About Me


Nature is not a place to visit. It is home —Gary Snyder

me

Biologist / Photographer / Mountain Biker

Daniele Ardizzone


CIAO!

my name is Daniele (with one L), I am originally from Italy and, one way or another, my life has always revolved around learning about and sharing the wonders of nature, exploring different aspects in different stages to keep things fresh and interesting. 

I had an early start, thanks to my parents, as I learned to read on the animal encyclopedia we had at home before I went to school; in grade school I once wrote an essay about my favorite animal being a Pteranodon, and the teacher thought I was a crazy kid making things up (I mean, who doesn’t know a Pteranodon???). At 8 years old, my aunt took me to a trip to Kenya and that proved to be a life-changing experience, because it cemented my love for animals and traveling and made me realize I wanted to do a whole lot more of that.

Since then, I got a Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences at the Sapienza University of Rome focusing on the biology of the European roller, a beautiful species of bird,  and a Master of Science in Marine Science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, California, where I worked on the age and growth of the mako shark.

As far as my professional experience, aside from academic research, I have done a lot of work with people in nature: I managed and led nature conservation camps in Italy and Greece for many years; since moving to the Canary Islands in 2011, I am a mountain biking guide (MIAS Leader Level 2) for my sister project, Fluyendo MTB Canarias. I also lead hiking trips and tours on Tenerife, La Gomera and Lanzarote in collaboration with tour operators and on my own. To sum it up, I really enjoy spending time outdoor with like-minded people, and I love sharing the beauty of a place, its hidden treasures and some little-known facts while doing a fun activity such as a night photography session or a hike, hoping that you will go back home with an even greater appreciation of the place you have visited.

As far as my photography trajectory, I started taking pictures during the film era, especially of birds and landscapes, but thanks to the great advancements of digital cameras, I REALLY got into photography with an emphasis on wildlife, the night sky and outdoor sports, and since then it has become more an obsession than a hobby.

I feel now I am ready to share with you the knowledge I have gained so far.

My experience might not as extensive as other photographers but, if you like what you see on this website, I guess it must be good enough.

I currently offer one-on-one introductory classes as well as dedicated workshops in collaboration with other professional photographers, both in landscape astrophotography and general photography. If you are a photography enthusiast looking to learn new techniques to improve your game, you have come to the right place. If you have a digital camera and want to take full control of it, I can help you. If you want to learn to take great images of the Milky Way or the night sky, I will teach you several techniques so you can get jaw-dropping results even if you do not have dedicated gear.

Because what moves me is love for nature, I strive to be the least invasive to respect animals and places. If a bird for example does not want to be approached or photographed, it is not the end of the world, its wellbeing is of the utmost importance especially during nesting and migration. We can always crop in post-processing…

The Canary Islands, with their incredible landscapes, clear skies and unique fauna and flora, are the perfect platform for a vacation and a great place to practice and improve all aspects of nature photography. 

Come see for yourself!