‘No magazine cover matches the accomplishment of making something good, that the skater can be proud of as well.’
Federico Casella
February 2023
Where are you from?
I grew up in Genova, a port city near the border from France. Not much, but some skateboarding was happening there. Now I’ve been living in Milano for almost 10 years and here a lot of skateboarding is happening everyday.
How would you describe the Italian skateboard scene to a foreigner?
It’s not big, but very broad. All kind of people skate in Italy, there are some, not many, Italian pros, but skating around the country you will meet more “feral” skaters, that don’t know much, or even anything about the industry and just skate the shitty park in their town. A lot of them are really good at it. With the new trends the scene is getting both bigger and broader.
The first time I broke a ligament in my ankle, I was 16 and could not skate for almost a year, it seemed an eternity. In the meanwhile, I picked up a camera. Now, I’m a professional photographer, working on commercial jobs other than my skate photos that I keep doing.
Proudest moment as a photographer?
I’ve had a few, and they are always the same. When the skater you shot is someone you really admire and he is grateful because you nailed it. No magazine cover matches the accomplishment of making something good, that the skater can be proud of as well.
‘Patrick O’Dell shot that and it truly is amazing.’
Most embarrassing?
Man, I left the house without either batteries or cards a few times. So fucking embarrassing.
Is there one skateshot you wish you had taken?
Many, I couldn’t list them all. But tonight I was talking with my friend Are and I told him that I really wish I shot the Chet Childress Bs Smith photo in the pool with the escavator. Patrick O’Dell shot that and it truly is amazing. But there are so many others.
What is your take on skateshots that have not been landed?
If the trick is landed a few tries later, and it has been done in a similar way with the photo you shot, and you messed up the photo of the landed one, it’s ok I guess. If the trick is landed on another day, I’m not a fan, I don’t like it. If the trick is not landed at all, then it’s plain bullshit and I’m all against it. But yeah, landed one should be it.
What is on your wishlist?
A left knee, a bunch of guitars… Seriously though I’d love to try and shoot skateboarding with a digital back on a view camera, I wish I had a digital back but that stuff is really expensive.
‘If the trick is landed on another day, I’m not a fan, I don’t like it.’
Last question. If you could interview one person, who would it be and why?
Hank Williams for sure. I really think he would’ve been a perfect skater and would share some good stories about living on the road.
