Sharon Vanadia

Italian wildlife photographer and doctor of environmental biology, Sharon Vanadia shares her story and Canon camera setup she uses for her incredible animal portraits

I caught the photography bug when I was about 14 years old, although it's only recently that I've been able to turn my two greatest passions in life - photography, and conservation - into a full-time job.

I'm from Rome, which is where I graduated in biology, specializing in biodiversity and the management of ecosystems in 2021. Behind all of my photos, there are often many years of hard work and research to get me to the point where I can take the final image you see.

Mother Nature is unpredictable and it's often the case that I venture out on a photo session for many, many hours only to return empty-handed. However, I'm determined and I love the challenges that wildlife photography brings - it's what spurs me on to keep trying until I catch what I'm looking for. When you're taking pictures of wild animals, you never get bored as something unpredictable will happen when you least expect it.

I like to keep my editing very light because I want the images to remain as realistic and accurate as possible. When I edit the Raw files, I mainly focus on emphasizing lights, shadows, contrasts, and colours already present naturally without changing the conditions in which I took the photograph.

Through my photos, I hope to show the beauty that our planet offers us, so as to be able to sensitize people about the respect that each of us must have for nature and animals.

WHAT DO I DO?

Sharon Vanadia Instagram: @sharon.vanadia