Lucas Fontana

@mountainscaper

Landscape photographer based in Italy

My name is Luca, I am an Italian landscape photographer and above all, I love wilderness. Exploring new places and capturing their beauty at their best is like a rewarding inner process to me. Landscape photography allows me to better understand myself as well as my deepest emotions.

"In the end, this unique process is able to produce a significant impact in my life."

Since a really young age I have been passionate about arts, such as music and photography. However, when I became 10 years old I followed the same path that most kids are forced to take: I graduated from college and got a job at an office working from 9 to 5. Not that I don’t respect regular jobs, but for me that was like a nightmare. I hope you can understand my point. I gained 25 kilos and the lights went down… I fell asleep for a long time.

In 2014 I had the opportunity to visit the United States in a job related trip. Luckily, I had 10 extra days to explore a little bit. I felt like the north was calling me.

@mountainscaper

I discovered on Google Maps a gorgeous area called Kluane National Park, in Yukon, Canada. I felt the urgency to travel there, so I booked a flight. Maybe what I am about to say sounds cliché, but this trip completely changed my life.

"I felt alive again exploring that wild land having the most amazing forests and ice fields I have ever seen."
@mountainscaper

I came back home and decided that enough was enough. I wanted to leave behind all those sad days, so I began to change my lifestyle. Once again I found the motivation to work on myself and on this process, I met two of the best climbers and explorers in Italy – Matteo della Bordella and Luca Schiera. 

As I shared experiences and trips with them, I began to lose weight thanks to my new routine which included lots of training, mountaineering, climbing and self sufficiency hiking. Matteo and his friends taught me a nice principle: 

"To explore should require using only a few mechanical and external elements in order to create a connection with the place you are discovering. One should never leave any trace."

As I gained self-confidence, I decided to keep traveling. In the last years I have visited many wild lands all around the world. I have been to Patagonia, Atacama, Caucasus Range, High Atlas Mountains, the Japanese Alps, the Cordillera Huayhuash, inland Norway, and New Zealand to name just a few. 

At the same time, I also explored my own region, including the Italian Alps. Along all these trips I realized that wilderness is just around the corner, but we have to seek it in order to find it!

"Sometimes I get asked which has been the most special moment I have experienced so far. I always answer that it is all about the process. So to me, every trip is special."
@mountainscaper

So I keep living with this mentality. Exploring the world and capturing its beauty has become my passion. After all, this lifestyle allows me to keep my mind and body healthy. What else can someone need? 

@mountainscaper
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