Nature photography is a means of conveying respect for all forms of life

3 September 2024 Forests in photos

This September, our photo of the month is ‘Autumn Colours, taken by Sonia Fantini at Lake Bordaglia in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy.

The photo was the winner of our 2019 ‘Experience Forests, Experience PEFC’ photo contest and a runner-up in the 2023 Best of the Best contest. In our interview, Sonia told us more about her magical photo that she had taken just one week before many of the region’s forests were destroyed by a violent storm.

How does the forest continue to inspire you and your photography?

The forest remains the place where I find myself completely absorbed in photography, time passes and everything else disappears.

Have the forests you photograph in changed since you took your winning photo?

Nothing has changed in the forests I frequent; everything has fortunately remained intact.

How has your photography journey continued since you participated in the PEFC Photo Contest?

Nature photography for me is the means of conveying respect for all forms of life, through the dissemination of its beauty with images.

What can each of us do to safeguard our forests?

In the coming years, we should look for a compromise between humans and nature to coexist in a mutually favourable balance.

Have you discovered anything about PEFC and/or certification over these past years that you didn’t know before?

I find the PEFC label in many everyday objects, I had never noticed it before, and it makes me happy to know that there is a sustainable supply chain for their production.