by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 19^th of August 2024

Paolo Bolla excels in two genres: landscape photography and nature photography.  He spends most of his time, camera in the hands to discover the beauty of nature in all its aspects, from the littlest insect to the magnificence of a wonderful landscape. To Paolo, it's a way of life. He quotes: 'Photography is writing with light. With just a simple click, a moment is frozen to last forever'. Enjoy our trip through his work and discover more about the man behind his pictures.

'Alps Maritime Park'

Dear Paolo, first I would like to thank you so much for taking the time to answer this questionnaire! To begin, please introduce yourself shortly and tell us more about you, your hobbies or other projects you are involved in!

Hello everybody. First, I’d like to thank you Yvette and the whole 1x team for the opportunity you’ve given me. I was born on September 25th, 1967 in Savona, Liguria, a strip of land between the sea and the mountains, a fabulous tourist destination in Italy, that offers wonderful photography opportunities. It is also my main pastime place.
I’ve always loved nature; as a child I loved watching documentaries on TV, dreaming of travelling and exploring those breathtaking places that were shown, trying to imagine myself as one of the reporters or photographers.
As soon as I got the chance, I bought my first camera: digital ones still didn’t exist, but just changing the roll after 36 exposures. It was always exciting and I Always had a hard time to pick up the development from the lab to see the results.
Sadly I didn’t manage to make photography my main job. I was working in the harbour of Savona. However I spend the majority of my free time in the photography world, from shooting out to post-producing. Luckily, I have a lot of free time, so I can easily say that pleasure and satisfaction were  guaranteed. Photography has become much more than a hobby to me.

When and how did you start your photographic journey?

I bought my first camera at the end of last century, to document all the hikes I loved to go on. Since then I started to look at the world in a different way, discovering the beauty of nature in all its aspects, from the littlest insect to the magnificence of a wonderful landscape. That’s how the journey began…

'Autumn in the Alps'

'Maritime Alps Park'

For many of us photography is either a hobby or a way of life. How would you define your relationship with photography?

No doubt about it: a way of life! I spend most of my free time with the camera in my hands. Looking through the viewfinder of my reflex, I discovered a new world that is so much more beautiful and interesting than I ever imagined.

What would be the most important experience so far that has influenced your steps in photography?

The photographic breakthrough happened when I had the possibility to contribute to the writing of a photography book about my land, Liguria. Since that moment my relationship with photography has changed, understanding that through it, I could fulfil some satisfactions, and that’s what happened.

'Mongioie Mount'

'Beigua Geopark'

You have your own style but your work is very diversified.  I see landscape photography, nature photography and architecture photography. Can you explain why this is?

Living in Liguria, land of sea and mountains, the Ligurian coast is one of my main subjects and the sea is the protagonist, in every of its aspects. Also, in a few hours’ drive I can easily reach the Western Alps, where photography locations are multiple and charming. However it is animal photography which got my biggest attraction. I love spending hours inside shacks or hiking, looking for different species of birds and mammals.
For a few years I’ve been expanding my relationship with photography to other photography genres, like architecture photography, street photography or documentary. I have to admit that the many excellent photographers and wonderful publications on 1x in these genres, pushed me to try new subjects.

'Passeggiando in riva al mare'

'Liguria Coast'

'Sky Red'

'The Sea'

What is more important to you, the mood,/story behind your images or the technical perfection?

Both, I believe that in landscape photography technical perfection is essential and very important to get good pictures, but photography is art, where it’s necessary to express your own creativity in the best way possible.

'Robin'

'Red Wave'

What generally is your relationship to your subject matter beyond being an observer? Do you prepare carefully the locations where you are intending to photograph?

I share a shack to photograph birds with a friend of mine. We only use it during winter, so that we can help our little bird friends to survive the coldest time of the year. This way I enjoy myself and I do something useful.
Instead, when I decide to shoot landscapes, I plan hikes. Especially when I hike on mountain trails.
It’s essential to know beforehand the difficulties linked with altitude to reach the wanted location. But I also to check the weather forecast and we equip ourselves in the best way possible.

'Hawfinch'

'Great Tit'

Describe your overall photographic vision.

Photography is writing with light. With just a simple click, a moment is frozen to last forever.

'Bee-Eater'

Can you please tell us something more about your workflow from the idea to the final product?

The final product is linked to different factors that are fundamental in nature photography. It’s essential to get the lens as close as possible to the animal or, as for landscape photography, to look for particular weather conditions, often facing bad weather.

As for my workflow, I always shoot in Raw. When I get home I choose the best pictures and I save them on an external compact disc as back up. Lastly, I work on the post production using Photoshop, Camera Raw, and when needed plug-ins that make the final result better.

'Red Fox'

'Ibex'

Where do you look to find inspiration and what inspires you the most?

I love to look at the works of famous photographers, in photography books and also simply browsing the net. 1x is an important source of inspiration, you can find amazing photographers for every genre, so I always recommend it when I teach photography courses.

Many are of the opinion that the gear is not very important when the passion for photography is strong. However, can you please share with us what gear you use (camera, lenses, lighting, tripod, etc.)?

It’s the photographer and not the camera that takes the photographs, however it’s true that the gear is a huge help. My gear ranges from 14mm to 600mm, recently I changed brands from Canon to Nikon. Now my equipment is made of 14/30 f4, 24/120 f4 and 180/600 f5.6/6.3.
I also have a Benro carbon fibre tripod and a Sirui mono-pod, but also craft supports that I use for wildlife photography.

What would be your favourite photo? Please tell us the story behind it.

It’s hard to choose, I have a lot of pictures I’m attached to, whether for the subject or the complexity of the shot. However, if I have to choose one, it will be this wave during an incredible sea storm in Varigotti, a town near Savona. For this shot, a mix of luck and intuition was essential. I waited for the sun to set behind the hills. To have the right shutter time, I wanted the movement of the waves to be perceived so I set f5.6 and ISO 800, the shutter time on 1/13 sec was perfect. The sea did the rest, gifting me with the shot I had dreamed about.

'Wave'

Who are your favourite photographers or mentors whose works have influenced you and your photography?

I’ve always been a fan of the artists that made the history of photography, like Ansel Adams, Salgado, Franco Fontana, big forerunners of modern photography. As for nature photography Frans Lanting, Art Wolf and Jim Brandeburg have been sources of big inspiration. Thanks to the web, the photography horizon has widened and therefore also the possibility to see and follow many wonderful photographers: Marc Adams (marcadamus) for landscape photography and Daniele Occhiato for bird photography are among my favourites. Lastly, a friend of mine and companion of many photography excursions, Fabio Vivalda, great expert of the Western Alps and amazing landscape photographer.

Now, since we have almost reached the end of this interview, I would kindly ask you to share with us your plans or photographic projects you would like to be involved in.

I’ll definitely keep up with nature photography, which allowed me to work on photography books and magazine publications. I also want to keep working on a project for which I have already published a book recently: shooting dock workers in the harbour of Savona where I work and where photography opportunities are endless.

Is there anything else you wish to add  and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?

I follow 1x on a daily basis, which I find a great source of inspiration given the high quality photography that it offers. I want to thank the 1x community for this opportunity. I consider this interview as a privilege.

'Verigotti'

'Barolo Chapel'

'Eastern cottontail'

'Little Red-crested Pochar'

'Mystic sunrise'