Rich, Spontaneous Photography: An Interview with Lori Cicchini

September 28, 2019

Lori Cicchini’s artistry spans continents and genres – from art, fashion and beauty, to commercial and advertising. She has a long list of accolades to prove her abilities, running well into the 30s and beyond. These include multiple awards from the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP), of which she received four in 2019, as well as the International Photography Awards 2015 Fine Art Award for nudes and many, many more.

You may have heard of Lori Cicchini’s photographic talent in recent years. But who is the woman behind the striking imagery, and how did she find her passion in this medium?

“My journey into photography started quite late into my working life; I juggled around with a number of different careers from office admin to sales, none of which filled the gap I knew I was craving. I did, however, learn some important lessons in these years, marketing and client service come to mind. Looking back, however, I think the thing that stands out the most is an overwhelming satisfaction in creating something unique and spontaneous, transferring feelings from within to an image.”

Lori’s recent self-portrait shoot for her 50th birthday – Flesh

As someone who is deeply entrenched in the fine art of photography, Lori Cicchini’s aim is to be genuine to her own aesthetic. This naturally bleeds into the fashion and commercial arm of her business. “The best jobs are often the ones where I have full creative control, then one can expect the unexpected because I usually don’t know myself where it might all go. I do have a plan, but I also have a plan to step outside the plan.”

Stepping outside the plan has worked extremely well for her, it would seem, especially with a ‘cabinet of awards’ to speak of. That said, her feet are firmly planted on the ground, rooted in understanding that success is as much about the determination as it is about the creative pursuit.

“I think the ingredients to any successful outcome include time, persistence, overlooking obstacles by trying new things, making mistakes and learning from them, being inspired by things that genuinely interest me and incorporating it in my work, and the biggest one is to make work that satisfies me and only me – and continue to make it for myself.”

Inspiration for a new shoot or theme can come in many forms, Lori adds, from musical sounds or lyrics to poetry or a historical event. “I also like to experiment with things outside of the set norm for a typical theme, for example, a take on French Rococo with a dark twist. Yep, usually has a dark twist,” she laughs, “If it’s dark but still beautiful, it’s guaranteed to be my thing.”

That said, she’s rather a romantic when it comes to how she views her craft. It may not be all sunshine and roses but it certainly is a little sliver of creative heaven she’s carved out for herself. “If you focus on creating, anything is possible,” she says, “just get in there and make work and not get bogged down by the vortex of endless images out there. Who cares what anyone is doing unless it inspires you to create yourself?” Truly cementing her passion for photography, Lori’s life is built around it.

“My personal life is my art; it’s not a job for me either way. I can’t function without creating something every single day, even if it is researching by visiting an exhibition, watching a film or reading an article, I thrive on it.”

Speaking of creating something every single day – what does a typical day look like in Lori Cicchini’s life?

“I’m not even sure what that is,” she laughs, “each day can change at the drop of a hat depending on my mood, but generally I would say at the moment I’m trying to start my day early with a 5am rise – which has been a bit challenging as it’s winter here in Australia and I live in the coldest city of the country. I’m a creature of habit and sometimes they aren’t great, but hey, I’m only human. I’m trying to be diligent with my exercising and get that in before the day starts becoming hectic. My working day starts with emails and such like correspondence; I generally travel to location and straight into scheduled shoots. Some days can be a little less scheduled where I can spend the day processing, and once in a while I allow myself the luxury of creating my own art. My day generally ends late in the evening if I haven’t already fallen asleep on the sofa with the television watching me.”

As with all photographers, there’s the gear that Lori simply cannot live without. Her work horse is a Canon 5D, which she uses with a variety of lenses, while the Fuji XT2 is ideal for location shoots because it’s light and compact. “I don’t like being bogged down with too much equipment when shooting outside a studio, although I’m also known to be that photographer that brings everything, just in case! So I can’t really win the war there,” she adds.

With her days filled with vivid after vivid picture, Lori’s life can seem both chaotic and spontaneous – the ‘typical’ artist stereotype. It’s anything but. Rather, her world is set on a firm foundation of learning the rules and figuring out when best to flex them, of letting go of expectations and moving out of her comfort zone to embrace the unknown, the dark, the not-yet-seen-before. And she encourages others to do the same. “Follow your interests and explore and experiment within it at your every opportunity,” she says, “and the biggest advice I’d give for anyone reading this and wanting to jump in the deep end: if you’re in it to be rich and famous, don’t do it. Art must come from the heart, not from a purse.”