Michele Spatari

Canon Ambassador and award-winning documentary and news photographer Michele Spatari has captured some of the most significant events in recent history, including the Covid-19 pandemic.

From South Africa's political landscape to the housing crisis in the Italian city of Turin, Michele's hard-hitting images have been featured in some of the world's most prestigious news publications. Today, he is renowned for heart-rending and personal imagery which shines a light on the stories that simply must be told.

Michele was a participant in the 2018 Canon Student Programme at Visa pour l'Image, and in the same year he won the Canon Italy Young Photographer Award for Rising Water, which was exhibited across Europe. After that came another career-defining moment: a move to South Africa in 2019 to cover the general election.

Michele now mainly works for Agence France-Presse (AFP) and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he found himself at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. He was assigned by the Italian visual narrative festival Cortona On The Move to document the crisis, and began his own personal project, No Place Like Hope.

"The economy was already struggling, and then it stopped," he says. "So, what happens when you have to lock down a country for three months, in fear of something you can't see? I concentrated mainly on the overcrowded buildings and the shacks of the informal settlements, and later on the food issue. A large part of the population relies on a day-to-day economy: if they don't work that day, they don't eat at night. The people were starving."

A great deal has passed before Michele's lens, but he tries not to take his work home with him. "I feel privileged to do this job, and to do it in South Africa. Of course, it takes a toll, but at the end of the day you pack your bag, you go home, and you're in a safe space – the people you photograph are not," he explains. "You're always a witness, and as a witness you can leave."

During his career, Michele's photographs have featured on the front pages of global publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. "You don't always know if you're doing a good job, so you see the picture there, and you realise that photo was needed to tell that story," he says. "It's an excuse to be where history happens. That's why I like to tell personal stories, because you can see history from one person's point of view."

What's the proudest moment of your career to date?
"I held an exhibition inside the public showers in Turin for Rising Water, exhibiting the work in the environment in which the images had been shot. All the people I photographed came and we all discussed the work, and how the conditions were now. The conditions for some had improved, but not for others. This was a defining moment where I really saw the value of such a long-term project."

What was it like photographing the 2019 elections in South Africa?
"This was a great event to cover. Long queues on the morning of the elections, packed political rallies, and thousands of people all dressed in red or yellow or blue. It was a defining moment of my career as it taught me how a big agency prepares for such a significant event. I arrived here at election time, so it was like, go to work and figure out the country later!"

What's been the most valuable lesson you've learnt during your career?
"You must be patient. Work hard and what you're trying to do will come out, but you also must be very persistent and consistent. Understand that every single person has a different timeframe in which they feel ready to open up. All the experience I have has brought me to understand what it takes to survive in this industry."

What is next for you? Which ambitions remain unfulfilled?
"I'd like to work on more features and long-term assignments. Just before the pandemic, I started thinking about my next personal project, but it's on hold for now. When you mainly photograph people and they are all wearing masks, you lose expressions and nuances in the pictures. Starting a personal project feels uncertain, because I fear it might be too much related to the health crisis we are going through."

"You have to be extremely focused; of course, you can adapt but you have to know why you're here and what stories you want to tell. Be very persistent and have patience. Sometimes people just see the Instagram side of it; behind that there is lots of work. Sometimes you don't get any work, or you can't pursue your personal project because you don't have the money to do that. It all takes time."

Twitter:@Michele_Spatari

Website:www.michelespatari.com