Francesco Gola is an Italian engineer whose many years of photographic experience have resulted in a mastery of his skills. In 2015, his photograph “Polyphemus” was awarded one of the Top 3 landscape photographs on 500px. Born and raised in the Italian valleys, Francesco developed his love for the sea after he moved to a coastal area. In his images, he always tries to reflect a peaceful state of mind.
Polyphemus
Taken in France
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Hard 0.9, ND 64
Although we have interviewed Francesco many times, we are again glad to speak with him. In this interview, he shares his photography story and his experience as one of the early users of NiSi products in Europe.
Z for Zoe and F for Francesco
Z: Hi Francesco! Great to talk with you! Firstly, could you give a brief introduction about yourself to our new friends?
F: My name is Francesco, I’m 37 years old and I’m from Italy. I love traveling around the world to discover new wonderful locations and to capture them with my camera.
Z: How long have you been taking pictures? What sparked your interest in photography?
F: I think everything started around 12 years ago when I invested my paycheck in my first DLSR camera. It was a Canon 400D, and I’ll never forget it! At the very beginning I had no a specific interest, but as soon as my company moved me to a wonderful coastal area here in Italy I fell in love with the sea. From that moment, seascapes became my primary subject in photography.
Taken in Italy
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Medium 1.2, ND 64
Taken in Italy
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Hard 0.9, ND 64
Z: During these years, what is the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
F: I have received many pieces of great advice during my photographic career, and I believe that I’m here with you now because I have followed most of them. If I had to pick just one, I suppose it was not to be a conformist. You should aim to develop your own style, avoiding simply copying the path of somebody else. In this way you have the chance to leave a mark, and even if you don’t, you have at least invested your time in the most important thing: having fun in the Nature.
Taken in Scotland
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Medium 0.9, ND 64
Z: Do you have any unforgettable places or stories in your photographic life?
F: I think I will never forget my first visit to Iceland. At that time it was really a remote location, out of every tourist path. There I had the chance to experiment a closer contact with Nature, and this completely changed my approach with photography. I really suggest to everybody to find their own wild Iceland.
Taken in Iceland
With Landscape polarizer, GND Hard 0.9, ND 64
Z: When did you start using NiSi filters and why?
F: I remember it like it was yesterday! 4 years ago I was working on an article about filters for 500px, and I was doing research online in order to add some extra gear related images. I had already been using filters for 6 years, but suddenly I came across what at the time was the V3 holder. I was shocked about the revolutionary way in which it combined a holder and the polarizer, as at that time the standard was the Lee system. But it was a Chinese website and it was almost impossible to understand anything. After further research on Google, I was not able to find any information in Europe. I decided to contact your team, and after some talk I got a chance to test NiSi filters. I didn’t have any great expectations, but when I started to test the holder and the filters I could not believe my eyes. After some field tests, I just abandoned the Lee system and switched to NiSi: one of the best professional choices I ever made. Four years have passed, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a NiSi Pioneer, and probably one of your first (or even the first!) users in Europe!
Taken in the UK
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Medium 0.9, ND 1000
Taken in Scotland
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Medium 1.2, ND 256
Z: Which NiSi products do you usually use in your work?
F: I’m a big fan of the 100mm System. Reliable, compact, unbelievable quality. Now I’m working with a V5 PRO holder with Landscape polarizer. On it I commonly use ND 64 and ND 256 filters, as they are perfect to extend the shutter speed around sunrise and sunset. To perfectly control the light, as I love seascapes, I mostly use the GND Hard 0.9, but sometimes the GND Medium 1.2 is just priceless.
Taken in Spain
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Hard 0.9, ND 256
Taken in Norway
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Medium 0.9, ND 64
Z: Among all the photos you have taken with NiSi filters, which one is your favorite? How did you take it?
F: I think my favorite image is “Elements”, taken in Iceland nearby the village of Vik. It was such an unexpected moment that I will never forget it. I was spending the last day of the trip sad and eating a fish soup while outside a storm was hitting the coast really hard. Suddenly, the silence. The storm was over, and so I literally jumped in the car to reach the desired spot. Once there, everything was just perfect: I had just to mount my NiSi filters on the camera and I got the shot in a single exposure!
Elements
Taken in Iceland
With NiSi Landscape polarizer, GND Hard 0.9, ND 64
Z: What’s your plan for 2019?
F: I hope that 2019 will bring me a lot of new travels and adventures. I have already planned many destinations, but every day I find new ones for my list. I think that the whole of 2019 will not be long enough!
