Free time is spent in nature photographing wildlife

In our series of articles to help you get to know the people of Jacobi, we met with Edoardo Monfrinotti. With his camera always ready, Edoardo documents his journeys to better understand the world we live in and what we need to do to preserve it. 

First, could you tell us what you do at Jacobi?
I’m the Resins EMEA Sales and Business Development Manager, so basically, I coordinate all the sales and business activities in the EMEA region for the resins group.

What attracted you to Jacobi?
I came into the company in February 2020, so that was maybe not the best time. But it’s quite interesting, meeting different people from Jacobi; I found a company with passion and energy. It was clear that Jacobi has a very ambitious project to become a major producer of ion exchange resins. Together with the strengths in the activated carbon segment, it gives me the “full package” in my work with sales and marketing. During my interview process, I spent one day in Munich with the management team, and I was convinced to join this company’s journey.

You have a special interest, tell us about it.
That’s right, I spend most of my free time in nature, taking pictures of wildlife, but also other interesting places around the globe. While I’m out, I take the opportunity to get to know new places by photographing people as well.

Where does this interest come from?
I grew up with my father, who was an architect, but he also has a passion for old-style photography. So maybe it’s in my DNA. Spending time with him, watching what he was doing, inspired me, of course. I started on a small scale, taking pictures while travelling, and I quickly realised that it was a nice way to approach the environment I was in. Photography unifies three sides of my personality. One is science; I have a quite scientific approach to my photography, the technical part is important. The second side is my love for travelling, to discover new places and meet new people.

And this is the link to my third interest, sustainability. To understand why companies need to be sustainable, it helps to see with your own eyes what will happen if we don’t get our CO2 footprint down. It’s not for us; it’s for the environment, the habitat we live in that we are just a part of. When you see a tiger, a bear or a shark moving in their habitat, you do not only see an animal; you see a creature that is perfectly shaped in perfect harmony with their environment. At the moment, we humans are not, and we need to step back a little and learn. During my travels, with all the time I have spent in nature, this insight has grown within me.

Looking at your Instagram (@edoardoamedeo_m),we see more than wildlife.
Photos of panoramas can be nice, but I also love to photograph local people in their daily lives. For instance, I went to Vanuatu, a pretty remote island in the Pacific Ocean where people live close to nature. I photographed for my personal pleasure, but also to show people that there is a possibility to live in complete harmony with the environment.

Do you feel that your camera helps you get closer to people, or is it a barrier between you and the person you are photographing?
It depends on the culture; usually, my camera creates a lot of interest when you go to more virgin places. I found in Vanuatu and Madagascar people were really interested in me and my camera. In other cultures, the camera can be seen as something that interferes with their privacy. I always ask ahead and assure people that I have no commercial intention with their photos.

Snow leopard in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India.

Looking at your Instagram (@edoardoamedeo_m), we see more than wildlife.
Photos of panoramas can be nice, but I also love to photograph local people in their daily lives. For instance, I went to Vanuatu, a pretty remote island in the Pacific Ocean where people live close to nature. I photographed for my personal pleasure, but also to show people that there is a possibility to live in complete harmony with the environment.

Do you feel that your camera helps you get closer to people, or is it a barrier between you and the person you are photographing?
It depends on the culture; usually, my camera creates a lot of interest when you go to more virgin places. I found in Vanuatu and Madagascar people were really interested in me and my camera. In other cultures, the camera can be seen as something that interferes with their privacy. I always ask ahead and assure people that I have no commercial intention with their photos.

Have you ever commercialised any of your photos?
No, I have no interest in that; if you look at my Instagram, it’s purely a testimonial of what I have seen and experienced on my travels. Some may say I am a pretty good photographer, so I get the question once in a while to do some work; for instance, I have a friend in the wine business that I have helped a bit, and I have done a few weddings. So here and there, I do commercial work to justify the huge expenses of my cameras. But yeah, if some company sees my pictures and wants to finance some charity programme, I could do it. But it’s not my purpose.

What equipment do you use?
A full-frame Nikon D850. I usually shoot with a 24-70mm f2.8 lens. I also have a 150–600 mm zoom, which maybe is not the best one, but it’s compact. I think it’s a good compromise with price and quality. I also have a wide 14mm f2.8 prime lens and a 90mm f2.8 macro, and I also sometimes use flashlights filters.

For ten years, I have managed to put together pretty decent and portable equipment. I also have a camera for underwater photography that I shoot; that kind of photography is almost 40% of my offer. The first option was to buy a housing for the full-frame camera, which costs as much as a new camera, and then you also have to put on specific lenses. Then you would come up with a huge camera that would be difficult to use in your dive. Remember, I’m not a professional, I do this on my vacation, so I need to find a certain compromise. So, for underwater I use one of the best compact cameras with a one-inch sensor, 14 megapixels, a high light ratio and a case for the camera, which makes my underwater equipment easier to handle.

Is diving without your camera an option?
Hmm, no, not really. I can enjoy something without taking pictures, but taking photos is also a way to focus on what is happening. I like getting close to the subject to see, to wait for the perfect moment; that is my approach to the wildlife. It’s really about patience and taking the right time. So yes, I’m pretty much linked to my camera.

During your travels, have you seen anything that made you feel that we are doing something very wrong to our planet?
I have been diving and seen huge areas with dead coral. It still looks beautiful underwater, but you understand that something terrible is happening. I saw Chasing Coral on Netflix, which I think everyone should see, and it’s dramatic because you know that this animal will not survive with just a 1 or 1.5 degree rise in the water. And dead coral reefs are bad news for our planet and us living on it.

What was your last trip?
Travelling has been hard because of the pandemic, but I was able to go to Norway in 2020. I was happy to see musk oxen in a national park in the middle of Norway and go snorkelling in the fjords to see the kelp forest and seals. Beautiful, but pretty cold.

In 2021, I went to Sicily. A longer trip needs to be prepared carefully. You must be sure that everything works out, so for ease during the pandemic I spent one week diving in the islands around Sicily and taking a deep dive certificate to go down to 40 metres.

Of all trips, which one is your favourite?
The snow leopard was, of course, a pinnacle. The picture is not fantastic, but the experience itself was amazing. The festivity Dias de Los Muertos in Mexico was also unique, not wildlife, but an incredible experience. Then I would say Fiji and the bull shark dive because there were so many of them. But ranking is difficult; every trip has its own story. I was booked before Covid to go to the Holi Festival in India with my father, with all the colours people throw at each other, but it was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid.

And, of course, the Harbin Ice Festival in China, next to the border of Siberia. Every year they build a gigantic park made of ice, almost the size of a small city. I was there in 2019 and it was an unbelievable experience. So there are many, many beautiful things in the world to see.

If you were to recommend a must-see, what would that be?
It depends on the person and the purpose of course. If they want to see wildlife, there are many places still that are pretty much untouched, like some places in Africa such as Madagascar. Costa Rica also has fantastic wildlife. But there are stunning places in Europe as well, Italy of course. I was in Slovenia for bear photography, and it was impressive to see a brown bear just three metres away. I have travelled a lot in Europe, and I like the countries more to the north, they are a little more harmonised with nature.

Finally, what do you do when you’re not working at Jacobi (or taking pictures)?
I’m quite a healthy person, working out as regularly as I can. I used to play basketball and soccer, AC Milan is my team. You know, in Italy, soccer is a huge part of life. I’m not a super fan, but I follow them.

As a sommelier, another of my interests is wine. I took a three-year qualification, so I love to evaluate wine. I like the scientific and technical side of it. This is connected to my travelling life because wine is about the culture and discovery of a place; you don’t really understand a place if you don’t understand what they are producing. But most of the time, when I leave my home, I do it to travel. I don’t go to restaurants or for a coffee that often; that is how I live.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Edoardo. If any question comes to mind about travelling or photography, you can reach him at edoardo.monfrinotti@jacobi.net.

To see more pictures from Edoardo, follow him on Instagram. Or search for edoardoamadeo_m.

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