I was in the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Museum on a cold winter's day. Raphael's genius was evident everywhere and one could tangibly feel the influence of his contemporary, Michelangelo Buonarroti, as the latter was decorating the nearby Sistine Chapel. But what struck me most was not so much the magnificent Raphael frescoes but the reactions of the viewers all around me. The photographer in me could not help whipping out my camera to record the awe and wonderment of the passing throng of people, despite the fact that it was forbidden. Later that day, as I reviewed the results, I was struck by the variety of expressions, and I decided then and there that I would try to capture as many different emotions as I could during my sojourn in Italy, the land of my ancestors. Text in English and Italian. AUTHOR: Mark Tedeschi has had 16 solo exhibitions and participated in over 20 group exhibitions in Australia, Italy, France and the USA. His images are included in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, the National Library in Canberra, the Museum of Sydney, the Justice and Police Museum, the State Library of NSW (which has over 200 of his images) and many private collections. He has won numerous photographic awards and prizes in Australia, North America and Europe. He has been a judge of photographic competitions on numerous occasions, including the NSW Parliamentary Photographic Prize. He has given lectures on photography to the Art Gallery Society of NSW, and numerous camera clubs and community groups. He was for 9 years a member of the Board of Directors of the National Art School in Sydney and was the artist-in-residence at Sydney Grammar School in 2009. He is currently a Councillor of the State Library of NSW and a trustee of Sydney Grammar School. He was appointed an Italian Cavaliere in 2009 and was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) in 2013. A retrospective book of his photography titled ?Shooting around corners? was published by Beagle Press in 2012.
