TITLE: PIENA TERRA

“Piena terra”, is an agricultural word referring to the action of planting seeds directly in the soil (and not in a limited container).

Every seed has a phenomenal potential to become a tree, to blossom and then to bear fruit. The inner power of the seed awaits only the good external conditions to bloom.

In the Buddhist vision, everything has an inner cause inherent to life. It is a latent principle that causes immediate changes and produces a particular effect when it is revealed. As a matter of fact, when this principle connects with an adequate external cause, the inner cause produces an effect, thus an internal and external change.
Indeed, change is an inescapable aspect of life. It offers us a plethora of possibilities and potential multiple futures.

“Piena terra” aims to honor this latent power that makes change possible, achievable.

I wanted to see if these seeds bear the marks of a “life” to become.
I positioned my lens as close as I could to their surface. At this scale, only a tiny part of photography is sharp enough: it is one of the constraints of macro photography. So I used the technique of focus stacking, which allows to merge multiple images with different focus in order to have a picture completely sharp.
I discovered then with wonder that these seeds are like micro planets: their surface is already full of life.

AUTHOR: Davide Cassinari (France)

Davide Cassinari is an Italian photographer living in Paris since 2011.


His professional background has led him to work for years as a photographer assistant in fashion and still life photography.

In this very rich and demanding environment, he has developed a particular sensitivity to light, to object staging and to detail.


In 2013 his artistic approach arises after a workshop on daguerreotype given by Jerry Spagnoli in Rome.

His favorite photographic object are the daguerreotype, a delicate photographic object, as well as the transparent interpositif whose definition offers an unequaled detail, provoking a reflection on the visible, the forms of perception and the specificity of the photographic eye.


Davide Cassinari develops his thinking not by words, but by images. He questions spirituality and deepens a philosophy strongly influenced by Buddhism and oriental thought.

His work revolves around perception of the self and one’s environment as well as the potential in each human being.


His images, often on a neutral background, are uncluttered. He brings his subjects with a frankness and elegance that make his trademark.