Interview with Zenzero e Limone

When did you start getting passionate about photography? Has it always been a discipline that characterized your artistic expression?

Well, it all started concretely when I moved to Venice in 2016, I began Ca’ Foscari University and honestly, studying languages, something completely different from what I do, bored me. I bought a camera, and since I was quite alone in the first few months as a student away from home, I started taking photos. It was very casual; I never thought I would get to this point. It all started almost as a game.

What is the motivation behind the name of your profile?

One evening, I was with my roommate watching TV, and he said to me, “Why don’t you make a profile where you only publish your photos?” I didn’t mind the idea, and at that moment, I was drinking ginger and lemon tea, so I decided to call it that.

That was totally random, and I have a thing for herbal teas.

What do you want your photos to document?

Reality. I don’t like to construct the shot too much, even though I romanticize my photos a lot and life in general. Maybe life isn’t even that romantic, but it seems to me that everything in Venice is somewhat romanticized, especially love. Lately, I’m trying not to focus only on couples but also on dogs, families, and anything that is love.

If you had to summarize your photography in a few lines, how would you describe it?

I use words that others have said to me: real, romantic, and also evocative. Although with “evocative,” it depends a lot on who tells you.

How do you understand if someone wants to be photographed? Do you always ask permission before shooting?

Initially, I was a bit random about it; I was young, and here in Venice, very often some tourists don’t even notice. But then I got scolded because there were children, even though I wasn’t shooting them, and from there I understood how to do it. The moment they see me, I immediately understand if the person is annoyed or not, and if so, I leave; if they smile, sometimes I even stop to talk. Basically, I always try to shoot young people and tourists.

What kind of relationship do you try to establish with the people you photograph?

Often, as I said, I talk to them, but it also depends on my mood. Sometimes I don’t feel like talking but just shooting. But if they look at me, usually, I talk. It feels wrong to shoot and leave; it almost feels like stealing.

What is your creative process?

I go out and decide to shoot. Now I do it more calmly; even if the shots don’t come out, it’s okay. At the beginning, I felt bad about it because I came to Venice just to shoot, so if I went home without any shots, I was very sad; I always had to go home with shots. But the more you obsess, the fewer shots come out, so now I take it more calmly.

What brought you to Venice?

I came here on a trip, I liked it, and I chose it for university, but then I also chose to stay.

What is your favorite place? Have you ever immortalized it with a shot?

Definitely Zattere; I even got it tattooed, and I managed to immortalize it. More generally, I like the Ca’ Foscari area; it was my university years, so it has my heart.

What social and cultural themes do you address in your photos?Would you like to address others in the future?

I never manage to find people. There was a time when I wanted to photograph women who had breast cancer, but since it’s a somewhat particular theme, I couldn’t find anyone willing to do it. However, I would like to use photography in the future to tell other people’s stories if anyone comes forward.

Article written by Angelica Morresi