Florence on Display in 'Tiny Florence'|Photography Student Exhibition

First impressions are a powerful thing. Psychologically, we’re hard-wired to judge things when we encounter them for the first time. Whether it's food, an acquaintance at work or an entire city, we quickly conjure up mental images of new things and file them away in our brains, even if we don’t have all the information quite yet. Human brains can do it with faces, for example, in a fraction of a second.

Our first impressions may not always turn out to be correct, but that very first mental picture we paint in our heads can be strikingly memorable. And if you ask international students enrolled in The American University of Florence photography courses, whose conceptions of the city were shaped by what they saw through the viewfinders of their cameras, first impressions can also be works of art.

The photographic first impressions of AUF degree & FUA-AUF study abroad students in Introduction to Digital Photography and Introduction to Street Photography for this semester’s three-week intensive session will be the focus of ‘Tiny Florence,’ a recurring photo exhibition that’s displayed in the Palazzi Community Center four times a year. This session’s exhibition will be open for public viewing starting Thursday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m. Around 65 square black and white photos will be featured, showcasing the little details of a historic city seen for the first time.

Marco Gualtieri, an AUF photography professor whose students captured the images for the latest iteration of ‘Tiny Florence’ says the students in introductory courses have a unique opportunity to fill the exhibition with new perspectives.

“A part of ‘Tiny Florence’ is this: to try to get the first impression, both of Florence and photography in general,” Gualtieri explains. “Because it’s maybe the first time they approach taking photographs of people or taking photographs of landscape. I’ve been doing that for 30 years; I wish I had that fresh look at things.”

However, putting together a fully fledged exhibition in only three weeks is still a tall order, and learning to manually adjust the settings of a camera to get the shot you want comes with a learning curve of its own. To help students become more confident in their photography, Gualtieri encourages his students to “take bad pictures” to show them that they’re in control of the camera. Photography can often seem like a product-oriented craft, but Gualtieri’s approach
emphasizes the importance of embracing the learning process and thinking creatively.

“You can’t make the perfect photographer in three weeks — that’s never going to happen,” says photography student and art therapy major Victoria Longo. “But he (Gualtieri) has honestly made me excited about continuing to take photos and continuing to get better.”

Longo says she comes from an artistic family, but photography class at AUF was the first time the Endicott College student learned how to take photos in manual mode. As she refined her new skillset over the course of the three-week session, she found herself drawn to street photography and capturing the essence of the people she encountered.

“Each photo, I feel like I’m getting into the life of someone or something, which has been super, super cool” Longo says.
While Longo discovered her creative niche in the form of street photography, Texas A&M University visualization major Taylor Deuel says she’s found herself taking photos of nature and Florence’s exquisite architecture in spades. And while the photos for ‘Tiny Florence’ are exclusively in black and white, Deuel says this aspect of the exhibit actually has the potential to enhance her architectural shots.

“If there’s a really harsh shadow across the building, that makes the photo more interesting,” Deuel says. “There is one that I took of Santa Croce that I think is in my first collage that has that harsh light on it, which is really cool whenever I turn it to black and white.”

For ‘Tiny Florence,’ Deuel, Longo and their fellow classmates each submitted two 12-photo collages to be considered for the exhibition; the first collage focuses on landscapes and architecture, and the second includes portraits.

Valentina Monacó, the director of the PCC, explains how the exhibition brings students from all corners of AUF together; many different departments collaborate to help breathe life into ‘Tiny Florence’.

“We have special event students that will help set up the space with a welcome prosecco station, so everyone who will come to the event will receive a glass of Prosecco,” Monacó says.

“And then we have other students, for example, journalism students (and) PR students involved. So it’s an event that (includes) other departments.”

Monacó also notes that ‘Tiny Florence' continually piques the interest of both FUA-AUF students and members of the public.

“I see a lot of enthusiasm in what the local community finds when they walk in and see the ‘Tiny Florence’ exhibitions, because they sometimes see a particular place that maybe they wouldn’t have thought would be of interest to someone who is not Florentine,” she says.

While some international student photographers who contributed to ‘Tiny Florence’ will soon return to their home universities, degree-seeking AUF students like Garrett Hutchins will continue to live and study in Florence long-term. Hutchins says taking photos for ‘Tiny Florence’ has prompted him to explore more of the city in search of the right shot.

“Back home (in Atlanta), everyone drives, and it’s hard to just kind of walk around and meet new people,” he says. “And here, it’s so easy just to be like, ‘Hey, I love your look. Can I take a picture?’ It’s easier to integrate yourself into the culture.”

All the photographs in ‘Tiny Florence’ will be available for sale and can be picked up at the exhibition’s conclusion.

Framed photos are sold for 30 euros, and unframed photos are 15 euros. All proceeds will go toward university scholarship funds.