Mario Cerroni - Photo(ad)diction
“PHOTODICTION is the careful selection of specific elements to include in a picture’s composition, using these to express various themes and views of the world around me.”
This is the definition of the neologism that Mario Cerroni invented for the identity of his photography website.
Judging from the comments posted by visitors to that website, his photographic compositions eloquently express his ability to extract extraordinary beauty and serenity from the world around him. His selective views of both natural and human-made scenes excel at revealing pattern, texture, rhythm and the beauty in the commonplace that is so easily overlooked.
One composition, in particular, convinced me that this photographer does indeed have a special gift for discerning the aesthetic possibilities of a familiar sight. On his website gallery I was drawn to a quietly sober photo in black and white titled “Evening Reflection.” I was mildly chagrined to learn that it was a striking capture of a scene that I have personally witnessed many times without once appreciating its potential as a powerful image.
Discovering and revealing that potential is a key component of Cerroni’s passion for photography. One of his favourite images is a shot of two bare trees in a winter field. He had passed that field hundreds of times, and one day he saw in it the striking composition he captured. “The world around us presents an endless medley of rhythms and patterns. Sometimes I am able to tune into one of them with my camera. When I transform a common scene into a well-executed photo, I like to think that I am revealing the beauty of the commonplace.”
