Rangefinder Magazine
April 2005

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Profile: Cesare Bonazza by Lorraine A. DarConte
A Fellini Life

Cesare Bonazza has photographed Hollywood royalty for publications such as Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Hello!, Venice and People magazines, to name just a few. But he wasn’t always at the top of his game, and how he got there is a story with more twists and turns than Coney Island’s Cyclone.

Like many photographers before him (and many to come), Bonazza first picked up a camera as a way to meet women. In his native Italy, at the age of 18, he got his first job photographing tourists at local beaches and resorts. “This was fun for me,” states Bonazza, “because it was a great place to meet girls, and every 15 days new people—new girls—were arriving, so it was cool. I discovered photography because I love a good time,” he reiterates. “Back then (early to mid-1970s) a photographer could make a very good living working three months in the summer and two-and-a-half months in the winter at the best resorts. Basically, I took snapshots of family groups and others who were on vacation.” The tourists could purchase his snapshots at a local photo store, and Bonazza would earn a commission.But after a while, Bonazza realized he really enjoyed photography and thought there must be something more to it. “I began reading about photography and started working for another photographer in a medium-sized city in Italy to learn the craft. I photographed couples in nightclubs to pay for my internship.”

And then he changed direction again. “I bought myself an airplane ticket to El Salvador to cover the news for Gamma/ France,” he states. “I left for two-and-a-half months. I loved being where the news was. I had a passion for it, and my favorite photographers were all war photographers. I was young and fearless, and I was trying to build a name for myself as a photojournalist.” Bonazza photographed both the horrors of war and images he felt represented “the contest of war.”

“I thought it was a fast way to get my name out there,” he admits, “but it never happened. After several risky assignments [Kurdistan, El Salvador, Kosovo and Romania], I decided this wasn’t an avenue I wanted to pursue any longer.” Once again he packed his bags, this time heading for the U.S. “I found a news agency and told them I wanted to go somewhere else; I wanted to get out of Italy. They wanted to send me to New York, but I said it’s too cold. So they sent me to Los Angeles to cover celebrities.”

Slow Climb to the Top
Bonazza arrived in California in 1980 and was dropped by the agency a month and a half later. “So I was on my own,” he remembers. “I did everything I could to survive, and I found people were willing to help me out. I didn’t give up. Between side jobs, I found a local agency in L.A. and worked as a photojournalist. I covered all the funny, human-interest stories dealing with medical issues and anything bizarre,” he says, “such as the hang-gliding German Shepherd, and with that I got some breaks. I was also assigned by the agency to cover a few celebrities in their homes, which became my introduction to the celebrity world.” With five years and a lot of experience under his belt, Bonazza once again decided to strike out on his own, this time with a series of articles and photographs entitled “At Home With (insert celebrity’s name here).” “I had to write my own articles for the stories,” he says, “and my English wasn’t very good. I feared writing my own articles more than going to El Salvador. I was terrified, but I had to do it, otherwise I couldn’t sell my images.” Bonazza eventually learned that a simple Q&A was good enough to keep the jobs coming.

“My first big break,” he notes, “was photographing Kelly LeBrock and her (now former) husband, Steven Segal. The money was good, and the excitement was high. All my best clients were in Europe—French TV Guide, Hello!, OK!, etc.” In the 1980s, gaining access to celebrities was easier than it is today, says Bonazza, who had a number of tricks to meet celebrities. “Most of my contacts—and half my deals—were made in restaurants. If you eat at McDonald’s, you will find McDonald’s people,” he explains. “At $200 restaurants, you will find $200 people. You can’t meet celebrities at McDonald’s (okay, maybe Bill Clinton). Restaurant owners would introduce me to the stars. I didn’t disturb them during lunch, but I was there for coffee to schmooze, which I love.” Bonazza’s first cover for People featured a photo of Lisa Marie Presley’s first child. “That put my name on the map,” he says. “I owe a lot to her mother, Priscilla Presley. She called me [to take the photo] because she found a photographer hiding in her trash trying to photograph the baby.”

Over the years, Bonazza has photographed dozens of celebrities. Some—like actor Johnny Depp—were easy to work with, some not so easy. “Sharon Stone was more difficult because I only had one hour to photograph eight pages,” he says. “I had three assistants and three hours to set up, but only one hour to shoot. I was sweating and so worried. It was a high-pressure job for me; I will never forget it.” One lesson Bonazza learned from that job was to always be ready because anything can happen.

New Frontiers
Bonazza admits to being an equipment hog. “I have a variety of Canon cameras, including a couple of Canon 10Ds, which are great because I can use them in and out of the studio. I have not upgraded to 2 1/4 digital back yet because I still have a lot of questions about it,” he says. “Also, the cost of digital is extremely high and changes every month. I’m in business to make a profit, and I don’t want to buy a new camera every three months that gives me the same results as film.” Bonazza also prefers the skin tones he gets with film. “I think digital has its up side, but I don’t like the look of it as much. I think it reveals too much, but that’s just my personal opinion. I think it’s best to have a system that is robust and will last a long time.” Bonazza also uses an Imacon film scanner (“I swear by it, it’s really amazing.”), a Fuji GX680, a Hasselblad 501 and a Hasselblad XPan. “I print a lot of my work in-house with my Espon 9600, 2200 or 1280. My lighting gear is ProFoto, Hensel and Briese.”

Three years ago, Bonazza decided to leave the celebrity business and try his hand at family portraiture. “The celebrity business has become very complicated because access to them is more difficult. You can’t go to restaurants to meet them today like before,” he says. “Actors now have very well planned agendas and conduct their business through publicists, etc.”

So he left L.A. and opened a studio in Redlands, CA, to photograph high-end families, weddings and children. “I enjoy myself and still photograph people in their homes. I want to create a name and reputation as an excellent lifestyle photographer. I want my clients to be glad they met me, and I want to have contributed to their lives in a positive way. I feel in order to be successful I need to spend much of my time marketing myself through exhibits, local advertising, community participation and by photographing editorial for magazines. I do the best I can to create visibility in my town.”

Bonazza gets most of his work right now through referrals. He also credits his many mentors along the way for his current success. “Without good mentors, I wouldn’t be here today. But the person who has made the biggest difference in my life is my wife, Veronica. She suggested I open the studio and photograph weddings and portraits, because celebrity work is so unpredictable. Portraiture is also a natural progression from celebrity lifestyle photography—it is ‘real life’ photography. Although I still photograph at least one celebrity per month for magazines, I’m no longer chasing those clients,” concludes Bonazza.

Lorraine A. DarConte is a freelance writer/photographer living in Tucson, Arizona. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including, Rangefinder, Newsday and Tucson Visitors’ Guide.