SheFeatures: Adriana Benetti Longhini
Name: Adriana Benetti Longhini
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Favourite type of photography: Landscape
Location: Asiago, northern Italy
Website: www.adrianabenettilonghini.com
Instagram: @adrianablphotography
How did you get into photography?
Through studying for my degree in Fine Arts
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I have a degree in Fine Arts.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
Reflection of an old gate in Lago Puccini, Tuscany with my Minolta XD-7.
What do you love about photography?
Great landscapes, nature and solitude.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
To take my time and practise what I term as "slow photography".
Where is your favourite place for photography?
The magnificent Dolomites, so close to home.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
Panorama shots and focus stacking.
Read our Lensbaby Sweet 22 Review
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
Before loading my photos into Lightroom, I catalogue them on my Mac in specific files. Then, in Lightroom, I do very little other than lens correction and some minor adjustments before passing through to Photoshop for further work. I sharpen in Photoshop and, to some extent, use the Orton effect in most of my landscapes. Back through in LR, I adjust colours, white balance to suit the shot and also adjust the tone curve. I always save a PSD file to the original folder on my computer if further tweaking is needed. My work then gets saved for printing and also a smaller file for social media.
What's your favourite lens?
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM
Read our Guide to Camera Lenses, all those terms explained
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My Benro tripod.
Read our Peak Design Slide Lite Review
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
No, I have a few in different sizes, but I find them all uncomfortable.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
Joe Cornish, who I greatly admire for his simple and no-nonsense approach to landscape photography. His images are not over the top, or over processed and I think he has influenced me to become fully part of my chosen location and absorb the essence of the landscape.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Sara Jazbar (@jazart72), Charlotte Gibb (@charlottegibb) and Perri Schelat (@perrikschelatphotography)
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I have a medium-sized carbon fibre tripod, and I'd like to get a larger version.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but you haven't tried yet?
Pet photography
What's your proudest photographic moment?
I once was the Artist in Residence for "Frames Magazine" for a month.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
The ability to control the weather!
Your favourite baked goods are?
Krapfen (a northern Italian doughnut).
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Arusha, Tanzania in Africa below the slopes of Mount Meru and her majestic neighbour Kilimanjaro. My school years where spent at Arusha School and then at the International School Moshi. My childhood days were filled with memories of having glorious fun at our family's coffee plantation, and our numerous holidays with grandparents and family at Lake Manyara, Mombasa, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
During the 1970's my parents left Tanzania for greener pastures in South Africa, first in Durban and eventually to Johannesburg. I studied Fine Arts in Durban, where I ventured into the world of photography, loving the hours in the darkroom developing predominately black and white photos.
In recent years I have gone back to live in Asiago, northern Italy where my ancestors originated....a beautiful but diverse and difficult country, perhaps more so than Africa. I have a huge love for Europe and the diverse beauty she offers, and this continues to inspire me to use the magic of light and capture what I see and share it with the rest of the world.
