About Gabriel
Born in 1961 in Basel, I grew up in Italy, lived in Zurich and Basel, and moved to Ticino in 1994.I am a wildlife photographer with a strong focus on African photographic safaris, particularly in Tanzania. My long-term goal is to dedicate myself entirely to photography once I retire from my professional career.
Photography has been part of my life since the age of ten. At fourteen, I bought my first SLR camera with my own savings. At twenty, I transformed my mother’s laundry room into a makeshift darkroom to develop black-and-white photographs — an experience she remembers mainly for the acid splashes and chemical smells.
Throughout my career, extensive business and leisure travel has always been accompanied by a camera. In 1993, together with my wife, I discovered the national parks of Africa — a moment that marked the beginning of a lasting connection and a constant desire to return whenever possible.
In 2004, I transitioned to my first digital Nikon camera and have remained loyal to the brand ever since, up to my most recent move to a mirrorless system.
Over the years, I have attended specialized photography courses, ranging from night photography in Norway to capture the Northern Lights, to wildlife and nature photography in Zimbabwe. My inspiration for black-and-white photography is Nick Brandt..
In 2024 and 2025 I exhibited a series of sepia black and white elephant photographs in Switzerlan, with the sale of the photographs benefiting a school in Kenya (atkye.africa-photography.ch).
Photography as a Shared Experience
I personally travel with the group as a photographer.
Over more than thirty years of safaris across African national parks, photography has been a constant companion. My approach has evolved through experience — through images that worked, many that did not, and countless lessons learned in real field conditions.
Rather than formal teaching, I openly share this long-term photographic journey: what I have learned about camera settings, lens choices, composition, light, and animal behaviour — but also the mistakes I made, the approaches that failed, and how my photographic vision has changed over time.
These exchanges happen naturally during the safari: in the vehicle at sightings, while adapting to changing light, or during quiet moments in camp. The focus is always on real situations in the field, not on theory or predefined lessons.
In the evenings at the lodge, when conditions allow, we also share informal post-production discussions. These are interactive exchanges around image selection, editing choices, and creative interpretation using tools such as Photoshop, again including both successes and missteps.
The spirit is collaborative and honest. Every participant brings their own experience and perspective, and the goal is that everyone — myself included — returns home enriched, inspired, and with a clearer photographic vision shaped by shared experience rather than fixed rules.
This philosophy is central to how I design bespoke photographic safaris: flexible, experience-driven journeys built around real photography in real conditions.
