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Writer's pictureGerardo Fortino

A New Beginning: RAW FACTS and Photography as a Tool for Change


RAW FACTS

RAW FACTS and Photography: Finally, after a long period of waiting, I am ready to hit the field with my beloved camera. The excitement and determination are palpable as I prepare to reach new goals. This time, however, I won't be alone. I have the support of professionals who share my dream of building something different. My purpose is clear: to use photography to make a difference.


History teaches us that a good photograph can stir souls and subvert things. Today, however, it has become significantly more difficult due to the desensitization caused by continuous exposure to images on social media. Despite everything, my goal is to return to making reports, like the one interrupted in 2019 in Madagascar. Now, this mission will see the light again thanks to a new project: RAW FACTS.


RAW FACTS: Photography that Changes Things


RAW FACTS will be a new channel offering exclusive documentary snippets, lesser-known stories, and others that have already been told but with a fresh perspective. Some stories will be told for the first time with the courage and determination that only an exceptional team can guarantee. We have an obligation, a moral and ethical duty to tell the truth. Photography can be the tool to change things, transforming a utopia into a concrete reality.


This dream takes shape thanks to an exceptional team and the support of RCE FOTO, to whom I extend my sincerest gratitude for believing in me. A special thank you also goes to the legendary team consisting of Mattia, Monica, and Arianna. They are the beating heart of the message that must take form and reach you, the audience. An audience that wants to know more, but above all, wants to reflect.


But they are not alone. A special thanks also goes to the Health Workers around the world and to Claudio Scatola, whose medical ethics and determination will lead me along with him to dig deeper, even deeper into the bowels of the earth, into the heart of that Africa that we all love but have, in fact, learned to exploit quite willingly. Their relentless and often reckless mission to change things inspires me every day. To them, I extend my admiration and enthusiasm as we begin to take the field.


And then, there is a special person, Teresa Boero of the association Il Paradiso dei Poveri. Behind the scenes, she has supported me for years, and I have learned to call her a friend. Her dedication and support have been crucial to me.


With my photographic signature, I want to reconstruct the essence of black-and-white photography in the style of Salgado. Photography that can help us understand, that encourages reflection without pointing fingers, but that gives space for a profound understanding of the realities that surround us.


This letter on my personal blog is a thank you to an adventure taking shape, to a mission. Photography has been a great invention, capable of pushing crazy and out-of-their-mind people, just like me, to take risks to bring home a message and disrupt the aid system that solves nothing.


Discover RAW FACTS, my new documentary project. A journey through black-and-white photography to tell untold stories and promote ethical and moral reflection.


This letter is not just a thank you, but a beginning. A new project comes to life, and with it, the hope that photography can still change things. Join us in this mission of truth and reflection.


Thank you.


Smile Madagascar Gerardo Fortino

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