A Natural Narrative

Landscape photographer Danilo Faria describes his love of the outdoors and capturing his creative vision.

- Danilo Faria

Many North American landscapes are iconic for their expansive skies and vast, unbroken horizons, and Arizona-based photographer Danilo Faria (defariaphotography.com) manages to capture an intimate portrait of even the wildest of locations. Known for his signature high-contrast style, Danilo’s work takes the viewer on a tour of both well-known and remote locations, perfectly conveying awe-inspiring scale and delicate natural beauty. He spoke to Digital Photographer about the motivation behind his artistic approach and how he is able to seek and capture true character in his scenic subjects.

What got you started in photography?

I was born and grew up in Minas Gerais, Brazil, which is where my love for photography began, but I have been living in the US for over 18 years. As a child, my dad and I would take pictures on vacation with his simple point-and-shoot Kodak camera. Back then that is all we had – equipment and film was too expensive, but we made the best of it, and so my passion began. Photography is my escape – it takes me to incredible places and is where I can express my creativity. When the DSLR revolution happened, I was able to justify the investment and never looked back. In my fulltime day job I work as a systems engineer for a biomedical company.

What are your favourite subjects to photograph and why?

Landscapes are definitely my favourite. I love the solitude and peace the outdoors and super remote areas provide. Nature gives us incredible things, and photography is an ‘excuse’ to get out there, capture those beautiful moments and share them with other people. Recently, I have started storm-chasing throughout the American Southwest – it is quite an adrenaline rush to see the monsoon storms crashing into the Sonoran Desert. I occasionally shoot architectural locations.