PHOTOGRAPHY ADVENTURE VACATIONS
Guest Showcase
The World’s Most Creative and Inspiring Photo Adventure Vacations
GIANCARLO BISONE
PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIAST
UNITED STATES
Giancarlo is a gentle yet strong man, very unassuming and stealth-like in his style of shooting. Giancarlo joined us in Cuba for one of our amazing Cuban Photo Adventures. As you can see from his work, Giancarlo has a great eye, not just for composition, but for light, color and more. He also has the ability to insert himself into scenes where he observes and then successfully captures the essence of the moment. When Giancarlo presented us with his final section of images from Cuba, we were like “WOW”. Nice job! Who knew? We are extra proud of Giancarlo because in April of this year his “Blue Car Blue Wall” photo (see below) was selected by the Smithsonian for their “Photo Of The Day” competition. Great job Giancarlo!
When walking through Old Havana, one can encounter a number of local women donning old Cuban dresses willing to pose (for a few dollars) for a “character” shot by the many tourists passing by. They are actually licensed state employees and definitely contribute to the local color. I passed by a woman posing in front of a bright yellow wall and more than her dress I was attracted by her very unique fingernails and jewelry: I asked to have her hands against the wall and composed the shot to show all the beauty of the fingernails. Only the cigar and the Cuban flag painted on her thumb fingernail give a hint of the location where this photo was taken. (see more photos below)
ABOUT GIANCARLO
I nibbled with photography in my youth and as a Marketing Executive for 30+ years I was always involved with graphic arts, photography and computers. Toward the end of my career. I started looking at photography as a way to “create” my own images and I got more and more involved in digital photography while traveling around the world with my wife. After retiring 14 years ago, photography became my top hobby, a hobby that continues to give me the opportunity to learn new things, to visit places and to look at the world in a different way.
A CONVERSATION WITH GIANCARLO
Why did you choose Photo Workshop Adventures?
Knowing that Cuba is a “must go to” place for a photographer, I had been toying with the idea of going there for the last couple of years. I did research a lot of tours offered by a variety of companies and, in the end, Photo Workshop Adventures (PWA) seemed to be the best in terms of the overall itinerary, mentor background and price. The actual trip turned out to be better than expected since we were able to locally “tailor” the itinerary and photo shoot opportunities based on the interests of the group.
What did you enjoy most about the adventure?
Cuba is undoubtedly one of the most colorful places that I have ever visited, from the buildings in Old Havana, the breathtaking valleys and beaches, to the very open and friendly people. I enjoyed the itinerary and guides we had in this adventure, as they gave me a very good feeling of what this beautiful Country is all about. I also really appreciated the “after hours” impromptu photo shoots that gave me the ability to take additional photos in different conditions and places.
What do you enjoy most about photography?
For me photography is a way to stop and admire the beauty of the world that surround us on a daily basis: from a breathtaking sunrise to the inner details of a flower. I particularly love catching colorful details in all kind of subjects from a rusting metal plate to the vegetables in an open air market. I have been fortunate to travel all around the world on business and pleasure and now that I am retired, photography gives me the “excuse” to revisit some of the places I enjoyed seeing and to be able to capture them in different time and light.
What are your goals and ambitions as a photographer?
As a hobbyist photographer, I don’t have the pressure of satisfying the client’s requirements. I strive though to improve the overall quality of my photos to convey more and more the same feeling and emotions of the subject that I am photographing. I am still somewhat out of my comfort zone when taking photos of people and this is the area I will pay more attention to in the future.
You can view more of Giancarlo’s images on his 500px page or his YouPic site.
A special note about Giancarlo and Photo Workshop Adventures. Back in April, Smithsonian selected one of Giancarlo’s photos from Cuba for their “Photo Of The Day”. Congratulations Giancarlo!
