Listening
Before we photograph, we listen. The place, the kitchen, the people. We look for what makes you different — not for what makes you like everyone else.
About us
Andrea& Paola.
The founders of This Is. Their work revolves around one question: how can a place with a strong identity be remembered, even before the first taste?
A photographer’s eye and an editor’s hand. Two people, one studio, every project followed from the first meeting to the last page.
01 · Vision
Through years of photography and visual storytelling, we learned to notice the moment when perception and identity begin to diverge: when the depth of a work is not reflected in the way it appears.
Our journey has taken us through different cities, cultures and creative environments. Rooted in Italy, the vision of This Is is intentionally international: documenting and interpreting creative identities across countries and cultures.
02 · How we work
One method,five steps.
Every edition is built by hand, around one place. We follow each step ourselves — nothing is handed over, nothing is templated.
Direction
We define the story, the tone and the visual style of your edition. Every choice has a reason.
Photography
We shoot in your venue. People, dishes, light. Not a photoshoot. Photographic stories.
Writing
Editorial texts about your roots, your philosophy, your land. Words made to be read, not scrolled.
The edition
The magazine takes shape and goes to print. Your story is published on thisistudio.com, next to the others.
03 · The studio
A small studio,on purpose.
Every story starts with a conversation with us, and we personally review every application. That is why we take on a limited number of stories each season.
CreativityThe uniqueness behind every reality. No templates, no standard packages.
AuthenticityWe don’t add anything artificial. We reveal what is already there.
CraftEditorial craft over volume. Fewer stories, told well.
04 · Numbers and places
From Nototo Dublin.
Few stories, told well. Every number here is a place we have walked into and an edition we have printed.
5stories told
1,200magazines printed
2countries: Italy and Ireland
- Palazzolo AcreideÉstro · Sicily
- NotoI Borbonici · Sicily
- OrtigiaLe Vin de l’Assassin · Sicily
- DublinThe Little Pig · Ireland
05 · From our stories
Two momentswe remember.
Le Vin de l’Assassin · Ortigia
A poem, handwritten in France, framed in a Sicilian bistrot.
The restaurant is named after a poem by Baudelaire. We built its story around that fragment of French literature, and around the ritual of the bistrot: the baguette at the centre, the bottle opened without ceremony.
Read the story →I Borbonici · Noto
More than a pizzeria: a living court where guests take their place.
We told I Borbonici as a court: guests and staff in Bourbon costume, pizza served with ceremony, a dinner that becomes a scene.
Read the story →