Making Portraits Anywhere
In this special Mini-workshop, Gianni Cipriano shares his approach to creating compelling environmental portraits — whether working in a presidential palace, a cramped apartment, or a chaotic backstage. Drawing from real-world assignments for The New York Times and other major publications, Gianni walks through how he reads a space, adapts lighting quickly, builds trust with subjects, and tells a story — no matter the location.
Gianni Cipriano is a Sicilian-born independent photographer based in Napoli, Italy. His work focuses on contemporary social, political, and economic issues. Gianni regularly works for The New York Times and has been documenting the ongoing upheaval in Italian politics for L’Espresso weekly magazine since 2013. His editorial work has also appeared in Time, Wired, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde Magazine, The Guardian Weekend Magazine, among others.
He graduated from the Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program at the International Center of Photography in New York in 2008. He has received recognition and awards from POYI (Picture of the Year International), American Photography, New York Photo Awards, International Photography Awards, and the Ian Parry Scholarship.
Gianni’s work has been showcased in group exhibitions in venues such as the Rencontres d’Arles, FOLI Lima Biennale of Photography, MOPLA, Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism and at the MAXXI museum in Rome.
Gianni teaches lighting for environmental portraits for StrudelmediaLive.
giannicipriano.com
