We had a chance to meet up with Gabriele Colzi (@gabdetails).
He’s a really cool guy and has a great feed to look at, don’t miss out on our interview and give him a follow. He deserves it and he also has some great instaspots for you!
C: Why the Soft Tones?
GC: I started using pastel and light tones because I realized that my feed was full of vintage filter that would kill the tonality of pictures. That’s when I said to myself “Gabri you’ve gotta change it up, something that’ll make you recognizable and diversify you from the rest of the content creators on IG”
Do you Use any presets?
GC: No way, I don’t use any type of presets, not even filters, I’ll tell you how I edit.
So I shoot in RAW if you don’t know what that means it’s the negative of a digital picture. I load the raw image on my computer, edit it with Camera Raw, after that I bring it to Photoshop and there I work on various Layers. I use Curves, I use Selective Color, and once I’m happy with my work, I pass it to my phone where I give it a “colpetto”, as I call it, on VSCO Cam.
C: When did you begin taking pictures?
GC: 10 years ago my sister founded one of the first fashion blogs in Italy, and I was forced to shoot the pictures. Irene would come back home with her Kodak and would force me to shoot her, In the beginning I felt forced to do this, but after some time I began to shoot family and friends and I realized that a passion was born. In the meantime, as I would load all these photos online, the first requests started rolling in, so that’s when I started photographing people I didn’t know. In 2011/2012 when IG came about, I decided to take all those TB of storage and select the best images to post online and create my account Gabdetails, I still didn’t have a defined travel style in those days, actually, I really didn’t have a style yet.
C: What lens do you use?
GC: Every time someone asked me this question they look at me in shock. It’s pretty relatable because in 10 years that I shoot I still haven’t bought another lens for my feed. I still use the 18-55mm: the standard issue the one you find under the Christmas tree with the camera body. And I’m never gonna let go of that 18-55mm, even though I use a 50mm to shoot friends and family my more intimate pictures, but the 18-55mm is my one and only.
C: Looking at all your travel shots, what was your favorite place to discover?
GC: In the last years working on IG I found myself traveling a lot, in Europe and around the World. It’s hard to make a list of the best places, but no doubt my favorite was Japan. My trip to Japan came in a time of change for me, evolving from Gabriele the student, a bit insecure, to Gabriele the worker dynamic and productive. Its timing was perfect
C: Photographically what would you recommend in Florence?
GC: One of the places I like the most of Florence, actually that “Mi Garba”, is the Oltrarno: Boboli Gardens, Rose Gardens, and especially Villa Bardini. These are some great locations. In regards to Villa Bardini, I would advise going in May when the wisteria bloom and the gardens turn purple. A beautiful frame for a picture of Florence.
C: In Rome?
GC: In Rome, I always suggest passing by Via Maragutta. Via Maragutta is a small street that’s just a few steps away from Piazza Navona, and it’s completely different from what we would expect from a stereotypical Roman street, it’s just not that crowded, almost as an oasis in the chaos of the city and it’s full of plants and colors, making it really instagrammable (as we would say). Plus it’s where Fellini started out, and the guy had an eye.
C: And in Milan?
GC: In Milan I would definitely recommend Parco Sempione, to be exact Corso Sempione walking towards the Arco della Pace. Go for the sunrise while the sun’s rays pass through the arch, it’s a beautiful photo opp. So go there early in the morning, and grab some breakfast too, cause there are some great bars there.
