Pellegrin studied architecture at
L'Università la Sapienza, in Rome, and after three years he decided to change career directions and left to study photography at Istituto Italiano di Fotografia in Rome, from 1986 to 1987. During these years, he met the Italian photographer
Enzo Ragazzini, who became his mentor. In 1992 Pellegrin began working on personal projects, on subjects such as the
Romani people in Italy and
Bosnia and made several trips to the Balkans after Albania opened its borders. Through Christian Caujolle, he met Grazia Neri, who represented him in Italy. Between 1994 and 1995, he started working on a project about children in post-war Bosnia and travelled in Italy, Romania, Mexico, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Kenya for a project on HIV/AIDS. In 1995 he won his first World Press Photo award for his work on AIDS in Uganda. In 1997 Pellegrin published his first book,
Bambini, on his work about children in Bosnia, Uganda and Romania and was awarded the City of Gijòn International Prize of Photojournalism for his work on children in post-war Bosnia. In 1998 he worked on a project for Médecins Sans Frontières, which became a book,
Cambodia, and a traveling exhibition. He won a World Press Photo award for his work in Cambodia. as the result of which his
As I Was Dying was published in seven languages. In 2013 Pellegrin won his tenth World Press Photo Award. ==References==