Travel Photos of the Month by Elia Locardi

On the hunt for a fresh cover photo for our Facebook page, we came across the amazing work of Elia Locardi. On his website with the catchy name “Blame the Monkey” he shares his photography and travel adventures with us. We couldn’t help, but fall in love with the beautiful images that his lens caught and wanted to know more about him and his work.

Read our interview with Elia here:

 

How long have you been a photographer?

I started getting serious about photography in 2010 and turned pro in 2011. Since then I’ve flown nearly 1 million miles and have photographed 37 countries and counting.

 

Did you study photography or did you start it as a hobby?

I went to school for Visual Effects and Motion Graphics so photography was always encouraged but I never took any formal classes. Fortunately, I started working with Adobe Photoshop in 1999, so by the time I picked up a camera, I was already very knowledgeable in post-processing techniques. It only took a short amount of time — and a few fun travel destinations — experimenting with camera settings, before things started to click (so to speak).

 

What in your personal (and professional if applicable) life inspires you to take your pictures?

Well, there’s a very special feeling that occurs when elements come together and blend seamlessly to produce a beautiful moment in time. When that happens, I feel very connected to my surroundings as everything else around me seems to melt away. There’s nothing else like being able to capture a perfect moment and the first time I felt it, I was instantly hooked. It’s what keeps me constantly traveling, exploring, and searching for yet another beautiful moment.

 

How would you describe your style?

Colorful, clean, and fully caffienated.  

 

What type of cameras do you shoot with?

For most of my work, I shoot with Nikon Cameras – currently a D800 and a small arsenal of pro lenses. I’m also an avid Instagram user and love to shoot with my iPhone.

 

What kind of photos do you prefer to take?

My very favorite subject to is where human civilization has blended and evolved beautifully with nature. Great examples of this are the remote cave dwellings of Cappadocia, Turkey as well as the beautiful seaside homes nestled into the cliffs of Cinque Terre, Italy. I also really enjoy shooting extravagant architecture in cities like Dubai and Singapore.

 

What was your favorite trip as a photographer and as a traveler?

Since I’m location independent and travel full time, this is a very difficult question to answer. I have a tendency to fall in love with way too many paces. So much so that I find myself constantly returning to and repeating destinations. If I really had to choose though, I’d say that as a traveller and photographer, Italy is closest to my heart and it’s somewhere that I’d very much like to settle down someday. From region to region everything changes dramatically,  from the food, to the culture, to the architecture, to the landscape – I feel like I’d need 3 lifetimes just to take it all in.

As a landscape photographer on the other hand, Iceland is out of this world. I made my first visit there in September 2012 and have 2 more trips planned for this year. One in June for the long beautiful days, and another in winter to photograph the Aurora Borealis.

 

Can you tell us about any particularly exciting trip or photography projects you have planned for the future?

As far as exciting travel photography projects go, I have over 20 countries on my schedule in 2013. Quite a few are repeat trips where I’ll spend time focusing on certain photography spots or specific projects. Currently, I’m prepping for a 2 week long trip to Japan to view and photograph the blooming cherry blossoms.

Throughout the year, I’ll also be leading 3-4 photography tours to destinations including Italy, Cambodia, and Thailand. All in all, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year. 🙂

If you would like to at least digitally follow Elia’s footsteps you can connect with him over Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Instagram.