This week 121 is with Pietro Cremone who is a long standing photographer and also runs the Fotosub Shop who is the distributor of most key brands of underwater imaging and Nauticam importer for Italy.
Pietro is a people person everybody knows him in the Italian underwater photography scene and during this lock down he has made series of live shows on facebook that have been both informative and entertaining. Pietro is very active on the web and social media and I invite you to connect with him.
Bio
I was born in 1964 in Castellammare di Stabia, and from an early age I was fascinated by the sea.
As a child I enjoyed exploring the tide pools with mask and fins, and later I started spear fishing with my small spring-speargun, with which fortunately I could not catch almost anything.
Growing up, I replaced the speargun with the camera.
Over the years, my passion for underwater photography has grown a lot, and I decided to turn it into a profession
Since 2009 I am the owner of Fotosub Shop, an underwater photography shop that has become the Italian reference point for underwater images in just a few years.
I occasionally participate photographic contests, and I have had many satisfactions, with some of my photos exhibited in museums and even at the United Nations on the occasion of World Oceans’ Day.
With my colleagues Marcello Di Francesco and Massimo Zannini we won the World Shootout national championship in 2018, and this year we were again in the final 5.
My latest awards are an Honorable Mention for the Slideshow section in Ocean Geographics contest, another HM in the Memorial Maria Luisa and a first place in macro section for the Dive Into Pink contest.
Questions
When did you start underwater photography and why?
I started very early, around 1989 after my first tropical trip in Thailand. What I saw while snorkelling in Phi Phi island was so exciting that I decided to start with UW photo. I was not yet a diver but I enjoyed a lot trying to shoot on the surface and skin diving.
How much diving experience did you have when you started?
None! I took the camera underwater just after my OWD license. I was already photographing in snorkelling with a digital compact.
Were you a land photographer before starting?
Yes, I loved photography since when I was 20.
What were you shooting and do you still shoot land photography?
I love shooting landscapes and portraits, and often I shoot my cats 😊
What was your first underwater camera and housing?
I started with a Nikon FG SLR in a NIMAR housing, but my first serious shoots underwater were with a CANON A90 compact with the small Canon housing.
What is your current camera rig and why did you choose it?
Actually I shoot with an NIKON D850 housed in Nauticam. Since 2010 my housing choice is Nauticam, not only because I’m the Italian distributor for this brand, but because I always loved the perfect ergonomy and usability of these housings, along with the impressive choice of ports and accessories that I can achieve.
What is your favourite discipline (wide angle, macro, portraits, blackwater, etc)?
I love wide-angle photography very much, although I don’t mind small subjects, that I always try to portray with a small artistic and personal touch. Some times ago I discovered the wonders of blackwater in Anilao and it has become one of my favourites!
What has been to date your best trip from a photography viewpoint?
I have 2 places in my heart: Raja Ampat and Baja California. They can offer all that an underwater photographer can dream!
How many trips have you done in the last 3 years and where?
I’m very lucky because I can travel a lot thanks to my work (I run workshops and guided trips for my customers).
My last trips took me often in Indonesia (Raja Ampat, Wakatobi, Maratua), Philippines (Anilao, Puerto Galera), Maldives, Red Sea, Baja California.
Has there been a defining moment where you think your photography improved significantly?
Yes, I started diving and photographing in 2006 but around 2010 I met Mimmo Roscigno, one of the greatest Italian photographers, and with his inspiration my photo started to improve a lot. Then in 2012 I had the pleasure to be in a workshop held by Alex Mustard, and that was another important milestone in my career.
What is your personal favourite shot among all you have taken?
That’s a hard question, because I have so much images that I love! But there is one that is special for me, it depicts a Pilot Whale with its newborn calf shot in Atlantic Ocean.
I found this shot so sweet and awe inspiring, and remembers me a very special moment spent with these wonderful animals.
It also won the “Coup de coeur” in a Festisub edition.
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