Franco Banfi Photography

I’m please to let you know that I have been choosen –together with 25 other photographers– to participate in this important photography exhibition.  For over 120 years, National Geographic tells us “the world and all around” by cooperating with some of the best photographers in the world.
For 13 years, National Geographic Italy undertook extensive research work to find photographers and stories up to this mark. Even with limited resources often, in recent years the Italian magazine has produced hundreds of services related mainly to Italy, relying on the capabilities of some of the most serious and reliable professional photographers on the domestic market. Sometimes, the risks were taken, assigning work to perfect strangers who, in many cases, have demonstrated their clear vision “the cutting edge” that characterizes the photographers for National Geographic. In other cases, NG has involved proven professionals with great experience.
This exhibition brings together images of 26 of these photographers. All photographs were taken from services performed for National Geographic Italy. This unpublished exposure designed and built for the 2° Italian Festival offers shots of some of the most representative photographers who publish in National Geographic Italy, selected by Marco Pinna. The criterion by which photos were chosen is based more on the artistic quality of the image, composition and emotional impact, than on its journalistic value. The intent is to give life to a collection of images that makes the most of the qualities and characteristics of individual photographers, because this show is dedicated to them, and is a tribute to their art.

THE  PHOTOGRAPHERS
Angelo Antolino, Marco Ansaloni, Franco Banfi, Maurizio Biancarelli, Monika Bulaj, Marco Bulgarelli, Giancarlo Ceraudo, Claudio Cricca, Stefano Dal Pozzolo, Massimo Di Nonno, Nanni Fontana, Andrea Frazzetta, Alessandro Gandolfi, Fabrizio Giraldi, Emiliano Mancuso, Marisa Montibeller, Alberto Novelli, Diego Orlando, Paolo Petrignani, Alexey Pivovarov, Antonio Politano, Sandro Santioli, Francesco Schiavone, Georg Tappeiner, Stefano Torrione, Stefano Unterthiner.

12 November – 4 December 2011
Palazzo Marliani Cicogna – P.zza Vittorio Emanule II – Busto Arsizio (Va)
Opening hours: from Tuesday to Saturday: 15-19 / Sunday 10-12 / 16-19 –Monday closed
Entry Free

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.

The prestigious magazine National Geographic Italia has published some of my images to document a reportage which commemorates the tragedy occurred in Aprile 1991, when the supertanker Amoco Mildford Haven sunk in face of the village of Arenzano, in Ligurian Sea owing to a huge explosion.

The event has been the most serious environmental disaster in Mediterranean Sea and unluckily occurred the day after the sinking of the Moby Prince ferry-boat, when more that 140 passengers found death.
During towing operations, the tanker broke in two. The section of the bow (about 95m long) lies at about 480m depth, while the stern sank off Arenzano, at a depth of about 80m. The stern of the Haven is the largest shipwreck in the Mediterranean can be visited by divers. Some sources mention it as the biggest wreck in the world visited by divers (if you consider the tonnage at full load). However, the biggest wreck visited (by tonnage) in the world is usually considered the MV Kowloon Bridge sank in Bantry Bay (Ireland). The lattest now lies dismembered, while the aft section of the Haven can be totally visited, both in length and penetration, by experienced divers (preferably in technical configuration).