In cooperation with Taucher.Net, Boot Düsseldorf’s Underwater Pixel World is developing very promisingly. Under this title, an exhibition on underwater photography and filmmaking was premiered last year in Hall 4. The idea caught on and is now bearing fruit. “At boot 2012, the Underwater Pixel World is being staged with more exhibitors, a broader range of products and in a much more attractive setting. It is occupying an area of 2,500 square metres right by the new, spacious and bright entrance area to Hall 4. Along with the exhibitors’ presentations, there will be a separate area with a stage for lectures, seminar rooms and workshop zones.
Some of my works will also be presented there and I will be at the Boot Show from Wednesday 25 to Sunday 29. During these days I will do some lectures in the afternoon and presenting my upcoming photo trips
This year there will be a café lounge, that gives visitors an opportunity to relax and chat after their tour of the show.
If you come to the Boot, stop by and it will be a pleasure to meet you there and have a chat or just to say hello!
Archive for the ‘Expeditions’
Boot Düsseldorf (21 to 29 January 2012)
TPOTY (Travel Photographer of the Year 2011)
I’m happy to announce that the international Jury of TPOTY (Travel Photographer of the Year) competition 2011 has chosen :
- my images of Diving under the Ice as Winner in the category Spirit of Adventure Portfolio ;
- my image of Beluga whale and Diver as Winner in the category Spirit of Adventure Best Single Image;
- my split image of Fresh water spring with Fishes as Commended in the category Wild Moments.
This photo contest is run by photographers for photographers and the Jury is composed by international world famous professional photographers and leading photography experts. For this reason I’m proudly honoured to have been selected as winner in two different categories.
The winning images of this year’s awards will be exhibited at the Royal Geographical Society’s Kensington gallery during July and August, in the lead up to and during the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The Society gallery is situated close to Hyde Park on the newly pedestrian Exhibition Road, adjacent the Science, Royal Victoria & Albert Hall, and Natural History Museums.
http://www.tpoty.com/winners/2011
Check the column “Photo Expeditions” of my web-site ; you’ll find something unusual and truly special.
Live interview on radio RSI RETE UNO
RSI – RETE UNO – Tuesday 25 October 2011
live from 10.00 to 11.00 AM
- Franco ed Elena Caresani in front of RSI RETE UNO logo.
The interview can be heard – L’intervista può essere ascoltata:
http://reteuno.rsi.ch/home/networks/reteuno/camaleonte/2011/10/18/franco-banfi.html#Audio
Great White sharks from Guadalupe
Few weeks ago I’ve been in Guadalupe, an island located 280km west of the coast of Baja California. It is nice biological paradise, declared a Special Biosphere Reserve, which emerges from the depths of ocean, from about 4.000mt of water column.
Guadalupe is known worldwide as a first choice destination for anglers’ enthusiasts. It gained a good reputation because of the large quantity of yellow-fin and blue-fin tunas and other pelagic cruising nearby.
It is also the world’s best place to see and dive safely with great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. The waters surrounding the Mexican island offer exceptional visibility, often exceeding 30 meters, and this makes the difference when we are in the water, trying to have the most from our cameras. Obviously this kind of experience does not happen for chance or good luck , but it is organized until the smallest detail, focusing particularly on the safety of divers and operators, and also the safety and health of the animals.
I trusted of the experience and professionalism of the crew of the Solmar V. For this uncommon underwater experience, I chose the operator who has earned the best reputation: no-one diver neither one shark has ever suffered any damage during their expeditions. Since 2001 they have organized these trips, which have always been successful, ensuring at their guests the best and safest underwater observation of white sharks.
I departed from San Diego –where I met other 12 people and we formed our group- and quickly we crossed the Mexican border and were driven to the port of Ensenada, where Solmar V and its friendly crew were waiting for us. Once the customs formalities were cleared, we set out to the island, where we arrived the next morning.
I repeatedly dived for several hours each days and I have seen great white shark every time. One, two, three sharks at a time, sometimes even 5-6, swam close to the two cages placed at the stern of the boat and to the submerged cage situated at depth of 10 meters, offering a unique show and giving us spectacular photo opportunities.
White Sea Photo Expedition 2011
This year the group was bigger, 10 persons from different places on Earth : China, England, Israel, Mexico, Poland, South Africa joined the Photo Expedition. All with the same interest : to discover a new and exacting destination, new people and cultures, diving under the thick ice of the White Sea, diving with beluga whales, improving the photographic knowledge and -of course – have fun. We spent one day in Ruka, where we enjoyed dog sledging through the wild forest, where everything is covered with snow.
The following day we wrapped up and got ready for the long journey to Russia. We loaded 2 buses and one trawler and we headed to the borders. Somebody was checked more carefully, till a big boss arrived to check properly the passport and said “da, carascho”. We lost one extra hour but everybody was happy to be in Russia ; we went ahead to the Arctic Circle. The trip was long ; we finally arrived to the place where we left the main road and drove for the last 30km. About this last transfer , we had to board a truck that is fit to drive in the snowy road. When we arrived at destination, we met part of the staff. A small briefing before dinner and then we were called to go out to photograph the aurora borealis. People was very excited and we went onto the frozen White Sea with tripods and cameras, trying to get the pictures. Different setting, ISO, shutter speeds.
First day on the White Sea. The people that didn’t have the ice diving certification started their course with Katya, the local instructor. They were introduced to the technique and the organization of the ice diving. After the course, everybody was able to communicate through the rope language and we were ready to leave towards the ice camp.
At the ice camp we were divided by groups, each one in one majna (the Russian word for “hole in the ice”). Every one experienced the first ice diving with his buddy or with a local instructor. Andreas had some water inside the housing after having waited to use it all day. It resulted in being not a big problem : when he opened the housing, he found a piece of ice instead of water. The water that entered the housing, froze.
For the next four days we enjoyed a wonderful weather. During these days everything happened, dry gloves went unhooked, neck seal broke, some cameras were not working properly. One of the divers checked the water temperature by plunging through the hole without closing the zip of the dry suit. He jumped back immediately to the iced-surface , after he found the water was really too cold. He received a new nickname “Wet P.” in comparison with the “Dry P.”, this made it more easy to identify the two P.
Yuan had to be whisked off for some rather more demanding training by Dr. Mikhail Sofonov, in preparation for his upcoming North Pole dive expedition.
Last, but by no means least, Joanne became an instant celebrity : the Russian TV station has interviewed her for three times. She has to request a huge amount of consulting fee from the TV station for her invaluable contribution to its Ice Diving Program, … this request is pending…
Everyday, in the evening, was the time of Underwater Photography Workshop, I introduced the guests to the different kind of photography: macro, wide angle and with big animals (in this case the beluga whakes), one evening was also dedicated to the postproduction, learning some trics with software programs.
The last day of diving. We were greeted from a shy sun, maybe it was sorry because tomorrow we had to leave. The group was divided in two. Some went diving with the beluga and returned with lots of pictures. Joanne went to film the beluga one more while Dafne did some more snorkelling and Wet P. did his last dive and then headed back to the centre for a nice walk. Andreas and I experienced another dive site : the bottom was plenty of soft coral and anemones.
Yuan went to finish his North pole preparation, one more dive and a theory section with Mikael, to discuss the last details.
Everyone was back at the centre for washing equipment and start packing, before meeting in the dining room where Shawoen gave a glass of whisky (…or probably more than one glass) to everybody to party together with the group and the local staff for the beautiful week. Everybody was happy, talking about the new experiences, changing pictures and mails address. At a certain point somebody found also the time to have a banja.
Early weak up and time to say hallo to our friends at Arctic Circle. At 4.00 AM we were ready to leave … except Wet P. and Dry P.. Where were they? We went to look for them knocking at the door and receiving a sleepy answer “… YES … coming …”. They were recovering from last night’s party and banja with the local staff. Wet P. was the first to join the group, while Dry P. was more late because he had some difficulty to squeeze all his clothes in the suitcase. We loaded the truck and we left for the long journey. One and half hour later we met with our bus drivers and we moved our luggage on the buses before leaving to Finland.
We had a good drive till the border . This time Yuan was stopped for control by the Finnish customer : they were not sure if he needed a special Visa to enter Finland. Luckily the control was quite fast and we had even the time to visit the local duty free.
We headed then to the airport where we arrived one and half hour later. In time to shoot the group’s photo, check in our heavy luggage and met inside, at the buffet, for café and sandwiches.
Back from Antarctica Photo Expeditions
I am back home after the two Waterproof photographic expeditions to Antarctica. A month spent aboard the Polar Pioneer : almost 4000 kilometrers of rough sea, we crossed four times the famous Drake Passage. The last crossing we found strong wind, force 10, that have slowed our arrival in Ushuaia.
During the two expeditions, the weather was not very forgiving. The first two weeks we’ve seen the sun for a few hours, while in the second trip we have had better luck : a whole day of sun and a couple of days with some decent hours. We got every kind of rain, snow and wind. During the first expedition, I could test the waterproof durability of my Canon cameras (1D MKIV and 5D MKII) and lenses, often completely wet during shore excursions. With these conditions, the Dryzone 200 backpack from Lowepro was very helpful ; it is great in keeping dry the equipment, also the Energizer Lithium batteries were very efficient in this environment. Even if the weather conditions were poor, we sailed up to the Antarctic Peninsula -crossing the Antarctic Circle- and reached latitude 66 ° 50′S.
During our trip we visited many interesting places. We visited some sites with abundance of wildlife, and others characterized by the beauty of the landscapes. To name only a few : Deception Island, Detaille Island, Cuverville Island, Aitcho Island, Lemaire Channel, Pleneau, Prospect Point. In each trip we have visited Port Lockroy, where four ladies live during the summer months. They are involved in the maintenance of the base and they manage a little shop. Port Lockroy is a post office where you can send your postcards. This year the ladies have already stamped 70,000 postcards.
In these weeks we have seen and photographed many animals living in the peninsula, several seals, Weddel, Crabeater, Leopard and Elephant sea. About the birds, the more common are : Gentoo penguins, Adelie and Chinstrap, cormorants, albatrosses and skuas.
We got some dives, led by dive master Martin. In general we didn’t find very clear water; there was a kind of algae blooming and we did a couple of dives with visibility of less than two metres. The diving at their best offered many sea stars, including Labidiaster annulatus (a huge star with many arms), sea anemones of considerable size, nudibranchs, giant isopods and some fishes. In Antarctica there are only 200 species of fishes.
One of the best dive we made was around an iceberg, with water fairly clear; it was interesting to observe the forms and the shapes of the underwater-side of the ice.
During the cruises I did some presentations of photos taken in Antarctica in my previous trips. Almost all of the participants had at least one compact photo camera. My pleasure was also to give advices and suggestions about the use of their cameras.
Every evening I was available at the bar for questions and the review of all the photos that customers took during the day.
Antarctica Photo Expedition
I’m in Ushuaia right now waiting to board the Polar Pioneer for the first expedition of the year that will bring me to Antarctica. Ushuaia is the southern-most city in the world, situated in Argentina this city is the harbour from where to sail to Antarctica, that lies 1000 Km far south.
I have to wait another couple of day before to leave Ushuaia. I decide together with Martin our dive guide for the Antarctica trip and 3 other guests to go diving to the Beagle Channel, the broad fjord that is the avenue to the Atlantic Ocean and infamous Drake Passage.
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A New Year is starting….
A New Year has begun. Everybody say their best greetings for a happy & prosperous year, personal satisfaction, etc.. Me too, I want to wish you a truly happy new year.
The new year shows signs of interesting programs, travels and meetings. Given the success and interest achieved by the former trips to the White Sea with Waterproof Expedition and by the workshop to the Maldives with Albatross Top Boat, these programs will be repeated. The trip to the White Sea is already fully booked, but there are still places for the photography workshop to the Maldives.
Others programs have been added. Two photographic expeditions to Antarctica, where I will give lectures and will run specialised workshops for passengers onboard, assisting them with photographic tips and advise how to get the very best from their cameras.
By the end of June I will lead a small group to South Africa for the annual Sardine Run, plus some dives with the Great White sharks, Tiger and Mako sharks if possible. In July I have organized a Photo Course and a Workshop at Massa Lubrense, in the beautiful peninsula of Sorrento.
You can find more informations on my website. If you have doubts or specific questions about these programs , please don’t hesitate to contact me by email.
Regrets will remain forever, be it in 2011 or 2050, so stop wasting time and get started!
Antarctic Wildlife & Photography Expeditions
Join me! I will accompany two of 2011 Antarctica’s voyages. Departure 4 February and 15 February 2011, the two 12-days voyages will cross the Antarctic Circle the exquisite beauty of this remote region. The voyages will also feature polar scuba diving.
During these trips I will assist guests onboard with their own photography gears and will advise how to get the very best from their cameras, both basic or specialised model. I will be pleased to offer photographic tips and advices, ints to choose the correct settings or sharing ideas on how to capture the dramatic sceneries and fascinating wildlife of Antarctica.
More info: waterproof-expeditions
Cerrado, Pantanal and Amazon (Brazil)
Sao Paulo airport is our port of entry. Here I meet Shawoen, Jiri and Jana : we will share our time, experiences and life style for 3 weeks. First destination Bonito, located close to the south border of Pantanal, well known for the enormous quantity of limestone. The natural beauties of Bonito include incredible clear rivers, where numerous fishes and plants have adapted to the environment – caverns with deep blue lakes – hundreds of waterfalls and much more. In Bonito we meet our guide Daniel, a nature photographer and expert biologist, who will lead us for the all trip. The most common activity is snorkelling and this is what we aim to do, together with shooting photograph. We start by visiting the Balneario, a place where the natives go during the weekend for swimming and bathing the sun. It seams not interesting but the place have clear water, plenty of fishes. The water temperature is 21°C. It’s winter season and so there are not many people, especially in the water. We then visit and snorkel the Baia Bonita, a spring hosting a multitude of fish Piraputanga. They are so many that we have almost to move them away for shooting a good image.
The bottom of the river is surrounded by amazing sub-aquatic vegetation making nice contrast with the blue of the water. In this river it is also possible to encounter caimans and anacondas. After few days of easy snorkelling we go for “rafting” at the Rio Formoso. The water is not so clear but it’s possible to use the scuba gear in some deep pools. There is a chance to see freshwater sting-ray. We load the zodiac, descent the river and stop when the dive seems interesting. We definitively see and photograph the rays. Almost at the end of our descent, when everybody is relaxed, we see an anaconda on the river bank. You can imagine the excitement to find mask, fins and camera and jump in the water before it. Result: it is faster then us. Jiri and I have to swim hard to reach it and be able to shot only few pictures: the snake disappears along the river coast. With our great surprise, we find a second anaconda only few meters away from where we saw the first one. This time we are already in the water and we can see the big animal gliding in front of us. Some more few pictures and the animal disappear in a cloud of sand. No chance to find it anymore.
The next few days we continue to visit different rivers and springs: Aquario Natural, Rio Sucuri, Rio da Prata. We enjoy snorkelling and diving in crystal clear water, surrounded by shoals of fish. But the highlights of these days are caimans and a close encounters with an 8 m long green anaconda. The last day we snorkel and dive more than two hours with a big anaconda. We actually found 2 snakes but one disappears at the beginning ; so we follow the other one along the river and we photograph it from every side. That evening was time to pack and move to the next destination, but we found the time to celebrate our happy time in Bonito.
We then move to the northern part of the region, towards Nobres, in the savannas of Mato Grosso. Our goals are freshwater stingrays. We dive in the Triste River and the Saloba Lake. The Triste River is a small river with quite clear water : we find and photograph several stingrays, especially in the second part of the river. Next day we go to Saloba Lake in search of catfishes. I jump into the lake : everything is surrounded by a white-green light, the visibility is limited at 2-3 metres … difficult to find something. I follow our guide Jadilson, who points a couple of fishes in between the algae. I can see just the shape and as soon I go close they disappear. In the afternoon we change destination and we snorkel in another small spring, with incredible clear water, plenty of fishes of all shape and size.
Having found what we were looking for, Daniel suggests to us to spend the rest of the scheduled days in the area of the Pantanal. Next day we drive back to Cuiabá and Poconé to reach the Transpantaneira Road where we photograph Caimans, Capybara, South American Coati, several birds (Jabiru Stork, Hyacinth Macaw, Egret, Herons, Cormorants and many others.) We take a boat to navigate the Pixaim River with the aim to search for the Giant Otters, but instead of the otters we have an amazing encounter with two Brazilian Tapirs in the water.
Back to Cuiabá we flight to Manaus in the Amazon, where we arrive late at night. Next day, with a speed boat, we go through the Rio Negro to Acajatuba Lake. We spend the following three days at the Recanto do Boto to photograph the Pink Dolphins. The tea-like brew of silt and rotting vegetation falling in the river make the Botos appear to glow orange while they are actually grey and pink. Time has come to leave Amazon and head back to the civilization, first to Manaus for a stop and the next day to S.Paolo and back to Europe.
The trip has been intense, plenty of situations, encounters with animals, adventures and we have had great photographic opportunities. It has been a good mixture of travel, diving, discovery culture, people and place. I’m already planning to go back next year, if somebody is interested let me know. To take full advantage of the different opportunities, I will lead only a small group of four people.
