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I was born in 1964 and I always live in the heart of Maremma. I was eight when I started to photograph encouraged by my father, by the same old Bencini Comet II, which was his first camera. After his death the following year, I began using the other two of his equipment: a rangefinder Taron VL and an SLR Canon FTQL.
Since then I have taken many thousands shots and read a great deal on this subject, especially concerned with astronomical, wildlife and landscape photography, but also shot friends wedding and, of course, travel and family events.
For long time I was a member of A.M.S.A. (Associazione Maremmana Studi Astronomici = Maremma Association for Astronomical Studies), which I also drove for many years as president. I also directed the Astronomical Observatory of Grosseto until 2010, with particular regard to the photographic activity that, in addition to the production of dozens of images presented in A.M.S.A.'s exhibitions and also in local newspapers, culminated with the full page publication in an italian astronomical magazine of one of my photos of the comet Hale-Bopp in 1997 and with the expedition to Austria to follow the total solar eclipse in 1999.
In 1997, I also won second prize in a photo contest in Marina di Grosseto with a night photo of the exceptional snowfall in December 1996.
Now I spend my little spare time mostly exercising nature photography in all its aspects, especially in wild environments around Grosseto, such as the Parco Regionale della Maremma (Maremma Regional Park), the Diaccia-Botrona Marshes and the Oasis of Orbetello, trying not only to capture beautiful pictures, but mainly to describe natural life around me.
As for the camera equipment, I start by saying that I switched to digital only in summer 2011, and still occasionally I use with pleasure the old Canon FD manual focus system. Of course in years of activity the, my kit has evolved and diversified, and currently can be summarized as follows:

a completely manual system, based on the Canon FT QL and FL 35/3.5, FL 50/1.8, FL 135/3.5, FL 85/1.8, FL 200/4.5 original objectives

another one consisting of a fully automatic exposition (but manual focus) Canon AV-1 and Canon lenses FDn 50/1.4, FDn 35-70/3.5-4.5, FDN 200/4, FDn 400/4.5 plus the Canon FD1.4X extender.

then a Zenith Mir 20/3.5 super-wideangle, a 2X macro-extender, bellows, extension rings, flash, various filters and many other accessories, original and aftermarket, and so on.

Canon EOS 550D reflex, and Canon lenses EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 IS II, EF 55-200/4.5-5.6 II USM, EF 100/2.8 Macro USM, EF 400/5.6 L USM

Moreover I sometime use my wife's Canon Powershot SX40 HS superzoom bridge or my 9 years old daughter's Praktica Luxmedia 10-03 compact camera. Yes, in my family we all are photographers!!