Regions-Originale: by and about the star photographer Fabrice Dall'Anese

Actually, Fabrice is a lawyer. He studied in Paris and London until he eventually wrote his doctoral thesis in Munich. As a counterbalance to the dry dissertation, he organized his first photo exhibition – featuring his vacation pictures. It was a fortunate coincidence that this very exhibition brought him a job offer for the semester break that would change his life. "That was the turning point of my life. It was the summer of 2000, after which I became a different person," Fabrice recounts. Because during those three months, he got to work with people who fully lived their passion. This experience gave the then 24-year-old the courage and necessary support to take a big step: to become self-employed in photography. "I had my midlife crisis very early," Fabrice chuckles. Luckily! He hasn't regretted this step to this day. Nowadays, his job in portrait photography for the film industry takes him all around the world. And if he’s not jet-setting around the globe, he relaxes during a family vacation in the Seefeld region.

480 seconds. 8 minutes. That's about 630 heartbeats or 80 blinks. Fabrice typically has just as little time to present the celebrities in the best light. After that, they are gone, and the perfect shot must be in the box. Time: that is probably the greatest challenge to Fabrice's job when working with stars. How do you manage to take a good, genuine portrait in such a short time?

"One has to make room for the unexpected."

"You have to be open to surprises. And flexible.", Fabrice says. He always prepares well for the photo shoots, so he goes to the set with ideas and concepts on how he wants to portray the stars and how he will get them there. But that doesn't always work out: sometimes you have to be flexible and spontaneous, letting go of your ideas and embracing the new. Sometimes it happens that a celebrity, who is usually very likable, has a bad day. And you have to allow that. But sometimes you're lucky, and suddenly someone who usually says no says yes.

"That's a gift – you just have to be there and be ready to accept it."

Fabrice had the opportunity to experience just such a gift with the two-time Oscar winner Kevin Costner: For a full 4 days, Fabrice lived and worked with him on his ranch. "We had breakfast together and in the evening sat by the campfire together. That's something special," recalls Fabrice. Since then, there is also a dedicated campfire area on Costner's ranch, built by Fabrice: At the end of the production, the photographer desperately wanted a photo by the fire, but none of the spots seemed right to him. So Costner simply said: "Build your own: Take some stones, make yourself a spot, bring beer, and that will be your spot forever".

However, Fabrice does not always have only stars and celebrities in front of the camera. Occasionally, he also photographs amateurs. "Working with inexperienced people is an exciting challenge that cannot be compared at all", he believes.

Now Fabrice is working with the "Regional Originals." Throughout the photo shoots with personalities from the Seefeld region, Fabrice had many encounters that touched him. Two special shoots particularly stand out in his memory. One of them was with blacksmith Alfons, who rarely lets anyone into his workshop. "That was a human highlight and a delight!" Fabrice reflects afterward. "Everything was simply perfect": The fire, the hard work, the coal-blackened hands – it couldn't have been better for the emotion and atmosphere in Fabrice's pictures.

A winter shoot also remains very vivid in his mind: On a freezing winter morning, he took photos of a snow groomer driver – right in the middle of a snowstorm. The image reflects exactly what Fabrice aims to show with his work: "The person in their structure." The intensity of the image is overwhelming, he expresses joy. Such moments are hard to plan: The weather is certainly one of those gifts that you just have to accept...

Few people know how much work actually goes into his portraits. But: A good picture has much more behind it than what you see.

"Nowadays, everyone always has a camera with them," says Fabrice, pointing to smartphones. "From 8-year-olds to 70-year-olds, everyone is taking photos." In just two clicks, the camera is ready. And thanks to Instagram and the like, everyone also has a gallery to showcase their photos. People often ask Fabrice: "Wow, how did you take this photo?". They don't know how much work has already happened before Fabrice even picks up his camera. First, he tries to get an idea of the person; he thinks about what emotion he wants to convey and how he can evoke it. Only after thorough conception and planning is he ready to take a photo.

"There is the technical aspect and the human one. The technique and know-how are one thing – but the human aspect is the more important one," Fabrice reveals. Only by truly engaging with the person on the other side of the camera can one create a good image of them. Working together with them, bringing something out of them. "We work together for something." Only those who understand this can become good portrait photographers.

Fabrice has been coming to the Seefeld Region with his family for 6 years. "I am in love!", he admits with a smile. "Living on the plateau is good for people", he believes. Here, he always experiences a humanity and trust that is increasingly rare in large cities like Paris. "Here I believe again in genuine human exchange. This hospitality and authenticity, which has already been lost elsewhere, can be felt here." He appreciates the balance of old and new, rustic and modern, and the enormous diversity of the region. While his children go skiing, he explores the region - from alpaca trekking to full moon hikes to Shinrin Yoku forest bathing, Fabrice has already taken part in plenty of activities. And the region offers so much that he is far from finished discovering it.