Meet Francesco Cavarretta | ImagikMiami – A Lens for the Invisible, Stories Written in Shadows

We had the good fortune of connecting with Francesco Cavarretta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Francesco, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting ImagikMiami wasn’t just a business decision — it was a soul decision.

After over 25 years in the hospitality and culinary world, I felt the deep need to reconnect with creativity, emotion, and beauty. Photography had always been my secret passion, my way of capturing human essence — especially through the eyes, skin, and shadows.

The thought process was simple: I didn’t want to chase money — I wanted to create something meaningful. Something that reflected my vision, my roots in Southern Italy, and the magical energy of Miami.

I created ImagikMiami to turn emotions into images, and moments into stories. It was a leap of faith, yes — but guided by love, not fear.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I want the world to know that ImagikMiami isn’t just a brand — it’s a visual diary of healing, connection, and truth. Every frame is a fragment of someone’s essence — and sometimes, of mine too.

What sets me apart is that I don’t chase perfection. I chase presence. I don’t shoot models — I capture humans, energy, contradictions.

My journey didn’t begin behind a lens — it began in an art school in southern Italy, and continued through 25 years as a chef. Even in the kitchen, I was creating with my soul. I plated emotions, sculpted moments, and told stories through flavor, color, texture.

But it was during the darkest moments of my life — when the light inside me felt lost — that photography found me. Not as a job, not as a strategy, but as salvation. A rebirth. A whisper from the shadows that said: “Create.”

And so I did.

ImagikMiami is where that whisper became a voice. It’s where I turn silence into stories, and shadows into light. It’s where I remember who I am — and help others do the same.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First of all — I’m a rider. I experience cities with the wind on my face and my hands on the throttle. So if I had to show a friend my Miami, we wouldn’t start with beaches and cocktails. We’d start with the road.

Old Cutler Road, early morning — the trees arch like a cathedral of green over the pavement. We’d ride through Coconut Grove, where the soul of the old city still whispers from porches and banyan roots. That’s where Miami breathes slow and deep.

Then I’d show them the real Latin Miami — Allapattah, Little Havana, Hialeah. Places where music, food, and family still matter more than appearances. No flashy tours, just real people, real stories, and maybe the best cafecito they’ve ever had.

Wynwood? Maybe. But only the back alleys. The raw walls, the forgotten corners — not for selfies, but for the energy that’s still alive beneath the paint.

South Beach? Of course, but just once — at sunrise, when it’s empty and quiet, before it turns into a show. And at night, we ride down Ocean Drive with no destination, just for the poetry of motion.

The highlight? A ride out to the Everglades — not with a tour group, but with someone who grew up in the swamps, who knows the hidden places, who tells you stories with the accent of the land. That’s the Miami I love — wild, rooted, mysterious.

Because Miami isn’t about what you see — it’s about what you feel when no one’s watching. That’s what I’d share.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes to all the invisible souls who inspired me without even knowing it — the faces in the streets, the stories behind a pair of eyes, the artists who dared to be different.

To my father, who taught me how to see beauty in the smallest things and gave me the soul of a dreamer.

To the people closest to me — those who stood by my side in the darkest moments, who believed in my vision when I barely believed in myself, and who gave me strength when I had none.

And strangely enough, I also owe this journey to the hard times — the moments of depression, silence, and shadows. It was in those moments, when there was no light at the end of the tunnel, that the seed of ImagikMiami was born.

Instagram: @imagikmiami

Other: imagikmiami@gmail.com