Q: When did you first become interested in photography as a mode of expression?
A: As expressed before, I am fascinated by the richness found in everyday informal situations all around us, no matter where that is found, in a big metropolis or inside a home. I very much enjoy photographing reality. I wonder if it is right to call it, “aiming to find the magic in unexceptional everyday life”. Even though that is a very wide concept, I believe in its rightness.
Q: Where did you shoot the pictures in this portfolio, and was your primary object to create a cohesive visual document of a cultural environment or to capture a series of individual standalone images? Did you use your Leica Monochrom to capture all these images and which lens or lenses did you use?
A: These photographs were taken in Kingston, Jamaica, during my last journey there in 2013. Many were taken in downtown Kingston, a very special area, quite depressed by poverty, but where people express themselves with great dignity. Taking pictures is rather hard as they do not wish to be photographed, but I had the chance to be with them in Community Works so they somewhat know me.
I have always been interested in normal everyday life situations in countries like Jamaica and Egypt, the latter a place where I have been working on projects for many years. What interests me the most is their way of living, the strolls through their streets, the food markets, their way of walking, dressing, seeing their children go to school. I am not interested in drugs, alcoholism, gangsters, murders, those are scenes that one can see, and have seen daily, but that also exist in developed countries with the same violence and that we are all familiar with through the daily news. These people wake up daily with their hands in their pockets and they need stimulus for their development and with their pride and sense of self-respect they very often manage to have a decent life. These photos represent a very coherent story of the people of Kingston that is difficult to express with words. I used the Leica M Monochrom with a 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens.

Q: This image of a guy in a patterned shirt wearing sunglasses gazing upward while sitting at a restaurant table has an expression that seems joyful but somewhat detached as though he is contemplating something beyond day-to-day realities. It is a striking image that is ordinary and transcendent at the same time. Do you agree, and where was it taken and what does it mean to you?
A: It was inside a restaurant in Kingston and the person looking up was at the table next to me. Everything caught my eye: the lights, the shadows, and the character. I very quickly realized that the person was necessary for the photo and was particularly interested by the light coming from a lamp, which was very important. The camera did the rest.

Q: This image certainly exemplifies your technique of shooting at wide apertures to achieve graphic impact. In this case, only the central figure is in sharp focus, and his matter-of-fact expression seems watchful, and maybe a bit wary because of his wrinkled forehead. His out-of-focus companions in the foreground are directly facing the camera, and their expressions are calmer and happier. This image comes off as a fascinating triptych. What was going through your mind when you pressed the shutter release and what do you think this image communicates to the viewer?
A: I think the viewer understands the meaning. The main character’s head exactly silhouettes the shapes of the two out of focus characters. Objectively, this is a very difficult picture to accomplish and many may be in disbelief. Most photographers will not consider putting out of focus the foreground. Nothing is really normal when one is alone in a place like downtown Kingston. You just can’t believe that you can do this kind of picture, I think that I just switched to an ecstatic creativity mode and let my heart just beat a little bit faster.

Q: There is a luminous eternity in the moment character to the above image. It has the feeling of a grab shot and looks like it may have been taken at a slow shutter speed, but it is also very precisely composed, which creates a charming tension. Why and where did you take this picture and why did you include it in this portfolio?
A: This photograph was also taken in downtown Kingston. It was in the evening, and I was walking down the street. It was very dark and all of a sudden I saw a stream of water and the reflecting light on the incoming traffic. It had been a gruesome day, but the picture was there for the taking. How can I express it: a sense of mystery. The background character and light on the ground, I quickly saw on the visor that the shutter speed was not ideal to take the picture, but it was worth a try, even if there was danger of it being moved. The diagonal lines and the shapes coming from the cars were beautiful. When I saw it on the screen it looked like a good photograph that could accompany the rest.

Q: On the surface, this is a simple picture showing a woman walking down the street carrying a plastic bag over her right shoulder, but there is such elegance and grace in her movement, posture, and body language that she embodies the dance of everyday live. Am I on target, and what do you think this says about the culture and places you have documented in this portfolio?
A: You are right on target. It is almost a dance step. Jamaica is all about music. One hears it everywhere. Music has an effect on the way people walk and the way they pronounce words. Even though walking on the streets can be dangerous, one must admit that it is worthwhile to be among them. She was walking towards me and I heard her steps, I didn’t want to take a picture as there was back light so I waited for her to pass by me and I looked back and liked what I saw.

Q: One image shows a handsome young military man apparently standing casually at attention (if that is not a contradiction in terms) and his expression and posture convey an intensity and seriousness that is quite different from the other people shown in this portfolio. The extreme sharpness of the central figure is emphasized from the soft background and the overall feeling here is one of quietly assertive presence. What motivated you to shoot this impressive portrait and can you share some of the technical details such as lens, aperture, ISO, etc.?
A: Frankly, the character looked stunning from the beginning in many ways. He had just received a medal for his achievements and was very proud and disciplined. I opened my aperture to 2 and shot in automatic at 160 ISO, with a ND filter. The heat was unbearable and he stood at attention and with a very serious gaze looked directly at me, as if I were the official photographer of the event. I found that charming and I thanked him, asking for his name and wrote it down on a notepad that I always carry with me. My father was in the military and so are my two brothers. In that moment, I remembered my deceased father, when during my childhood he arrived home and gave us all his salute.
Q: How do you see your photography evolving over, say, the next three to five years, and do you plan to explore any other genres going forward?
A: I have received assignments for  other genres of photography but have always preferred, as stated before, to concentrate on normal everyday life situations wherever those may be in the streets, in the workplace, or in homes. These are the kind of photographs that I like. Asking me what I will be doing in three to five years is like being able to see into the future and that is very difficult.
Thank you for your time, Antonio!
– Leica Internet Team
See more of Antonio’s work on Flickr.