Nadia Calipa

There is a sense of curiosity in Nadia Calipa’s photographs: about the person in front of her, the place around them, and what might happen when the two meet.

Her portraits are carefully imagined, but never feel entirely still. A gesture, a change in the light or the movement of a dress can take a picture somewhere no one expected, not even Nadia, leaving space for life to happen.

Getting to know the person behind the portrait is part of her process. Their lives and histories shape the collaboration, giving each shoot a personal dimension.

Nadia began her creative career in Rome in the 1980s, assisting still-life photographer Alessandro Parenti. She later moved to Switzerland, where she continued making art, before studying photography at the London College of Printing and Distributive Trades.

She went on to study film at the University of Westminster, where she met award-winning designer Cath L Pater. They worked together in light entertainment and television, including projects for ITV, BBC and MTV. Whilst working in the industry, Nadia earned a master’s degree in Film and Television at the Northern Film School, choosing the Production Design pathway.

Photography, design and film have each shaped the way Nadia sees. Drawing on her background in set design, she styles almost all her editorial shoots herself. She loves what clothes can express, but is just as interested in the person wearing them.

“Getting to know my model is part of pre-production,” she says. “That’s what draws me to editorial portraits: real people, their lives and then fantasy. There’s something almost spiritual for me in that connection.

“We bring our histories to a selected place, add wardrobe, a splash of colour and lashings of imagination, and voilà, we create an image together.

“I love the privilege of offering a glimpse into other worlds, then inviting you in.”

Now living between London, Rome and Venice, Nadia finds ideas in the places she passes through: Burano’s painted houses, a quiet cobbled Roman via, the last light of the day falling across the river Thames. She brings an idea with her, then allows the person and the place to surprise her.