Francesco Casole Country: Italy I was born in Italy, more precisely in Gallipoli in 1980. From a very young age I have always loved the world of photography even if I didn't really understand the alchemy that was hidden within it. In 2005, with the advent of the first slightly more advanced cell phones, I started shooting, and I haven't stopped since. My first camera arrived in 2012, a small Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR, given to me by my mother. My mentors were blogs and tutorials, how to use horizontal lines, cropping photos, and other important details to perfect photos. After a few months, I got comfortable with the camera and using all these basic operations, as well as Photoshop and Lightroom. In general I am inclined towards all photographic genres but I prefer black and white photos especially in "Street photography". I never separate from my Nikon D7200 which I always carry with me even during business trips. The things I loved and still love to photograph are flowers and landscapes, especially in my beloved Salento.

I recently also approached the world of infrared photography by having a Nikon D90 with a 690nm filter modified... a parallel but equally exciting world, from which excellent black and white photos can also be obtained. Since 2017 I have been a member of the U.I.F. (Italian Photographers Union) and Regional Secretary U.I.F. for Puglia region since 2022. 
With my friends from the U.I.F. I collaborate and publish themed exhibitions on a quarterly basis to then conclude in the summer with a printed exhibition in the suggestive places of Salento.
Although for some time I was a "lone wolf" of photography, I am now part of a photo club that boasts a history of amateur photography spanning almost 50 years.
On an international level, I am part of GPU and Image Sans Frontière, a need born from the need to interact with people who practice photography not as a job, but as a passion, from which I can learn and enrich my notional and creative background.
I like to challenge myself and challenge myself from a photographic point of view and this is why I frequently participate in various national and international photography competitions where I have obtained a fair number of awards, 1st place in Dacca, Nicosia, Bucharest, Prague, Pescara as well as second and third places and several honorable mentions.
I have achieved the following photographic honors:
-UIF (ITA): Meritorious for artistic photography (3 stars);
-GPU (USA): “Corona liv. 2” for international acceptances and “Hermes” TITLE for portfolio;
-ISF (FRA): RISF title (level 4) for number of international acceptances sponsored and the "Distinguished Exhibitor" merit badge for international podiums;
-APS (IND): title of “Master Aps” by number of international acceptances;
-APG (GRG): title of “A-APG” for number of international acceptances sponsored;
I unexpectedly received the honor "Hon.CPE" from the Campina Photographic Exhibition Society on my birthday, a company I had already looked at for some time and appreciated in terms of seriousness and exceptional organization.
I conclude with a quote from Cornell Capa: "Photography has the ability to provide images of man and his environment that are both works of art and moments of history..." and I want to continue, in my small way, to write about history.