About Carlo
My name is Carlo Delumpa and I'm a photographer based in Portland, Oregon. I capture moments that help people connect to the world around them - to each other and - in memorable, meaningful ways. I am in the relentless pursuit of discovering the essence of a place - creating an image that elevates and inspires.
I began my photographic love affair with the world in the mid-80's, learning the basics of exposure and composition with my dad's Minolta film camera. I shot my first street scenes in China in 1987, focused on landscape photography in the 90's and stepped up to digital photography in 2000. Along the way I have been a student of light - learning how to work with it, bend it, diffuse it, or just let it be - to get the best rendering of my scene or subject.
If you want to know more about my approach and philosophy, check out my manifesto below. Please feel free to reach out to me to set up a session or to chat about possibilities. You can reach me at carlo@carlodelumpa.com pretty much every day. Thanks for visiting!
Photograph by Monique Breault / November 2016
Life tells us a story. We pick up bits and pieces along the way, weaving in context and interpretation in order to find meaning.
Photographs help us linger over those bits and pieces, telling us stories about people, places and things. And they tell us those stories through the lens of the photographer, both literally and figuratively. As renowned Life and National Geographic photographer Joe McNally puts it, "the camera looks both ways".
My life experiences, values and aspirations - and even biases - make up the lens through which I craft my stories. They influence my choice of setting, subjects, and moments. They affect how I interact with my environment and my clients. They even guide my editing choices. And it shows - in the way I work in the field and in the final images I produce.
Knowing all that, I thought it would be a good idea to become more intentional about my "lens selection". So I came up with some statements to help guide me on my journey. Together these statements make up a manifesto, which goes like this:
My work is about connection, collaboration and community. From this foundation I strive to:
- Capture the true essence of my subject
- Create images that connect people to the world around us, to one another and to themselves
- Help all of us see that we are a necessary part of the web of life
- Inspire viewers of my work to find beauty and meaning in their lives
- Be honest and authentic in my storytelling
- Form bonds with my those I meet along my journey
- Be of value and service to the earth, to the global and local community
My hope is that as I become more and more true to this manifesto my images will be more memorable and more importantly, meaningful. I welcome you all to walk with me on this path. - Carlo, February 2017