L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 7 walk the shore at dawn to see what the sun may bring or hunt a dew sparkling spider web. It's rare I'll decide, 'Today I'm going to photography muskrats.'" Pantaleoni has slowly begun working with portrait photogra- As the old adage goes, a pic- ture is worth a thousand words – whether it has its own story to tell you or you create a story for it yourself. Photographs have a special way of conveying mes- sages in a way that the written or spoken word cannot. They can invoke emotions, immortal- ize memories and freeze time by capturing people in one moment that will never end. Over the course of his life, San Diego photographer Chris Pantaleoni has created hundreds of stories and thousands upon thousands of words with his work. For the past five years, he has had a studio at San Diego's NTC Liberty Station and is also currently displaying his work at Xanadu Art Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. From childhood, Pantaleoni has fostered a deep love and appreciation of photography. As a young child, he says, he "watched with fascination the playful dance of light through the leaves of a bush across the street." "After sufficiently begging my parents, I was allowed to take a picture with the family camera - a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye," Pantaleoni recalls. That first photo shoot was trial and error – "[It] took me at least half an hour of careful work to load a roll of black and white film," he says. – launched what would become Pantaleoni's life- long relationship with photogra- phy. To this day, he says, "the memory of that bush is still vivid." Pantaleoni approaches his work from a painter's perspec- tive, he says. "I edit for color and texture extensively and am dedicated to making the color you see the color I saw." Beginning his career as a sports photographer for the stu- dent newspaper at University of Arizona, Pantaleoni eventually moved on to photographing other subjects as well – from nature to architecture. "I return to things from time to time, but am constitutionally unable to shoot 'just one thing,'" he says. "If you must have a theme - and I disapprove of such things - then I search for what I find interesting or different." Rather than selecting a partic- ular subject for a specific photo- graph, Pantaleoni oftentimes lets inspiration find him rather than the other way around. "Sometimes I go out looking for a photograph," he says. "[I'll] Spotlight on Chris Pantaleoni: The man behind the lens phy, but he is sure to put his own spin and influence on it. "'Portrait' does not have to mean a wooden posture in an equally wooden surrounding," he says. His are not the stiff and formal department store por- traits. "I'd prefer to work with you informally [by] walking together in a place you like [or] sitting in comfort in a place you enjoy." In doing so, Pantaleoni cap- tures not only his subjects face but their personality as well in the photograph. This transforms it into so much more than just a simple point-and-shoot snap- shot. Perhaps one of the most beau- tiful things about being a pho- tographer is that the world is your workplace. Inspiration can strike at any time and at any place and a photographer never knows where the next picture will come from. "It's easy - and a lot of fun - to carry a camera," Pantaleoni says. "See something interest- ing? Take the picture!" MICHELE PLuSS Chris Pantaleoni Apr. 25, Fri. - Portrait of Ella at Convivio Center (2157 India St., San Diego, CA 92101) at 8 p.m. Patrizia, the Sultry Lady of Jazz, will be performing a tribute to the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald on the 50th anniversary of Fitzgerald's birthday concert in Rome. Ticket pricing ranges from $35 to $50. Event information and tickets are available at http://patriziasultryladyofjazz.brownpapertickets.com/ or call (760) 604-1970. Apr. 26 & 27, Wed. & Thurs. - ArtWalk @ Little Italy pre- sents the San Diego/Tijuana region's biggest art event for an audience of over 90,000. This free visual and performing art celebration is set along a scenic path through the char- ming neighborhood of Little Italy. It will be held on the side streets of India Street from 11:00am – 6:00p.m. both days. For more information visit, www.artwalksandiego.org May 17, Sat. - Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily at Convivio Center (2157 India St., San Diego, CA 92101) at 7 p.m.. To celebrate its first anniversary, Convivio will be hosting the U.S. premiere of "Summer '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily," a documentary by Salvo Cuccia, chronicling the life of legendary rock star Frank Zappa. Refreshments will be available as well as a cash bar with beer and wine. A donation of $5 is suggested. Event information can be found at https://convivio.yapsody.com/event/index/2514/sum- mer_82_when_zappa_came_to_sicily June 18, Wed. - Taste of Little Italy from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Foodies are invited to experience Taste of Little Italy. Each year, our neighborhood's one-of-a-kind eateries open their doors for food lovers to enjoy a sample of each restaurant's most popular dishes, including appetizers, entrees, desserts and beverages. Tickets range from $29 to $45. More infor- mation is available at http://www.littleitalysd.com/ events/taste-of-little-italy/.

• Cover