Diego Rizzo recently returned from shooting in Iceland with Mike Mezeul, where they really put their Kiboko backpacks to the test. We sat down with him to discuss his inspirations.
What was the first camera you ever owned? and what are you shooting with these days?
My first camera was a Nikon D3200, now I am shooting with a Nikon Z6, I had a couple of cameras before switching to mirrorless and since I had on my hands the Z6 I was completely sure that it was the camera to have, mirrorless world is definitely bringing an absolutely high quality of image and video footage.
Since I own the 14-24mm ƒ2.8 that´s my favorite lens, and the main reason is because I shoot a lot of landscapes, the image quality and sharpness with that lens is just beautiful.
How did you get started in photography?
I am a Graphic Designer, but in 2010 I got my first camera and it was the before and after in my career, I fell in love with photography and also, photography allowed me to be closer to nature and landscapes, in 2018 I quit to design at all and became a full time photographer and filmmaker creating content for some local brands, the best decision ever!
Where are you currently based?
I am currently based in Guatemala. By the moment I plan to continue living in Guatemala, hopefully traveling to some dreamy countries and shooting lots of active volcanoes around the world erupting.
What are some of your favorite places to photograph and why?
Volcanoes.
It is mesmerizing to see the lava flying through the air and it blows my mind to see the power of the nature flowing from the Earth
How far do you go to capture a truly unique moment?
Very far!!! I have been literally inches away from insanely hot lava and around a half mile away from a very strong explosion of a volcano. The craziest was to get super close to the crater of an active volcano while it began to threw some lava chunks.
What do you look for when creating a photograph? Do you go in any order like "light, subject, composition, action" or is it a different process?
I try to capture a moment or an action. An eruption where you can see the lava trail as you were there o the movement of the water on a beach. Of course light, composition, subject, foreground, backgrounds are within it, they have to.
Who are some photographers that have inspired you?
Tough question, there are lots and probably I will leave some of them our of the list just because I don´t remember all of them right now, but the first of them was a Guatemalan photographer called Diego Molina, I assisted to an exhibition of photos and videos of the jungle of Guatemala and some photos of The Quetzal (the national bird of Guatemala) and the Jaguar, I was around 10 years old, and that exhibit is still inside my mind as it was yesterday, and it made me dream about nature and that someday I will photograph those places and animals (the Jaguar is still in my bucket list).
Daniel Kordan, Mike Mezeul, IIurie Belegurschi, Babak Tafreshi, Tim Laman, Michael Shainblum, Peter Iversen….. the list is very long, there are lots of photographers that are terrific.
Can you tell us about the project(s) you're currently working on?
This year we are going to film a video on the volcanoes of Guatemala and also starting to work in a project where I was invited about Geology and Volcanology
Where can we find more of your work?
On social media I am as @diegorizzophoto and my website is diegorizzophoto.com
Thank you Diego! Stay safe!
