Introduction
Emanuele Siracusa is another fantastic photographer who I met on my recent trip to India. He blogs at The Siracusas & is a true nomad who lives on the road with his wife and young son. Born in Italy, he fluently speaks many languages including: Portugese, Italian, Spanish & English. (Perhaps even more.)
What impresses me most about Emanuele is his true passion for photography. When we were together in India, he often wandered around in order to find the most interesting people and things to photograph. This passion results in some amazing photos as you will see. On to the interview!
Interview
1. How long have you been writing/blogging about travel and why did you start?
I started blogging at the end of 2010, when my wife and I were a few weeks into our first around the world trip.
2. What was your first memorable travel experience/trip?
My first time in India was very memorable. We landed in Delhi and stayed a couple of days before venturing into Rajasthan. I still remember the intense culture shock we experienced in Delhi and the amazing time we had in Rajasthan once the shock was over.
On the same trip, we visited various destinations in Kerala, Goa, and visited Mumbai on our last stop. We loved every bit of the trip. I’ve been to India three times now and although I don’t get culture-shocked anymore, my second and third trips were as memorable as the first one.
3. Can you tell me what makes your blog unique?
I don’t know if my blog is unique, but I can tell you it has a strong photographic element which defines it. Most of my posts, especially the most recent ones are photo-essay based, or a photo round-up of trips I’ve been to and things I’ve shot.
When we started out, we were pretty much a couple-travel blog, but then I got into photography and the blog evolved into what it is now. Romana, my wife, still writes from time to time, but she’s now getting involved in other projects and I’m creating most of the content now.
4. What is your absolute favorite place in the world and why?
I don’t really have a favorite place, but a few places among those ones I’ve visited have stolen my heart. One is India. It is such a complex country and I think I will never get tired of travelling to India. Another place I want to visit many times is Bali, in Indonesia. Such a magical place!
5. Can you share a useful travel tip with my readers? Something that you have learned through your own travel experiences.
Ditch travel guidebooks or at least don’t take them too seriously. If you do then you’ll end up visiting the same restaurants, cafès and attractions that everyone else who bought the same book goes to. Take your time, just go out there, explore, talk to people, ask questions, and, most importantly, form your own ideas about a place instead of accepting the prepackaged concepts you find in travel guidebooks.
6. What inspires you?
People who are amazing at what they do inspire me. Those who have a “why” behind their mission often have something great reflect in their work.
7. What is your overall favorite travel experience and why?
Being a photography enthusiast, my favorite travel experiences happen when I come across situations that are particularly photogenic or interesting in any way.
I’m a big fan of religious festivals from all over the world and in the last couple of years I’ve shot Catholic Saints festivals in villages in Sicily, Italy, Buddhist celebrations in Thailand and, recently, Easter processions in the north of Portugal. I’m not a religious person myself but for many reasons religions are an interest topic and an exciting photographic subject.
8. Why do you continue to travel?
I can’t imagine my life without travel. I’m a very curious person and there is only so much I can do to keep my wanderlust and my passion for discovery under control.
9. Backpack or suitcase and why?
Backpack – it reflects my travel style, although I’ve been seen travelling with a suitcase every now and then.
10. Do you have anything else to share with my readers?
Yes, I’m working on an instructional project to help people improve their photographic expression and technique. If you think this may interest you, then stay tuned and subscribe to my blog to get updates. 🙂
Conclusion
I want to thank Emanuele for taking the time to answer my questions and more importantly for sharing his amazing photos with us. I highly encourage you to visit Emanuele’s personal website & his blog where you can view much more of his work.
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Shawn,
Nice quick read.
Great hearing all different points of view in the travel world
Do you have an absolute favorite place?
Thanks Fran! That is a tough one. I would say my favorite country is either Thailand or Guatemala. It is tough to pick just one, but my favorite single place would probably be Hong Kong since the energy there is amazing. Of course I have favorite cultural places, favorite beaches, etc. New York is high on my list of favorite places as well!