Nicolò Filippo Rosso : Feeling shaken, intrigued and questioned

Italian photographer Nicolò Filippo Rosso talks to The Darkroom Rumour about his long-term project on migration across the American continent, as well as his vision of documentary photography, its commitments and the responsibility the the author. 

***

• How did you get into photography? And what about Latin America? 

After completing my Literature studies in Italy, I sought adventure. I was drawn to the territories, jungles, and deserts of Latin America. The sense of freedom it offered, in stark contrast to the structured life in Europe, was fascinating.
As I continued to travel, I witnessed how endemic poverty, violence, and inequality, often driven or imposed by the power imbalance with the world’s richest countries, had fractured those societies for generations for centuries. Over the years, my desire to tell the stories of the people I met imposed itself over the sense of adventure that had pushed me to travel across the continent in the first place. I decided to become a photographer, starting a personal and professional journey that continues to evolve and grow. In 2016, I received the first assignment.

• For how long and at what pace did you follow these migrations? 

During several short editorial and NGO assignments documenting the influx of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia in 2018, I was frustrated by the lack of time I had to listen to the stories of the people I encountered and understand the nuances of an unprecedented and unfolding crisis at the border between the two countries. As it still often happens today, I decided to stay longer once the job was done and continue to work on my own, dedicating to the story the time it needed to reveal itself. For two years, I documented the Venezuelan diaspora in Colombia. At the beginning of 2021, I traveled to Honduras with the support of a reporting grant. Since then, I have expanded the Exodus project to Central America, Mexico, the United States, and other South American nations. I have followed families for weeks or months, exploring the intricate pattern of the migration routes across the continent until the first steps of the integration process of those who sought to build a more secure future for their families in Chile or the United States.

• Did you follow any particular characters? 

There are many families I have become close to during the journey. Thanks to an editorial grant I received recently, I will continue to document their stories in several United States cities. During 2024 and 2025 I will capture their present as they balance memories of the past with expectations for the future while adapting to new surroundings, learning English, and establishing new roots for their children to grow.

• In the documentary, you talk about how all these snapshots ultimately served to shape your vision as a photographer. Can you tell us more about this? 

Growing closer to the stories' protagonists and working in the field for long periods has been crucial in allowing me to see more details of people’s personalities, individually and collectively. In an attempt to translate into the visual language their hardships but also more joyful moments and camaraderie, I focused on their strength, courage, and determination to improve their condition. I didn’t want them to be stigmatized by the struggles that, hopefully, were transitory but to manifest the dignity and respect I was honored to witness in the face of the adversity of the migration experience. This intent is a cornerstone of my practice.

• Do you think that - in any case when it comes to documentary work on a subject such as this - we shouldn't feel that the photographer's vision ultimately distracts us from the situation of the people photographed, and leads us instead to observe the photographer's compositional choices or lighting effects?   

In my practice, vision, and aesthetics are humble servants of a message of humanity. This doesn’t just apply to documentary or social photography but to any attempt to communicate through a photograph, implying a great responsibility for the author. The choice of the frame, the moment, and the composition are influential in allowing a direct and honest dialogue between the readers and the photograph’s protagonists. The relationship between those inside a frame and those behind a camera can be duplicated and transferred to a broader audience of readers who, independently and uniquely, will relate to a scene, a gesture, or a facial expression from their experience and personality. I am not interested in creating beautiful pictures that readers can sit and enjoy. I want them to feel shaken, intrigued and questioned. To do so, I prioritize the content: any aesthetic choice will be its vehicle rather than a distraction.