`^GufoAstuto^` is away (too busy with his new job)'s photostream  

Hi,

I have joined Flickr only on Feb. 2009 and I have fallen in love it with. There is so much to see, so much to learn, so much to do... And I have also started making some new friends.

What about me?

Well, I am a happy and enthusiast person, very busy at work and always on the run. I love travelling, wine tasting, cooking and gardening... as well as spending time with friends and family.

In case you want to see how I look like, this is me during my free time:


As you probably have already guessed photography is only a hobby, but who knows - in the future - when I am really tired of my current type of job, I might do the big step and completely change my life.
By the way, this one below is me, so that you know with whom you are talking to..



How did it all start?

I have started taking photos probably at the age of 4 using my dad's Voigtländer range finder, and then I moved on to a Minox GT, Contax RTS, Canon Eos10 ...

This is the oldest photo I found of me playing with a camera..



When I was 20 I worked in a photo lab for 3 summers, I learned how to develop films and print black & white and color prints.

Then I took a break for a while - as it happens when you over-do something. Of course I have always kept a camera, but just for family and travel snapshots. I have re-started photographing a bit more at the beginning of the new millenium when the digital era started; and since then, it's been a crescendo.




The first digital camera was a Canon Powershot G2, then a Powershot G5, then a Powershot Pro and finally - at the end of 2007 - I thought the time had come to move to a DSLR, and I got a Canon 40D. Then, in March '09 I bought a new Canon 50D. I have then started going out more, buying new lenses, spending money, etc. I am sure you are familiar with the situation (!!). I have also recently bought a Ricoh Caplio GX100, which is fairly small and is always in my work briefcase ... just in case!

In 2008, after more than 30 years of self-learning - I also decided that it was time to take some photography courses in order to improve and learn new skills. I ended up attending various classes which really helped me to understand "some new aspects" of this art as well as to improve the knowledge of the "digital" side of photography.



The "Flickr Era" has started...

Now - here I am in flickr - trying to "rationalize" my photography, trying to give it a bigger meaning (who knows what I might do in 10 years) and - especially - trying to grow my skills by sharing my work, by getting comments (pls go ahead, especially with the critics/suggestions) and - especially - by looking at the many wonderful photos present in this website.

I would say that my main interests in photography are Landscapes, Travel Photography and Black & White, but I photograph anything interesting I come across with and I am also trying to experiment new things as well. I only wish I had a bit more time to shoot even more, to try, etc.

I have travelled quite a bit for work and it is a pity that not all the times I had a camera with me or I probably only had an analog one, which makes it difficult now to publish that work. But from now on, it won't happen anymore as I will always have either my Canon or my Ricoh.





What kind of photography?

I like "simple" shots, especially in Black & White, where it is easy to concentrate on the message I am trying to send. I like landscapes for the atmosphere and the colors, I absolutely love reflections (as you can guess from my photostream, but I also like geometries, playing with light and composition.

I always optimize all my work in post production, as I used to do in the dark room many years ago. It is strange though to see how so many people (I would call them "purists") think that post production is something almost immoral and they use the word "digital manipulation" almost with a negative sense, some even call it "tricks" or cheating.
The great Ansel Adams, who has become famous also for his dark-room skills, used to say that: "the film is the score, but the print is the performance". I totally agree with this statement, since almost never there is a great shot without a good darkroom (digital) work




These are some of my favourite photos,
but of course you can see more of them in my photostream.



A nice sunset.


A "different" black & white.



Or a peaceful sunrise.


I also like photos like this one, which you could probably classify as "street photography": where you manage to catch the "perfect moment"


While this below is a "night shot" (although from its brightness it doesn't look like it..!) which is an area of photography that I have been exploring a lot recently.



If you plan to visit Italy for a photographic tour, pls give me a buzz, you never know, I might find the time to go out and shoot together.



Arrivederci a presto.

Ciao

Gim