Sonic Editions

Daria Reina is a French-Italian curator and photographer who has been working as a creative director, designer and communication consultant for the luxury industry for more than 20 years. Together with her husband, the fashion illustrator, Andrea Ferolla, she co-founded Chez Dede, a brand of exclusive collections of accessories, clothing and interior alongside collaborations with distinctive partners and luxury hotels around the world. Continue reading the full interview with Daria Reina below...    

SE: When did you know you wanted to be a photographer?

DR: When I was 20 years old and started to use my father’s old Minolta and I realised how much I enjoyed to edit reality with a personal cut. At that time, everything was analogic, and I learned to think twice before taking a photo. This is something I never lost so far.

SE: Do you have a favourite camera to shoot with?

DR: Not really, because I strongly believe that at the end of the day the eye is more important than the media. I usually shoot with NikonD7200, LeicaCL or Iphone which is always in my pocket.

SE: Where has been your favourite place to shoot?

DR: It’s not a place but a whole Country, I’d say. I was asked by Assouline to do a book together with my husband Andrea Ferolla (fashion illustrator) dedicated to Italy. It’s been released in 2018 and his title is Italian Chic. As an Italian born girl, raised in Belgium, I’ve always been deeply attracted by the light peculiarity of each Region of Italy so you can imagine how lucky I felt to be asked for such a special project.

SE: Which photograph do you wish you had taken?

DR: Every single fashion one made by Gordon Parks, basically.

SE: Which other photographers inspire you/are you following at the moment?

DR: Slim Aarons for his unique recognisable touch in documenting the social life of the fifties, Alexey Brodovitch for his incredible graphic approach (being a graphic designer myself too), and Norman Parkinson above every other, today I love the eye of Lavinia Cernau, fresh and poetic.

SE: According to you, what makes a good photographer?

DR: Being cultivated, curious and very patient. You know, sometime it takes a lifetime to have something interesting to tell, and a long time as well to catch the right moment.

SE: What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into photography?

DR: To live a full and interesting life, otherwise the photos will be only a coloured piece of paper.

SE: Out of all your photos on Sonic Editions, which one is your favourite and why?

DR: The young divers that I took in Praiano on the Amalfi coast, because it perfectly captures the spirit of the local youth, free and light at least for the time of a Summer.

Head to Daria Reina's beautiful gallery!