I AM JUNA

Juna is the name of my studio in Messina, Sicily. Behind it there is one photographer: me, Valentina Pellitteri.
I believe photography should never interrupt what is real — my work is rooted in listening, observing, and allowing moments to unfold without pressure.

THE STORY SO FAR

FOUNDED IN 2017

I founded Juna Photography in Messina in 2017, after ten years spent in graphic design and publishing. Juna is the studio; the eyes behind it have always been mine. I came to photography late enough to know exactly what I wanted from it: not pictures of people performing, but honest records of people being themselves.

Sicily shaped everything that followed — its light, and the way families here hold each other.

THE NEXT STEP

Most people are uncomfortable in front of a camera. Instead of teaching them to pose, I built a method that removes the need to: Zero Stress da Posa®. I stay quiet and close, and photograph what happens when a couple forgets I’m there. Today this approach brings me to weddings across Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, often for couples who travel here from abroad.

THE PLOT TWIST

In 2024 I was diagnosed with a juvenile Parkinsonian syndrome. It forced me to slow down — and slowing down turned out to be the point: fewer weddings, chosen with greater care. What felt like an ending rewrote my priorities instead. I now work only with people I can give my full presence to, and it shows in the pictures.

CONTACT

CONNECT

Instagram is where we tell stories of daily life and love. Step into our world.

I share ongoing work and backstage moments on Instagram — mostly in Italian, though the pictures need no translation. If you want to see how I work before writing to me, that’s the right place to start.