About me
My name is Stefano SmallBoy Tomassetti, the ''photodreamer'', an Italian self taught photographer from Rome, born in 1978.
Since childhood, I have always had a photographic mind which really leant me to this discipline. By the end of the nineties I had gained significant experience using a Pentax 500 analog, but this was not what really triggered my obsession. I started to take photography really seriously in 2010, buying my first SLR at a photographic event in Kenya.
In 2012, back from a trip to the US, I organized my first photography exhibition in Rome entitled "Four Elements", the proceeds from the sale of the photos were donated to the "God Our Father Children's Home" of Timboni – Watamu (Kenya), an orphanage I visited in 2010 during my first trip to Kenya, and then again in 2012 and 2013.
My second photography exhibition in Rome was held in June 2013 and entitled "Little Princes". This was inspired by a trip to India where I had taken many portraits of children and the exhibition was named after one of my favorite childhood books "The Little Prince”. Again the proceeds were donated to the children’s home in Watamu.
In November 2013, my passion for photography inspired the most beautiful experience I've ever had so far in my life - a four month solitary journey through South East Asia - touching 7 different countries, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Shortly before my departure I had arranged an online sale of my photos on my FB page "Stefano SmallBoy Tomassetti - Photodreamer". For the first 2 months of the trip, up to the Christmas period when I visited A.O.E.O. "Angkor Orphanage and Education Organization" of Angkor Wat - Siem Reap in Cambodia, I sold my pictures in order to raise funds and develop the centre. With the proceeds of the "together for A.O.E.O." a school was built for the children of the centre. Starting from the universal concept of sharing, the idea was to involve as many people as possible in the project to get the best result. "Only together will you go far".
In July 2014, I exhibited at "Wonderwalls" in The Steam Factory of Milan (Italy). The exhibition explores the concept solidarity through "A Walk in Indochina", an exhibition of 30 photos that show the walks I did in the various places that I visited.
In November 2014, i have been shortlisted as a finalist in the Travel Photographer of the Year 2014.
In April 2015, I exhibited at European Festival of Photography in Reggio Emilia (Italy). The exhibition was a reportage from the Saharwi refugees camps in Algeria. I handed 15 cameras on to as many children and the exhibition tells the story of the refugee camps seen by their eyes.
In September 2015, I quit my job and left from Italy to follow my passion for travel and photography. I visited Russia, Mongolia, China, Laos, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey.
In May 2016, I exhibited at Dinodia Photo Gallery in Mumbai with “Eyes of…”, a short selection of 30 photographs from my travels.
In October 2016, I was selected as one of the “Top 100 photographers” at the LensCulture Street Photographer Awords.
In January 2018 i started a four months solo journey in South America visiting Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Perù and Chile.
In October 2018 i walked 800 Km in 34 days on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
In November 2018, i have been shortlisted as a finalist in the Travel Photographer of The Year 2018.
“The photographer is a curious animal, a keen observer of the world around him taking pictures even when he's not holding a camera on his own hand. Traveling is a great way to learn about yourself through the places and people that you experience. Every time you travel you are no longer the same person as before, something changes, your point of view alters and you evolve. Man is nomadic by nature, he needs to move, to discover, to know. Travel photography is the path that allows me, and all those who take it, to discover new things, new cultures, and this makes me feel part of the world around me. When I travel I walk the streets, I change direction because I am attracted by what surrounds me – it could be a face or a landscape or a situation. I am able to get in touch with the reality of the place through the people who live it. I observe, I stop and I run through life. What I see and perceive - the situations unfolding right before me - inspires me to take the picture and capture that precise moment in time. When I want a particular picture, I prepare it before hand in my mind’s eye and then I stop in time with the camera. Other times it is a matter of moments and you have to be prepared, to know how to take the opportunity, or be good at knowing how to predict an event before it has even occurred. Photography is as an art form, a form of expression, a provider of food for thought, an educator. For this reason, I have always made available what I think or know for a cause. Join the journey, photography and solidarity is a healthy way of making art and photography is a great game.”
Stefano