An embrace of photography, nature and landscapes

With a mother who was a gifted artist and a father who took up professional photography for one part of his life, following the creative stepping stones into a career in nature photography was almost a certainty for Patrick Di Fruscia. He was always a great fan of drawing and during his teen years he steered his creative side towards music, taking up piano lessons to fill his time. But he didn't actually pick up a camera until the year 2000 when his employer asked him to take images of the products they received so they didn't have to pay a professional. Even though he was unsure of his employers decision Patrick read every photography related book he could get his hands on and he took a basic photography course which focused on photographing babies and families a direction Patrick soon realised he didn't want to head. He soon began searching for a style, attending other courses and taking pictures of everything around him in attempt to find his niche.

 

His search came to a climax in 2003 when he found the breathtaking view at the summit of Mont Ernest LaForce in the Gaspe Peninsula.

 

“My search finished back in 2003, It felt like Divine intervention.  Something told me that was the direction I had to go. Just the way it made me feel, I knew immediately this was for me. Of course back then I had no clue about the golden hours and how to achieve dramatic results so I have no pictures to show from that experience. I promised myself that I will go back and give justice to that beautiful part of the country I live in.”

 

Not many will know that Patrick is a huge fan of ePHOTOzine and he found our site back in 2004 where he created some strong relationships, many of who are still helping him out today.

 

“I just love ePHOTOzine and I am really happy to see how far ePHOTOzine is today. I remember ePz  in 2004 when everyone were so hungry for those little hearts we used to give each other. This meant the world to me, every night I would get back home after work to see how many hearts my photographs had. I met so many passionate photographers on your community and owe a lot to Peter.  Because of him I met Adam Burton, Ian Cameron, Rich Nicholls, all incredible guys that I would have never had met probably if it wasn’t for ePz. I was even fortunate enough to have Adam Burton invite me over to England to be the photographer at his wedding. I am sure that if you ask all your members, you would see that your community has created some really strong relationship and heart warming stories. Keep up the awesome work ePz!”

 

Patrick is a great lover of wide angles and big foregrounds, something which makes his work immediately recognisable to his fans. He tries to evoke a feeling of beauty and even though he creates work loved by others he never creates a piece with them in mind.

 

“I think it's important to shoot for ourselves, not for others. You shouldn't try to create what you think others will like. It is really easy to get caught into wanting to please others more than ourselves and meanwhile completely forgetting the incredible moments we are so fortunate to witness. A great photograph is one that makes you feel an emotion. There is absolutely no rules for good photography and opinion will vary greatly from one person to another. It all comes down to what moves you. So a good photograph for me would be one that evokes an emotion inside of me.”

 

Patrick is in the fortunate position to say if the light's right it's relatively easy to create a great photograph. It's hard for him to explain something that comes so naturally to him, after all being brought up in such an artistic environment gave him plenty of opportunity to learn what's pleasing to the eye, something which helps him tremendously.

 

“Knowing what to photograph is something that comes naturally, it's almost built in me. I have learnt to follow my instincts and sometimes I find myself laughing because I immediately draw the best composition possible. From there I try different angles but somehow always return to the first image that was taken.”

 

Unfortunately photography is still not Patrick's full-time career, he still works for the sports supplement company that gave him the chance to pick a camera up six years ago. Fortunately for Patrick he has a very understanding boss who in a way gave him is passion for photography and who allows him to continue to explore his passion today.

 

“I have set my goals to always improve my craft. My quest to become a better photographer will never cease. I personally think that the learning curve is endless, and I have only myself to criticise when I feel I am not living up to my artistic endeavours. I am constantly searching for those rare magical moments when the perfect light embraces nature in all its glory. Rest assured – this is only the beginning of a long and dedicated quest to capture the immortality of nature.”