Aura Photo Agency was founded in Milan in 1995. It is an international photographer´s representative and production company, representing the best international photographers in fashion, beauty, still life, food, interiors, lifestyle, celebrities and portraiture as well as stylists, make-up artists, CGI artists, set designers, art directors, casting directors and illustrators.

With more than 22 years' experience in the field, the company's strong presence means it is regularly in demand internationally. Aura Photo Agency offers great quality at human prices as well as 360° assistance on every kind of photographic production in Italy and Europe, for editorial or advertising shoots.

With more than 10 years of experience in international productions, Lule Production is a full service company based in Italy with a focus on photography as a commercial medium.

The company manages all aspects of a production, from accommodation to specifc location scouting. Finding the best models for a shoot is also a speciality.

For each production the company chooses only the best and most qualifed professional freelancers, creating a team of professionals that works in unison. A successful combination of advertising and fashion is its hallmark.

Welcome to Showcase Italy, brought to you by Production Paradise. This issue features some of the leading photographers, photo and film production and service companies, location scouts, photo post production companies, make-up artists, and casting agencies currently working out of Italy.

You can find more creative professionals and facilities for photographic and film production in our Rome (Photo / Film) and Milan (Photo / Film) directories.

Companies including Valentino, Maserati, Bulgari, LG, Fendi, Condé Nast, PayPal, Harrods, Porsche, L'Officiel, Emirates Airlines, Jaguar, Shell, and Emporio Armani, among others, have trusted these professionals with their latest advertising campaigns and editorial shoots.

Be sure not to miss our recommended events:

• Personae - the first big retrospective on Elliott Erwitt, gathering 170 B/W and colour works by the renowned American photographer. Until 7th January 2018 at  Musei San Domenico e Musei Civici - Forlì, Emilia-Romagna.
• Robert Capa photography retrospective, until 22nd January 2018 at Museo Civico di Bassano del Grappa.
• A Different Vision On Fashion Photography -  Peter Lindbergh's photography exhibition curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot and produced by Kunsthal Rotterdam. Until 4th February 2018 at Reggia di Venaria, Torino. 
• Werner Bischof photography exhibition, until 25th February 2018 at Casa dei Tre Oci, Venice. 

Our cover image was shot by Inez & Vinoodh for Vogue Italia, photo production by Mai Mascioni Associati. 

"At the newly renovated Cantiere Bovisa, you can free your creativity, making the most out of the variety of sets using the most unusual props. It is the Ideal location for photo and video productions, any sort of event, art exhibition or private party.

Chosing Cantiere Bovisa, you have the advantage of being in a house with all the benefits of a photo studio. Big spaces, natural lighting and the possibility of staging two or three sets at the same time all maximise efficiency.

A fully equipped kitchen is the best setting for your food shoot with a dedicated space for food stylists. We have last minute offers for your budget restrictions and we can offer an amazing catering service for your crew. Email for more information."

"Viewed as a whole, Andrea Varani's photos make us think of an album that a distinguished explorer continues to add to over the years, with images of trips to spectacular, at times remote places in the company of wonderous creatures.

They are portraits of landscapes in tones that are both icy and intimate, at the same time far removed yet similar in style, reminiscent of a documentary by Wenders who entrusts Irving Penn and other masters of the 20th Century with the role of director of photography.

Places so geographically distant that only the constant search for beauty (that never breaks out into ostentation), can bring so intimately close together.

Thousands of miles flown each year, meticulous, frenetic organisation, frequent changes of programme, and finally, arrival in the most disparate landscapes with their alternating seasons, in order to capture beauty in a brief moment, and then return it with calm wonder. Fashion that is worn, interpreted at times with alienated postures, at others with bemused participation, becomes the cause and effect of every shot and every journey."

With more than 10 years of experience in international productions, Lule Production is a full service company based in Italy with a focus on photography as a commercial medium.

The company manages all aspects of a production, from accommodation to specifc location scouting. Finding the best models for a shoot is also a speciality.

For each production the company chooses only the best and most qualifed professional freelancers, creating a team of professionals that works in unison. A successful combination of advertising and fashion is its hallmark.

Shoot in The Alps is a film and photo facilitating company operating in the European Alps; France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia as a single geographic entity. The company handles everything from location scouting, specialised crews, stunt people, mountain safety experts and helicopters to warm cups of espresso at the top of a glacier!

Shoot in the Alps' strength lies in detailed knowledge of the alpine territory provided by a network of professionals who live and work in the region throughout the year. Its database includes everything a client's imagination will ask for, and more.

"A glacier in Switzerland might not be as accessible as one in Austria, and the snow in Italy might be softer than in France... or everything could be just the opposite. We will take you to where your production needs to be."

Chamonix is closer to Milan than Paris; Lake Como is one hour away from Saint Moritz; Kranjska Gora is one hour and half from sandy beaches; and for six months a year, clients can shoot their models skiing on day one, and swimming in the sea on day two. Shoot in The Alps has access to snow 365 days a year.

The team works with crews and suppliers from Milan, Geneva, Zurich, Munich, Innsbruck and Ljubljana, offering the best equipment and the highest level of professionalism.

A bunch of passionate and skilled qualified chaps created Aerial Film Club in 2014 to offer tailored solutions and supporting services for any need in aerial and stabilised filming of any kind.

The Club not only offers aerial filming, contacts with helicopter companies, permits but anything that might be necessary and useful. It is also specialised in cinematography, direction, production and co-production of original projects involving aerial filming.

Aerial Film Club owns a Shotovers F1, the must-have today in aerials.

Supporting partners include:

• Elikos - aerial filming gurus,
• Pilots: Gabriel & Markus Kostner,
• Aerial Perspectives - operating in Europe and all over the world, China included,
• Aerial Cinematographer: Irmin Kerck,
• Franco Maria Salamon - stuntman, and his company Seals, when stunt coordination is needed,
• Piumaworld - designers of CityCam. They just announced their agency agreement with Hildemann and partners for the sale of Shotover U1G1 system in Italy.

Valeria Orlando is a beauty director, make-up artist and hair stylist with over 25 years of experience working for fashion, advertising, editorials and catwalk events.

Valeria has collaborated with many renowned photographers including Mario Testino, Steven Klein, Gian Paolo Barbieri, Johan Rench, Eolo Perfido, Andrea Massari and Stefania Paparelli. Her work has been published in leading fashion magazines such as Elle Ukraine and Vogue Russia in collaboration with renowned stylists such as Donatella Versace and celebrities including Catherine Zeta Jones and Lena Katina. Her clients also include world-famous international agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and BBDO.

Valeria is based in Milan but travels throughout the world to locations including Rome, Rio De Janeiro, London and New York City. In September 2016, she was a key artist at New York Fashion Week SS17. In June 2017, she was Key Artist at Balkan Fashion Week.

Valeria speaks Italian, English, Spanish and Portuguese fluently. Honesty and passion are the distinctive elements of her approach, and she continually works on her professional development to improve her knowledge about new techniques in the cosmetic industry.

Valeria has her own make-up line V)Or Makeup. As an artist she is represented by Beleza in Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), Current Studios in the USA, and Arc et la Tour in France.

Lorenzo Pesce is an award-winning advertising and editorial photographer.

A graduate of the Art Center College of Design in California, for many years Lorenzo has worked as a travel and celebrity photographer for many national and international magazines, gradually moving into the advertising industry.

He divides his time between Italy and Germany.