Even at a very young age, the camera and what it could do exerted a strong appeal on Andrea Calandra. On his 15th birthday, he received an old used Praktica film camera as a gift. It is from that moment that something more than just interest is kindled.
On travels, with friends or family, the camera is always there. Initially, it was nature and its beauty that attracted his attention, also due to his shyness in approaching people. As he grew up, he began to gain his first professional experiences and, at the age of 23, while studying natural sciences, he found work as a sports photographer, which he did continuously for seven years, making a literal ‘field’ apprenticeship that taught him a great deal.
His interest in people began during a trip to Tanzania, which was almost revelatory, coming into contact with some of the realities of the place; he realised what interested him: the people and their stories. Photography becomes the tool to overcome that shyness and approach others. And then there is Africa with its infinite facets, which becomes the main subject of his stories. Andrea Calandra currently works in photography for a living, covering a variety of roles, from commercial to educational.
