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December 1, 2008 |
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Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
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by Mark Lapin |
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Click here to read Simoine's Ten Tips on Wildlife photography... Most of us struggle to be halfway decent at one thing. Then there are folks like nature photographer /computer scientist Simone Sbaraglia who struggle to balance an abundance of talents. As a teenager growing up in Rome, Simone starred on the school basketball team, rocked with a couple of different bands, learned about cameras and darkrooms from his mom, and excelled at academics, especially math.  Sea Eagle on Prey, Japan © Simone Sbaraglia
When it came time to focus on a career, Simone chose computer science. He graduated with a PhD in math from the University of Rome, and quickly launched an outstanding career as a researcher and software wiz. But just when his science career was shifting into overdrive, he decided to switch course.  Puffin, Maine © Simone Sbaraglia
Simone moved to the U.S in 2001 to work with the best and brightest at IBM’s Advanced Computing and Technology Center in New York. Never a deskbound nerd, he spent his lunchtimes shooting hoops on IBM’s well-appointed courts, and his vacations shooting landscapes and wildlife in America’s national parks. Coming from Europe, where pristine wilderness has practically disappeared, he was so deeply moved by the power and fragility of places like the Everglades and Yellowstone that he decided to change course and become a photographer.  Coyote, Death Valley National Park, California © Simone Sbaraglia
‘In Europe, we have lots of history and art, but very little unspoiled nature. It was discovering the amazing beauty of the national parks in the United States that made me decide to become a photographer. In the beginning, I was just trying to show the beauty. But that’s changed over time. Now I’m trying to show the incredible environments, ecosystems and species that we are destroying,’  The Wave - North Coyote Buttes, Arizona © Simone Sbaraglia
From the swamps to the snow country The Florida Everglades is one of the extraordinary and imperiled environments that Simone is working to preserve. ‘It’s unique, such a delicate balance,’ he says. ‘There has to be enough water and rainfall to allow the plants and animals to survive during winter. And we’re disrupting that balance. Nesting birds have declined 93%. All the species are declining because of habitat loss and destruction of water-flow,’  Pink Flamingo, Italy © Simone Sbaraglia
Japanese cranes in the snow-country of Hokkaido are another threatened species of special interest to Simone. ‘They were almost extinct 20-30 years ago,’ he says,’ and are doing a little better now. They’re incredible animals that mate for life in very complex rituals that refresh their bond and love for their partner. Very beautiful and almost surreal. Everyday, there are hundreds of species that go extinct. Someone might say-- it’s just birds, big deal, why should I care? But if you show what they do, how they relate to each other, how human, how poetic they are, then maybe people will protect them. That’s my hope, anyway.’  White-Face Capuchin Monkey, Costa Rica © Simone Sbaraglia
Science and Art Simone Sbaraglia is currently a tenured professor at the University of Cagliari in Sardinia, a job which gives him the freedom to pursue his parallel career in photography six months out of the year. He has worked at some of the world’s most prestigious research centers, has led numerous international research projects and published over 15 papers in international journals.  Cheetah, Serengeti Plains, Tanzania © Simone Sbaraglia
As a photographer, Simone concentrates on nature and wildlife. He frequently shoots on assignment for Oasis magazine. His work is exhibited in Europe and the US and has won numerous awards, including: First Prize and Third Prize for Nature/Wildlife in the 2007 PX3 International Competition; First Prize for Nature Book Photography in the 2007 PX3 International Competition, Second Prize for Photojournalism/Environment in the 2007 PX3 International Competition; and Grand Prize in the 2007 Apogee photo magazine International Contest.  Wildebeest Crossing the Mara River, Kenya © Simone Sbaraglia
Digital brings dueling passions together Simone’s dueling passions for computers and photography came together when he got his first digital camera (a Nikon D100) as a gift from his wife, ‘As a computer scientist,’ he says, ‘I could understand everything that was going on in the camera. With film, I didn’t really know how to create a negative from the point of view of printing. But with digital, I know about chip design and signal processing. I know they’re doing interpolation to get color. I’ve learned to shoot so that even if image out of the camera isn’t so great, it has potential for post processing, I know how much I can gain, how much I lose. I feel much more in control of the whole process.’  Brown Bear with Cubs, Alaska © Simone Sbaraglia
Isolating beauty Simone believes that 21st-century civilization is robbing people of their innate sensitivity to the beauty that surrounds them, and that the photographer’s job is to reopen their eyes. ‘People are surrounded by so much noise, disturbance and ugliness that they no longer recognize beauty even if they pass right by it. My photography is about trying to isolate beauty, to extract it from the surrounding noise in such a way that other people see and respond to it. If you learn to recognize beauty, it connects you with other people and helps you become a better human being.’  American Alligator, Everglades National Park, Florida © Simone Sbaraglia
To isolate the beauty of wildlife in nature, Simone often goes to extreme lengths, as in his work with the Japanese cranes. ‘The picture I wanted was cranes in a dance, like a ballet, against an all white background. But that’s not easy because if you shoot from ground-level there are forests and tree trunks behind the birds. It took me ten days to get the clean, white background I wanted. I had to go up on a hill, use a shovel to create a high mound of snow so I could shoot down on the subject, and then wait for the cranes to do their dance in the right place. People think you just go there and shoot what you see. But it doesn’t happen like that. You have to work on it.’  Dancing Japanese Cranes, Hokkaido, Japan © Simone Sbaraglia
Balance and connection At the moment, Simone is at the tipping point between his two careers. Teaching at the university and doing research at the IBM institute in New York occupy about half his year. He devotes the rest to photography. ‘I’ve always tried to be very into the arts as a complement to science,’ he says. ‘As a researcher, you could easily spend a whole week locked up in your office. You don’t need to connect with other people. Photography helps me connect and keep my balance.’  Green Snake, Costa Rica © Simone Sbaraglia
Simone’s wife and two-year-old son also help him stay in balance. He is 35 but his wife insists that, mentally, he’s the same age as his son, which may help explain the freshness of his vision and his sense of wonder at the natural world.  Roseate Spoonbill, Everglades National Park, Florida © Simone Sbaraglia
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