Week 21 Winner

The winner of Week 21 of our #52weeksofnature photo contest is Marco Balderi. The food and wine in Italy are second to none, but if you know where to look the nightscapes are just as amazing. Marco has won a $100 gift code to hippytree.com and we are donating $100 to the Surfrider Foundation on his behalf. Learn more about Marco below.

Where was the image shot?
I shot his photo in a very little cove on the coast of the Ligurian sea near Lerici.

What camera did you use and what were the settings?
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikon AF-S 24mm
Shutter Speed: 25sec
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 6400

Was there any special preparation required to capture the photo?
I started envisioning this shot for a few months before I actually captured it. I used the PhotoPills app to make sure the Milky Way would be visible. So I pretty much knew the shot would line up perfect in the first half of August.

How long have you been shooting?
I started shooting in 2011 when I enrolled at the Academy of Arts in Carrara, Italy.

What’s your camera of choice?
I’ve recently upgraded to a Sony Alpha7R2…insane camera!

What excites you about photography?
The entire reason why I’m a photographer is that I love to capture the great beauty of planet earth when I’m shooting. I look around myself, see the essence of it and at that precise moment, I feel the passion!

What’s your favorite subject matter to shoot?
My favorite subjects are landscapes and water. I usually do long exposures and I really love showing the movement of water and clouds.

Do you shoot with a crew or shoot solo?
Sometimes I shoot alone, sometimes I shoot with friends, but never more than one or two people.