THE GOOD LIFE

TUSCANY, ITALY - 2026

WORDS BY DAVID

Italy is La Dolce Vita. I think this vignette celebrates that emphatically. It is a far better photograph than I expected it to be when it was first conceived and the plaudits for that go to the community of San Quirico d’Orcia rather than my camerawork.

Reed’s Proximo tells Russell Crowe’s Maximus that to win his freedom he must “win the crowd”. I am always mindful of that prompt, perhaps no more so than when filming in Val d’Orcia - a key location in the movie. the narrative. Of course we introduced a degree of parody in our conceptual iteration; our default position is to be playful not earnest. Frida Aasen has great sexual allure as the driver of the 1955 Ferrari 121LM that was driven by Piero Taruffi at Mille Miglia in its first year. It seems I was not the only one to win the crowd. She anchors the picture with authority and presence.

In a tableau it is of basic importance to manage positioning as well as possible and avoid tension points, but that magic

comes when those in the frame act instinctively and forget that a cameraman is there. If they can maintain the illusion

of a self-contained world, there is every possibility that something special happens. On this occasion the fourth wall

did its job and the result is rather special. There is a famous scene in Ridley Scott’s

iconic film - Gladiator - where Oliver

There was no freedom at stake for me

that evening in San Quirico, but for this

photograph to really work, we needed to

invest emotionally in the community and

win the crowd. Historical precedent at

DYP would lend weight to the idea that a

bar is always a good place to start such a

rapprochement.

Cafe society has been part of the tapestry

of Italy for generations but probably

accelerated in the 1950s. With that in

mind, the concept was to build a Mille

Miglia classic car race from the 1905s into

S T A N D A R D

37” x 61” Unframed

52” x 76” Framed

Edition of 12

L A R G E

56” x 92” Unframed

71” x 107” Framed

Edition of 12

Editions available in both B&W and Colour

Prices available upon request

YARROW

“ ITALY IS LA DOLCE

VITA. I THINK THIS

VIGNETTE CELEBRATES

THAT EMPHATICALLY.

TUSCANY,