Through the Lens of Childhood: An Interview with Luca Manfredi.

Luca Manfredi ’s photography speaks volumes, effortlessly blending storytelling with the elegance of fashion. His work, particularly in children’s fashion, captures kids as they are—innocent yet glamorous, playful yet poised. Each frame seems meticulously crafted, yet his images feel light and spontaneous, evoking the timeless allure of glossy magazines from a golden era. As the winner of the Junior Style Awards for Best Kids Fashion Photographer, Luca has shot campaigns for many top children’s fashion brands, solidifying his reputation in the industry. His deep respect for children and his ability to celebrate the essence of childhood are reflected in both his art and work ethic. In this interview, Luca opens up about his inspiration and how he became a sought-after photographer in the world of children’s fashion.

Please, tell us your story!

I was born in a community in Tuscany, where the adults’ passion was to document everything that happened within the community through photos and short films.

I alternated school in the woods and nature with the magic of the darkroom of photography. At the age of twenty I started as an assistant of famous fashion photographers of the 80s.

At thirty I began to create my first photographic services, mainly for women and men.

How did you get into kids fashion photography?

I was contacted for an editorial by a magazine dedicated to children towards the end of the 90s.

Do you enjoy working with kids? Why?

I have so much fun working with children. However, I want the atmosphere in the studio or on location to become a game, a light and polite harmony. This is due respect because they are children and it must be a nice day for them to remember. The children I work with are clouds, clouds to lighten, to blow and to let go.

Your pictures strike a balance between glamour and kid friendly scenarios. How do you achieve this?

I’m basically an esthete. It really depends on the clothes I have to photograph. I base myself on locations that are consistent with the looks or I contextualize them in totally opposite locations, helping me with the irony and expressions of our little actors. Obviously before deciding I have a long dialogue mainly with the fashion stylist and the art director and then with the rest of my crew.

What’s your favorite project and why?

I think that ‘Piano Lessons’ made in South Africa was truly exciting to complete. Having been lucky enough, thanks to the magazine, to have an entire week to build it was fundamental. And then my book on the Pavee Kids, a reportage I created in the world of Irish Travelers, focusing above all on children. In their sentences I understood the importance of their truly being children who grew up perhaps too quickly.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in kids fashion photography?

I believe that a photographer who wants to approach children’s fashion photography must first of all be able to see the child within himself, the imagination within him and so everything becomes complicity during the shooting. But the essential thing is to immediately understand what type of child you have in front of you, whether he is hyperactive, introverted, curious or shy.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

It depends on whether I have to create a press campaign or an editorial. Cinema in any case is my favorite main inspiration. I watch a lot of films and love directors like Truffaut, Sean Baker and Comencini.

Which photographer from the past do you admire?

Peggy Dirotta absolutely. I was anxiously awaiting the release of Vogue Bambini for her truly wonderful editorials. Tim Walker because it is true elegance transported by his brilliant imagination. Stefan Goundry because he’s a grown up kid and I love his old shorts.

What’s your dream project?

Write a screenplay for a film.

What’s your favorite place in the world?

I absolutely love Africa, because it makes me feel nature. there once a child said to me ‘take off your shoes. In Africa you have to feel the earth with your feet.

Do you aim to convey a specific message through your art? And why?

In my career as a photographer’s assistant and then as a freelancer, I deduced that art is not sold but given as a gift. My photos are mainly a reflection of myself and this for me is art.

What do you like about Junior Style?

I love your energy, the stimulus, the enthusiasm in creating new projects. The topics dedicated to our children who will rightly grow up one day.

*All pictures are from the Luca Manfredi ‘s archives.

Luca’s instagram: @luca62

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