Fabiano Sodi

"Attiré par les riants objets qui m'entourent, je les considère, je les contemple, je les compare, j'apprends enfin à les classer, et me voilà tout d'un coup aussi botaniste qu'a besoin de l'être celui qui ne veut étudier la nature que pour trouver sans cesse de nouvelles raisons de l'aimer."

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire (septième promenade)

I like to define myself as a naturalistic photographer specialized in illustrating plants, gardens, and natural landscapes. I began to take an interest in photography around the 1990s; however, at first, the camera was just a tool for me, a simple instrument that allowed me to document and share my experiences in nature with others. Only later did I feel the need to delve deeper into this extraordinary means of communication, which happened when I understood the communicative potential of an image.
As time passed, photography increasingly attracted and continues to attract me. Over the years, I've experimented with various areas: I've dedicated myself to landscape and wildlife photography, tried my hand at reportage and Still Life, and even ventured into portraiture, albeit without great satisfaction until I decided to return to my roots and focus on what I knew best: the plant world. I aimed to capitalize on everything I had learned technically up to that point in this specific sector.
From 1998 to 2012, I collaborated with the naturalistic photography agency PANDA PHOTO and from 2001 to 2016 with the magazine GIARDINI, a publication dedicated to environmental and gardening hobbies by Logos Publishing (now Libri.it INTER LOGOS S.R.L.). For this magazine, I wrote articles on travel, botanical excursions, and other topics related to the world of plants In my texts, I always tried to address somewhat unusual topics, generally rare or little-known plants, but what I preferred most was to explore those themes where the plant universe intersects with human traditions and culture.
Over the years, through agencies or even through direct contact, several of my photographs have appeared in numerous publications, both digital and print, such as web pages, books, and magazines. Among the most notable publications that have featured some of my images, I can recall: TRAVELLER, L'ESPRESSO, DONNA MODERNA, IL VENERDÌ, AGRITURISMO, TOSCANA QUI, IL GIARDINO FIORITO, GARDENIA. Among books, I could mention "La Casa - vol.12 - Vivere il verde; La biblioteca di Repubblica-L'Espresso; 2006; Logos/Gruppo editoriale l'Espresso".
As I've already mentioned, I have always been interested in nature and wild flora, especially wild orchids. Although I don't possess academic titles, I've had the opportunity to write some more technical articles on this subject in specialized journals. In this regard, I particularly remember the research work carried out in the Tuscan Archipelago, the reporting of new or rare species for the province of Florence, and the typification and description of a new orchid variety. In this sector, I am also the author of the book "NATURA E AMBIENTE DEL CHIANTI GREVIGIANO" published by Edizioni Polistampa in 1999.
Today, I manage an archive of over 16,000 images covering various topics in the plant world. I have images of ornamental plants and gardens, natural landscapes, mushrooms, trees, wildherbs, and wildflowers, all correctly identified and indexed. At the moment, however, only a portion of this archive is available online. Recently, I have also been dedicating myself particularly to the microstock market under the pseudonym Vainillaychile. In this field, I specialize in producing images dedicated to vegetable ingredients for cooking, edible, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and ethnic plants, and with such material, I am present in the catalogs of the most renowned international agencies.

A short list of jobs

Books


Covers


Magazines
Cose dell'Altro Mondo (Giardini 253 - 2012)

I Figli delle Nuvole (Giardini 256 - 2012)

Il Giardino di Vovo Isabel (Giardini 233bis - 2008)

Il Parco del Castello di Sammezzano (Giardini n 258 - 2013)

La Salvia che profuma di anice - Gen. 2004

Il Mare Senese (Toscana Qui XXVI)

Web