Gianluca Lombardi

Country: Spain 🇪🇸

My name is Gianluca Lombardi and I was born in Taranto (Italy) on 12 January 1979. I have a PhD in Astrophysics, and during my life I have always worked as an Astrophysicist and Scientist in several scientific institutions worldwide. I actually reside in the Island of La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) where I work at the 10.4m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS in the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos. Prior to that I lived in Italy, Germany and Chile working for the European Organization for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO).

The passion for photography came following my father's steps, when films were still developed in the small dark room arranged in a corner downstairs.

For my Photography I find inspiration in the Nature, and I always try to respectfully represent it with my camera. Being respectful implies that as a human I must not alter the scene, nor damage the environment that surrounds me.

All my pictures are linked to a feeling, that is the motivation driving the choice of making that photo in that place, in that special moment. I will not take the picture if I do not find that feeling. I consider digital post-processing a critical part of a photo making, nevertheless I have imposed myself not to modify the reality that I see with my eyes, being respectful of what Nature offers to us, with no need of artificial digital alterations in the scene.

When I decide to take a photo, my primary purpose is to try to convey a sentiment. It is what the scene transmits to me at that moment. The empathic connection with the surrounding environment is the fundamental trigger to try to tell a story of that moment with a photo. Cold subantarctic landscapes, invigorating chilly high mountains, and the silent shore of a peaceful lake, are the places where I achieve to express the best of my artistic vein.

My landscape and wildlife pictures have been selected as Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) by the USRA (Universities Space Research Association), and displayed in international scientific outreach magazines such as National Geographic and Science, TV shows such as BBC’s "The Sky at Night", France 2 "Tout le monde a son mot à dire" and Radio Television Española (RTVE), and presented at exhibitions in different countries. Currently, I have partnerships with the Outreach Departments of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), and the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC).

My pictures have been used by worldwide travel agencies such as ChimuAdventures and QuarkExpeditions. I am regularly appointed as member of international photo contests juries. In particular, in the present I am the Deputy Director of the jurors panel of the Fotografos Latinoamericanos community on Facebook which counts on hundreds of thousands of photographers worldwide.