Meet Cristiana Damiano – Nature First Ambassador

All her pictures are made respecting the subject and its environment, a “conditio sine qua non” for her vision of nature photography, where she puts ethics first, then shooting.

How old were you when you first discovered your love of nature? What prompted this?

For as long as I have had memories as a child, I can say that I  have always loved nature. Thanks to my grandparents, I learned respect for all creatures, even the smallest and most common.

How long have you been a photographer? What got you interested in photography?

I started photographing in 2010, my subjects were initially landscapes, but I immediately started photographing even flora and the smallest fauna.

What led you to become active in Nature First?

I have always had a great sensitivity for nature, in general, and I have always thought that all nature photographers must put ethics first and then do photography, I also share all the other principles even before knowing NF. I’ve always tried to convey this respect for nature to everyone else, so Nature First’s mission has always been mine too.

What kind of behavior distresses you the most? Do you have an example of this? How would you tie this into the Nature First principles?

The lack of respect for nature distress me, especially towards flowers or insects, precisely because they are smaller. So I try to explain to the people I meet that you can also get good images while maintaining total respect for our subject: there will be more difficulties but also more satisfaction. It is very important to “Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography,” and I think it is equally important to “Educate yourself about the places you photograph”, not only about places but about species in general.

If you had a magic wand that teleported you anywhere, where would you be taking pictures now? Why there?

In any place far away from tourism and crowds, be it Iceland in all those areas far from tourism, where you can find the land that regenerates, and you can feel the power of wild nature .. or in a forest somewhere else, the important thing is being in deep contact with nature.

If we were to have a bite to eat together, what would we be likely to talk about besides photography and Nature First?

I think we could talk about experiences and stories made while traveling, or about cats and how incredible they are!

A picture you would like to share with us that has a history related to our principles, with a short text describing it.