Kirstie McConnell – Classico Portraits
July 17, 2023 |
Italy Family Vacation Photographer
Kirstie McConnell – Classico Portraits – is an Australian photographer living her best gelato life in Italy. She launched Classio Portraits in 2022 to document families on vacation in Italy but it was that canvas which inspired her to give fellow expats the opportunity to document their story too. And so the Calling Italy Home project was born. Many people have moved from a place of familiarity and comfort to another country for adventure, love, connection or in search of a place of belonging. This series is about celebrating all they’ve accomplished, recognising the challenges faced along the way, and embracing Italy, as home. Participants have the opportunity to purchase wall art if they wish and all stories will feature in the finished coffee table book.
Love of her husband (but mostly of cheese!) brought Kirstie to Italy in 2020. Her decade-old photography business was closed due to Covid and her husband was desperate to be back with his Italian family. This Aussie girl could not pass up the chance to move to the land of pizza and gelato! Their two dogs came too and have now explored Puglia’s beaches during their time living near Lecce, hiked many mountains during the two years they were in Piedmont, and have recently settled halfway between Rome and Florence, among the olive trees in Umbria.
“My parents back home are inundated with photos at every move (I’m a photographer after all!) and my grandma proudly displays the prints I send her- pretending she can remember where we currently live when the photographs spark conversation from visiting friends. Those photos are mostly of our dogs and my husband and if I’m in them, he’s not – he’s taken the photo! Last year I decided to change that. I hired a photographer to capture all four of us doing what we love most- hiking in the Italian Alps. A large framed canvas now hangs in our living room, bringing back happy memories from that chapter of our life.”
Now Kirstie photographs families on vacation in Italy so that they can relive their travel experience through timeless wall art and albums:
Step 1 starts with an obligation-free Zoom call so Kirstie can get to know you.
Step 2 is the photoshoot in a location of your choice, doing an activity of your choice.
Step 3 is the artwork consultation call.
What we like about them
In their own words
I photograph families on vacation in Italy so that they can relive their travel experience through timeless wall art and albums. It’s not often you all get to escape the everyday together, and that’s worth documenting. My hope is that your family trip to Italy can be a place to create your own legendary family travel album.” Kirstie
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