Gina Lollobrigida was an Italian actress, photographer, and sculptor in the late 1900s. She began her career as a successful model and actress, winning a Golden Globe in 1961. She later became interested in photojournalism and produced books of photographs documenting her native Italy for Life and Time magazines. Her photos gave viewers around the world a glimpse of Italian culture and landscapes. While some questioned her career change due to her previous celebrity status, her photography work was very successful and praised for its artistic style.

1. Gina Lollobrigida
History of Photojournalism
By: Bianca Mensah

2. Gina Lollobrigida was a beautiful hard-working woman
of many talents. She was a great model, actress,
sculptor, and most importantly photojournalist. She was
one of the best in her variety of skills during her time,
and became very known for her stand out pieces, films,
and photographs. Born and raised in Italy, she went off
to discover new ventures, making a name for herself
and becoming bigger than she ever imagined

3. The era Gina Lollobrigida worked in was
the late 1900’s. During this time was when
newer technology was being invented, and
photojournalism was becoming more
advanced. Although for a long time women
were not as known as men in this
particular career field, Lollobrigida did not
run into any problems with her work being
noticed. Being that she started off a a
celebrity actress and model, she was
already known to the public eye and had
the interest and support of many fans by
her side.
Image By: Unknown
Image Source: Pinterest

4. Gina Lollobrigida, actually started off as
a known model and great celebrity actress.
In1961, she won the Golden Globe Award as
the World’s Film Favorite. Although extremely
talented in the acting industry, she brought
her skills elsewhere, and that was through
photojournalism. Lollobrigida worked as an
individual, but was soon discovered by Life &
Time magazine. The two organizations gave
her the ability to produce a book in her
hometown Italy, in order to photograph the
wonders of her native land, giving opportunity
for her images to disperse and be noticed by
the world.
Image by: Unknown
Image Source: Pinterest

5. Gina Lollobrigida was motivated
to be apart of photojournalism
because she wanted to give
others the opportunity to see
the beauty of her country, Italy.
Lollobridiga also wanted to
discover new findings and find
herself as an individual by
bringing her imagination farther
than she could grasp.
Lollobrigida describes
photojournalism as
“discovering the world and
oneself, filtering reality
through your own feelings
with creativity and a touch of
Photo By: Gina Lollobrigida
Image Source: IMDB

6. During the time of Gina Lollobrigida’s
photojournalistic triumphs, new technology was
being introduced and enhancing photojournalism.
By this time lollobrigida’s was using color
photography for majority of her photographs,
although at times she did choose to shoot some of
her images in black and white. Personally I feel
that she was more talented taking photos with
color. She knew how to better contrast and make
the use of shadows and vibrants come alive with
colored images opposed to her black and white
photos.

7. A huge ethical dilemma that Gina Lolligibrida faced was
transitioning between being an actress and a
photojournalist. Lolligibrida, was very serious when it
came to her career, and she worked very hard to do so.
When she decided to become a photojournalist she
would be giving up many opportunities such as casting
calls, movie roles, modeling shots and much more. This
would change her celebrity status and could have
possibly affected her career. Lolligibrida had to make a
choice, and she chose to push her career to the side and
become a photojournalist.

8. Although Lollobrigida was a known sculptor & artist,
her beauty as well with her modeling/acting career
gave people the impression she was not a authentic
photojournalist. Lollobrigida was seen as a celebrity,
which many photojournalist aren’t, and her famous
career put her in a different category of talents. Due
to this, Lollobrigida’s skills as a photojournalist were
not noticed until years after of her photographing
which is when her book Italia Mia was published. It
was an enormous success with the critics and the
general public, selling nearly 300,000 copies and
being translated into practically every language. It
won the Nadar International Prize for the best book
of the year. Image By: Unknown
Image Source: GinaLollobrigida.com

9. Photographic Style
Subjects Expression: The subject looks very happy. His facial
expression is very distinct and unique all though his emotion is so
simple. It’s easy to tell he is expressing a smile filled with joy.
Main Subject: The man in the photo is the main subject of the
image. The image is very closed in, nearly crowding the edges.
The photographer wanted viewers to clearly focus on the
individual and his expression
Is the image black & white or in color: The image is black and
white. This was a choice the photographer made to do so. Color
photography was available at the time, but she wanted to express
the image in a different color
Depth of field: The biggest area of focus is on the food. It is the
stand out object in the photo. One’s eyes are immediate directed
to that loaf of bread.
Texture: The texture is very smooth. Almost has the look as if it
was painted rather than photographed. It gives the photo a
unique touch.
Contrast appropriate: The contrast in this photo is high. The area
near the building contains a bit of shadowing. More so near the
loaf of bread the colors are more vibrant.

10. Photographic style
Quality of light: Use of light brings out the color in
the image. It makes the photo very vibrant.
Everything gets the chance to stand out boldly.
Exposure Time: This photo was taken by a fast
shutter speed. It froze the men as they were in
motion. This brings more attention to the center of
the image.
In or Out of Focus: Photo is in focus. The detail in
the image is very sharp. Gives the image a more
dramatic look.
Use of Shadows: Great use of shadows. I feel that it brings
more emotion to the photo. It was a cherishable beautiful
moment, and the shadows give it that engaging effect.
What feeling does this image create: This image creates a
feeling of love and compassion. It brings the feeling of
being with ones family/loved ones. This image captures a
very joyful moment.
Background compliments: The setting compliments the
photo. The family is in the privacy of their own home. It
makes the image more realistic and relatable.
Photo by: Gina
Lollogibrida
Image Source:
GB.COM
Photo by: Gina
Lollogibrida
Image Source:
GB.COM

11. Gina Lollobrigida’s images effected
society by giving them a taste of her
homeland country. She explored Italy
and knew of its great sights and beauty,
and decided to share it with the world. It
gave individuals a chance to see what
this place was really like through
Lollobrigida’s photographs, and gave
them the chance to experience the life
and beauty of Italy through her images.

12. In this aspect, Gina Lollobrigida’s career was
relatable through psychology when she was going
through her transition from a model /actress to a
photojournalist. Lollobrigida had to mentally
prepare herself for a different career setting and
environment, and face the differences that would
come along with it. Psychologically she had to
mentally stabilize her mind to become ready for
this huge change and develop a strong mindset
that would positively take her through this
transition. This relates to psychology because it
deals with mental processes, and that is primarily
what psychology is in tune with, thoughts and
stability throughout the brain.

13. Gina Lollobrigida was often viewed and judged by her
physical appearance. With her tall slim figure and beyond
gorgeous looks, she was always referred to or known as
“the most beautiful woman in the world.” Although she
shocked many when she went from the tv screen to
creating photography books, she was also a skilled
sculptor. Those who knew of her other hidden talents
expected this abrupt change from Lollobrigida and viewed it
as a great opportunity, while some questioned it before her
career in photojournalism skyrocketed.