UOVO magazine (Italy)

1/ So how did you get into photography?

 My father was a photographer for a newspaper.  He taught me how to make a pin-hole camera and develope the film for a school science project when i was about 10.

2/ The girls in your photographs seem to be giving so much. They show so much of themselves to the camera. You try to photograph people the way they are. It just comes naturally or are they posing?

I'm constantly reminding the models to "stop posing".  The more a girl has modeled, the harder it is for her to act natural.  The amount of posing allowed during a shoot also depends on what type of shoot we are doing.  A glam porn shoot for example, has a lot more posed shots in it than a shoot i'm doing for my "personal" stuff.

3/ the poses are your initiative ?

It depends on the type of shoot.  I'm usually giving the model direction so that whatever she is doing looks best from the camera's perspective.  Sometimes, if the model is good at the type of shoot we're doing, I step back and let her do most of the work.

4/ how do you feel when you see your work in galleries or museums? do you believe your pics fit better to a museum or to a magazine?

Everything looks better in a frame and on a wall.  That's why I print out everything I use and stick it on my wall when i'm editing.  Over time, the good stuff sticks out.
Magazines are good because of the range of people that see the photos.

5/ How do you persuade girls to take their clothes off? Can you tell us the most difficult time?

I don't persuade them, I ask them if they are ok with nudity before we even begin.  If they aren't ok with it, we don't shoot unless it's for something that doesn't require nudity. 
there was only one instance when I went to a shoot and the girl had changed her mind about being nude.  I shot her brushing her teeth instead and got two really good photos out of it.  The whole shoot was very uncomfortable because I was pissed off but it worked out.
I make sure that there will be no misunderstanding now.

6/ How do you find your models?

 1. Referals from other models or friends.
2. referals from my website.
3. Modeling agencies.

7/ You shot hundred of people, is there one (that we can know) you'd like to snap?

no

8/ What happens to you when you finish a shot? Are you relieved or are you depressed or do you feel empty?

Why would I feel empty or depressed?  I usually feel elated and want to celebrate in some small way.  the experience of doing a good shoot with a good model is what I live for.

9/ Who or what are your influences?

Off the top of my head: Dian Hanson, Chris Burden, Martin Amis, Francois Ozon, Antonioni, Goddard, Terry Richardson, Nick Zedd, Eric Rohmer, Charles Manson, Black Flag, The Stooges, Geoff Nickleson, Beth B, Eric Kroll, Rita Ackermann, etc, etc.

10/ If you could change one thing about the contemporary art world, what would it be?

I would change my position in the hierarchy of artist to a better paying one.

11/ What has been your most important professional accomplishment to date?

Not having to go to a job every day.

12/ You think that your pictures are disturbing works? they are disturbing because they are so horrifically normal, it's this sense of normality that makes viewing the photos so very awkward?

You asked a question here, then answered it yourself.
I don't find the photos disturbing.

13/ Your pictures are some kind of  "ménage a trois" between you, the model and the spectator?

That's an interesting way to look at it.