About John
Growing up, I thought photographers weren't very cool…Except possibly the ones who worked for Sports Illustrated, Life Magazine or National Geographic…My big goal was to go to a good university, then play soccer at the highest level I could reach and, after that, to become a globe-trotting journalist…So I earned a degree in Geography with a minor in Journalism…Eventually I did make a little money playing soccer(very little)…Duty called and I segued into the Navy as an officer, where I learned to fly, got to travel to Asia and, most importantly, had my first real experiences managing teams of people and solving critical problems under pressure…Bought my first serious camera in Japan and began taking pictures for fun(little did I know then where it might lead...)…Out of the Navy, resumed playing semi-pro soccer and started writing, but quickly realized that photography was now what I needed to do more than anything else…Hard work, and a bit of luck, helped me to start shooting regularly for magazines like Time, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek...That evolved over the past thirty-five years into a broad international range of editorial, corporate and advertising clients who have sent me to more than forty countries, ten Olympics and nine FIFA World Cups, including two as one of FIFA's official photographers…Clients have told me I have an eye for clean, graphic composition and great light, and a knack for catching the right moments. You can judge for yourself here...Clients also like that I give them a lot of choices while working quickly and am "easy to work with"…I strive to bring a sense of authenticity and intimacy to every shoot, whether it’s a revealing environmental portrait, dynamic sports action, a sensitive reportage assignment or a dramatic landscape. It doesn’t matter if the job is small and simple, or big and complex...I believe in being over-prepared for a shoot, but always flexible and ready to adapt as it unfolds...Equally at home documenting reality, or re-creating it…Able to communicate in multiple photographic "languages"...Seeing is important, but listening, carefully, is always the starting point…Dividing time between Europe and California…USA and EU passports, fluent in Italian, functional in Spanish, comfortable anywhere….And still kicking a ball around or riding a bike whenever there’s time…No doubt about it now, photography turned out to be a very cool thing to do…I love my job. Lucky me.