NEXTSTOP NORTHAMPTON: 'Meet The Mafia'
- greasedelbow
- Nov 5, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 19, 2023
For a professional touch on your family photos, weddings, events, live sessions, portraits and headshots, the guys at the Mafia have you covered. Alex Macchiarelli the nostalgist, shoots black and white in his spare time. Joe Westley the purist, has an eye for the uncut. Thomas Maguire the architect, with a midas touch. The three camera men make-up the triune lens at Northampton's Photomafia, Photography Studios.
Having just graduated form university and In an effort to create opportunities where there were none, the three photographers joined forces at S.10 Nene Enterprise, Freehold Street.
Enter their Studio space. On a section of white-wall is a spread of polaroid pictures, a living homage to the talented young individuals the Mafia has worked for and collaborated with, a visual reminder of all the creative entrepreneurship this town has to offer.
In a ball-breaking attempt to turn the focus around, I asked each one a seemingly obvious question, why does a society take photos?
“ Photography is an evolution in the fine arts. During the renaissance artists used their art to document people, places, and events. Through fine art they were able to preserve pre-photographic knowledge. Today, photography is a documented practice whether it is used as an art, commercial format, or as a personal day-to-day status approach. Photography has the one ability which we cannot physically do ourselves, which is to freeze time and allow imagery to become memory, and memory to become story. ”
“ I think professional photographers are the worst people to ask this question. We’re usually trying to market something when asked to make images. Focusing on technique and technical details which end up removing the subject from its reality. They look nice, and you’ll probably buy what’s in the image. But it’s been heavily filtered, and tends to destroy the fascination of photographs. Compared to the photos people take, while just snapping away. ”
“ To me photography is vital for society. It captures humanity at its best and its worst. It shows the brilliance of art that photographers have to offer. And to many people, it is a documentation of their life and their families and loved ones. Social media lives off photography, whether for promotional purposes such or for people who just love to show off. I personally enjoy looking through my parent’s photos - a huge box filled with memories from the last 40 years. ”
Instagram: @photomafiastudios
Check out the groups latest works @ www.photomafiastudios.com
Published: 05/11/2021
Written by Dan O. Eboka
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