UOMOCLASSICO.COM, Database & Blog about classic and stylish male imagery: Photographers: Aldo Fallai

Photographer to the stars:
Aldo Fallai is the man behind the lens of fashion
by Cassandra Brown (issue no. 33/2006 / May 18, 2006)

As one of the fashion industry’s leading photographers, Aldo Fallai has had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest names in the fashion world.

His story begins 25 years ago, when he was at a party and happened to meet a young stylist. The stylist was worried because he had been offered space in Vogue magazine but had no photographer and no images to display.

Aldo, despite knowing little about photography, offered to take the photos. It seemed that this chance meeting had beenwritten in the stars: the young stylist turned out to be Giorgio Armani and he and Fallai have been working together ever since. As Armani’s empire has grown, Aldo has created images for him in every sector of his work: Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani and Armani Casa. He has been involved in campaigns for all of Armani’s perfumes, right from the very first.

Although he prefers working with Armani, whom he describes as having a wonderful passion and energy, Aldo has worked for some of the biggest names in the fashion world: Valentino, Versace, Gianfranco Ferre and Calvin Klein, among many others.

His images have graced the covers of the leading fashion magazines around the globe, and even he cannot remember how many times his work has appeared on the cover of Vogue. He worked with Roberto Cavalli at the beginning of his career, when he was starting to create his now famous prints.

Fashion photography can be artistically creative and beautiful but it is also a tool to sell clothes. Aldo keeps this at the
forefront of his mind when working with designers and models. He likes to build a relationship with them and uses photographyto express feelings and release energies. He emphasizes the importance of letting the shoot take a natural course and taking photos that feel right at the time. In fact, he feels that this aspect of photography can never be taught, as it is constantly changing and develops in different ways between different people.

Aldo does not, however, restrict his work to fashion photography. His talent finds outlets in a number of different fields.He has released a book entitled Almost One Year, featuring photos that were taken in moments of inspiration during a world tour that lasted almost a year.

Aldo studied for a degree in art history at Florence University and his love of the great masters and works of art is a constant inspiration, as is the city of Florence, where he lives when he is not working in Milan.

He is also fascinated by the world of horses and polo and he enjoys taking photos in these environments. It was this
love that led to another fortuitous meeting. Francesco Mitrano, who plays polo for Florence, had long been an admirer of Aldo’s work. Thanks to a gift of photographs from Aldo, he now displays an entire collection of stunning black and white photographs in his Florence restaurant, Il Fico. It is a common topic of discussion among his guests.

Aldo also has an appreciation for fine jewelry and has photographed many precious jewels from around the world and worked with some leading jewelry houses.

Aldo loves the variety of his work. It enables him to meet many people, to travel all over the world and partake in jobs that range from the conventional to the avant-garde. He likes the world of fashion because it is dynamic and ever changing. He also likes to work with a variety of models to create collections of images that are interesting and diverse.

He says that even when he is not working, he is working: because he has a passion for photography, he is always thinking about taking photographs and coming up with new ideas about how to create images.

With an appreciation of beauty, fashion, polo, horses and great art, Aldo Fallai has worked continuously to produce images that are stunning and evocative.

After 25 years of collaborating with the most talented, beautiful and famous people around the globe and having earned a reputation that makes him one of the most sought-after photographers in the world, Aldo Fallai has become a legend in his own right.