Meet Manuello Paganelli | Fine Arts & Documentary Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Manuello Paganelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Manuello Paganelli, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I never planned on becoming a photographer at all. I figured I would become an attorney helping others like my father or, from my mother’s influence, trot the globe as a
missionary doctor.
In my last year of college in Chattanooga TN I lost all desire to become a doctor and bought my first
camera.

What should our readers know about your business?
In 1982 I was given a great opportunity, without any photo experience, of a summer internship a the Chattanooga Times. My photographer’s eye developed quickly. I created images from nondescript settings and saw moments invisible to others. When the end of summer came, too soon it
seemed, I was called to the boardroom, where the editors and publisher were present.
To my surprise, they asked me to work full-time. I was floored to begin my career as a
photojournalist.
From there I was eager to go further and work for major newspapers and magazines so I moved to Washington, DC to start a freelance career.
It wasn’t easy going from a much smaller town to a large place like DC with so much political power and national and global decision making policies were made daily.
I didn’t know anyone, some of the photographers I met were no that encouraging and some were quite negative but none of their negative comments stop me from going forward on my photo career in this new town. There were days when I didnt have money to buy food and I would go to happy hours places to eat the free food they would served when you bought a drink. I didnt have money for a drink either so I would tell the bartender that I was the designate driver. With time I had a list happy hours bars where I could rotate and get food.
As time went bye I kept showing my portfolio until one day the Washington Post and USA Today started hiring me. After a few years of doing newspaper work hopped on Antrak and went to New York City, the capital of the editorial world, and showed my work to Forbes, Time and a few other magazines.
A month or so later Forbes called me with my first magazine photo gig. After that more doors opened up and I was working and traveling the world for TIME, LIFE, Fortune, People, GQ, Men’s Journal, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and many more.
One thing I did during the early stage of my career was to learn new ways of doing lighting, using different angles or lenses.

Most important, on my own, I learned well the business of photography, the value of my work, meaning of copyrights and how important was owning my work. I also learn about writing contracts that could be a win/win deal, negotiating deals where I felt quite comfortable knowing that I didn’t leave any money on the table.

Those were the days long before the web and social media and FB photo groups. Today is a lot easier finding the right business or photo questions or learning new lighting style since most of those answers can be found online.

Photography industry can be quite brutal and negotiating any photo job is very important. You can have the most talented photographer in the world, yet you may find someone who isn’t as talented but that person knows more about the photo business and that person will be the one making 200K-500K while the better photographer maybe braking even or taking home 1/3 of what the other person is making.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have two homes, one is here in Westwood a short walk distance from UCLA and the other home is in Carmel-by-the-Sea. So lets say my friend is visiting me in Carmel. First I would take a stroll with them around our beautiful Carmel village. Then we would walk from Ocean Avenue, the main road, and walk all the way down to Carmel beach. From there we can continue to walk right or left. If we go right we will end at the famous Pebble Beach golf course and to the left, we would end where there is an interesting house perched right at the edge of a cliff almost kissing the Pacific Ocean. That house was built by Frank Lloyd Wright for one of his wealthy clients.
In town we can walk around checking out the many shops and art galleries. One special art place is the iconic Weston Gallery The iconic Weston Gallery, owned by the family of the great Edward Weston and showcasing the work of Ansel Adams many of the greatest photographers. I am also quite honored that my own work is also represented at the gallery. The owner is Davi Weston and she can give you a gallery tour and tell you the history of the place and about any of the work presently displayed.
All this walk is going to get us hungry so from there we can choose to eat from a long list of high end restaurants with their own unique local dishes as well as those places with an international cuisine

I would also take them to Mission Ranch, where I play tennis and also has a bar restaurant. Clint Eastwood owns it and now and then during the evening he drops by and plays the piano art the restaurant. On the way to this place we can drop at the very well restored Catholic church Carmel Mission built by the Spanish in 1797 and its founder was Father Junipero Serra.

I have regular bikes and e-bikes so I can take them on a fun ride across the scenic coastal 17-Mile Drive, going through Pebble Beach, while stopping at some interesting points. If is too much then we can do it by car and the Pacific Ocean is always next to us.

The town of Monterey is a five minutes drive from Carmel and has the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium which is one of the best around the world. It is located in Cannery Row which was made famous by the Nobel Prize Laureate John Steinbeck who was born near by in the town of Salinas which still has his childhood home and also includes a museum dedicated to him.

A must see is Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It was made famous by the great photographer Edward Weston. You will see many types of trees flower, birds, sea otters, sea lions and the occasional migrating whales. This wonderful nature reserve, with its many trails is the perfect place for walking, hiking running or to come with a picnic basket. From there Big Sur is a short drive down south.
The famous Laguna Seca car and moto race track is also near bye.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The first mentor and who introduce me to the art of observing, discovering and capturing everything that was around me, actually came from a source so far away from photography. It actually came from Bruce Lee who I trained as a boy. He kept telling me to stay in focus, to paid attention to people, faces, what is happening in front, to the sides and behind me. He has been the biggest influence on how I learn to see and discover the smallest details happening all around me.

Then the biggest mentor for my professional photo career arrived my last year in Tennessee, where I went to school, while I browsing in a bookstore, I found a periodical titled Darkroom. The cover featured an old
man I’d never heard of named Ansel Adams. A few glances at Adams’ powerful black-and-
white landscapes left me hypnotized. I went home with Darkroom inside a paper
bag and read the full article. Within days, I was on the telephone with Ansel and that
first conversation led to many others, and with time, he became my friend and mentor.
until he died in 1984

Website: www.manuellopaganelli.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manuellopaganelli/

Twitter: Manu_Paganelli

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manuellopaganelli

Image Credits
Manuello Paganelli © 2024