
"Ever since, every single trip has had its own unique impact and allowed me to learn new things."
In New Zealand, I began to appreciate wildlife photography. In Thailand, I photographed architecture for the first time, in Morocco I was able to experiment with the colors of the vibrant markets of Marrakech. Each trip brought me new skills, each encounter a new point of view, and each culture a new perspective of life. This continuously motivated me to discover every corner of this beautiful planet.
"In Niger it was also one of the first times I used a camera."
A disposable Kodak my grandfather gave me before we left. I’m sure this is still significant to my journey in its own way, but I’d say my real passion for photography came about much later, and very unexpectedly. I have my time in Australia to thank for awakening my love for photography. I went there as a way to challenge myself, after not having had any adventures at all during my two years of studying. And the landscapes just insisted on being captured – I didn’t really have a choice. Thanks to the money I earned working in Australia, I was able to buy my first drone and camera. I took my first steps as a photographer in this environment and my ambitions really grew as I discovered every little element of this fantastic art – I grew more ambitious with each image I captured.
"My desire to discover the world kept growing, and with it came the desire to become a photographer."
It was also in Australia that I had the chance to swim with a whale shark. It was almost 10 meters long! The sensations you feel in a moment like that are indescribable. It’s like a weird mixture of admiration and intimidation. The feeling of being in another universe altogether. The whale shark season was long over at the time, so there was an extra element of surprise.
We went out to sea again a week later in hope of seeing some Manta rays. But that day, it was looking like we were out of luck. Disappointed not to have spotted any, we started to go back to the coast, making one last stop to enjoy some snorkeling amidst the corals. And then, out of nowhere, we found ourselves floating above 13 Blacktip sharks. Quite a stressful situation when it’s your first time seeing so many sharks, but it was really wonderful to be so close to these magnificent creatures. I think the most impressive moments I have experienced are underwater. Oceanic wildlife is incredible, so fascinating and so mysterious. The ocean is home to such a variety of species, from the smallest plankton to the majestic humpback whale, there is so much to discover.
Not every piece of photography has to be something so alien or extraordinary, though. The situation we’ve all been going through since March 2020 has allowed some of us to have more time to work on personal projects. I had more time to develop other elements of my photography, to inform and train myself. I took advantage of this period to practice and try new things; less landscapes, more simplicity but just as much satisfaction. There was also more room to develop my appreciation for my home country.
Of course, I’m going to talk about Franche-Comté, a fabulous region that I think is not talked about enough with its Jura massif, its lakes and waterfalls and its forests. Franche Comté is also rich in culture and history. There are so many beautiful cities, and it has so much to offer in terms of regional products like Comté, Morbier, Cancoillotte or Morteau sausage, amazing wines, the list goes on. I invite you to discover it as soon as you have the opportunity. Coming back to France, I was recently able to go to the plateau of Valensole in the PACA region and I loved to compose in the lavender fields.
Even in the times when restrictions made exploring France impossible, I was still able to take time in this past year to express my creativity, thanks to my family modelling in front of the camera. Because of them I was able to apply the different portrait ideas I had in mind, and to ask their opinions. It really helped me to develop new skills and it gave me the desire to diversify, not to limit myself to landscape photography only.
"I've also taken the time to develop my editing skills. I think the editing process is so important to photographic production."
It’s the moment where you can place your signature on an image. Other people can take the same picture as you, but no one will edit it in the same way. It’s really what allows us to bring out the style, the talent, the character of each person. Since editing also takes a lot of my time, I do a little bit every day whenever I get the chance. And to keep learning, I take part in video training courses, including that of JC Pieri, a photographer from Marseille who has inspired me a lot.
These days, photography is a passion that I indulge at the weekends, alongside my studies in International Business. At the beach with friends or during a hike… not a week goes by without me taking out my camera. I love to immortalize these unique moments. Recognizing my friends and family in my photographs, being able to capture a unique moment in time, sharing my travels with people who are then inspired to go and discover these places for themselves… These are the things that bring me immense joy. Photography is all about sharing, learning and awakening the senses.
Photography can create real emotions and this is what I try to develop by constantly seeking new knowledge. I like to learn from others, I do not hesitate to ask questions, to contact other photographers because each journey, each experience and each advice is a key to my personal success. All photographers have their own style, we all bring our personal touch with our own vision, and to me, to be able to understand the vision of others is essential to the development of my abilities.
"What I also like about photography is that it has no limits, you just have to let your creativity speak…"
The challenge for me is to bring out the emotions of an image or to bring back a memory in the person who discovers it, that my photo marks the mind and that one understands the emotions that I wanted to bring out. It is an important moment, I believe, because it is at this moment that you share with people what you have been able to capture with your eyes and feel with your heart & soul – in a single image.
"Photography allows me to share my experiences with my loved ones and with strangers, to make them travel through my stories."
I consider myself a wanderer because I have an adventurous spirit and I am attracted to the unknown. Free, passionate, I feel the need to discover new cultures and to learn about myself constantly. Each adventure has made me and makes me grow, my open-mindedness is fed by all these travels. I like to spend a lot of time in the same place when it is possible. I find that it allows me to really soak up the customs and habits of the people of the region I am discovering, sharing moments of life. There are billions of us on Earth, each with a different life and each one’s story is beautiful and deserves to be shared, so I hope that my photos will be able to transmit all these moments that my eyes have seen.
Each trip brings me a lot, both on a human level and for photography, and if it wasn’t for Covid, I wouldn’t have stopped wandering. It’s really a life goal for me, to be free and in constant search of discovery and sharing.
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