Tonio Altieri

Born in Bari on 6 September 1965, I lived in the Apulian capital until the age of 40 when I moved to Conversano (BA), a city of art south-east of Bari where I still live. Public official Administration since 1987, I have always been fascinated by nature in all its facets, especially by birds. Passionate about ornithology and birdwatching since adolescence, I approached nature photography only towards the end of the 90s. always used Nikon photographic equipment; my first photographic equipment included a modest Nikon D40 combined with a Nikkor 70-300 lens. With this entry-level equipment I wrote the book "Photographing birds" (ed. Ilmiolibro), now in its third edition in 2010: a sort of abc of nature photography of wild birds, including over one hundred images, dedicated above all to newcomers to this discipline. I currently own a Nikon D500 camera, a Nikon D7500 camera, a Tamron 150-600 G2 lens, a Nikkor 70-300 lens and a Nikkor 50 lens. More than a nature photographer, I like to call myself a "naturalist photographer" because, in my way of conceiving nature, the well-being and safety of the animal must always prevail over the making of a photograph.Unlike many nature photographers who prefer the so-called "set" photos, where the subject (in most cases a bird) occupies a very small portion of the image to give greater prominence to the surrounding environment, I adore close-ups, which have now become my trademark in the environment of naturalistic photography, where the animal is the main subject that attracts the attention of the viewer of the photo.