Marco Annunziata is a photographer of some of the most evocative cars ever designed and his work has been published in a variety of publications, as well as for automotive marques including Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz. Based in Tuscany, Italy, Marco’s passion is photographing classic Italian designs. We catch up with him to find out more.
TGR: How did you get into car photography?
MA: I got into photography when studying architecture at university in Florence, many years ago. When I was taking pictures of the buildings I wanted to study in Florence or when traveling, beautiful classic or exotic cars were also often included in my photos. At a certain point, I decided to start taking pictures of these cars in their own right, leaving out the buildings.
TGR: Since beginning your career as a photographer, which magazines have you worked with?
MA: I started working with magazines as a lifestyle photographer and contributing writer. Often when photographing or writing about the eclectic people for the magazines I’d received commissions for we ended up talking about their uncommon cars, so I started to collaborate with automotive magazines as well. My work has been published in a variety of lifestyle, art and design magazines, including Rolling Stone, Inked, Desillusion, and Petrolicious, as well as commissions for the company magazines of Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mercedes-Benz.
MA: Above all, the most important aspect for me is the artistic: the aesthetics, the design, the technology, and the always-changing perspective, whether the car is stationary or traveling at speed. Also, they are the perfect size for having fun with photography.
TGR: Considering the artistic form, which style of cars interest you the most?
MA: I wouldn’t define myself as an enthusiast of rounded shapes. I absolutely love angled designs which look like they’ve been designed with a scalpel, for example, the Lancia Delta HF Integrale or the classic Land Rover Defender and Range Rover 2 door. My favorite cars were made between the ‘60s and the ‘90s, and while I’m not a fan of vintage designs, I find almost all cars they are producing now very difficult to photograph due to their lack of personality. Think about how even the original Fiat Panda designed by Bertone has been transformed into today's Panda, and you’ll understand what I mean.
TGR: Which have been your favorite cars to photograph?
MA: The cars I have most enjoyed shooting have been those designed by Bertone, from the Fiat X1/9 to the Lamborghini Countach. Bertone’s designs from this era typified the sharp design characteristics. I would still like to photograph the Lamborghini Miura and Lancia’s Stratos HF Zero, also both designed by Bertone.
TGR: Aside from those classics, which car would you most like to photograph?
MA: My obsession since I was a child is the Ferrari 288 GTO and I truly hope one day to be able to photograph one of these from the few still in circulation.
TGR: What’s your preferred camera set up?
MA: Since my first assignments I’ve been shooting with a Canon digital camera and a 50mm fixed lens, no tripod, no filters, no black, and white.
TGR: Where can readers see more of your work?
MA: I regularly post photos and updates on my work on my Instagram @marcoannunziataphotography
