All images by Roberta Pagano. Used with permission.
I’m fascinated by the world’s most remote places and the life that exists within them. Even more than that, I’m drawn to the photographers who travel to the ends of the earth to document moments most of us will never witness firsthand. Roberta Pagano is one of those photographers. She is a nature and wildlife photographer who deeply cares about protecting the environment and sharing its beauty with the world.
Roberta Pagano.
While researching wildlife photography, I was stopped in my tracks when I landed on Pagano’s page. Right in front of me was a heartwarming image of a female polar bear with her cub. It was impossible to look away.
If you know anything about polar bears, you’ll know they are among the largest threats to humans and one of the few animals that will actively hunt us. Yet here they were, tender and calm, almost inviting me into the frame to rest alongside them.
Spending time with Pagano’s work felt like a quiet escape from the constant doom and gloom that floods our screens each day. It reminded me why connecting with nature matters, and why preserving everything within it is so important.
I caught up with the Italian photographer to learn more about her love for exploration and the experiences that continue to shape her work.
Them Frames: Hello Roberta! Please can you share some of your early life experiences and how they contributed to your photographic eye?
Roberta Pagano: Starting photography often comes from curiosity and the desire to capture moments and evoke emotions. From an early age, I was particularly fascinated by the animal world.
Spending time immersed in nature taught me patience and attentiveness, and I learned to wait, to listen, and to notice the smallest details and the subtlest interactions long before I ever held a camera.
The desire to share the wonders I observed, and the belief that photography is a powerful tool for communicating and sharing ideas, did the rest.
Them Frames: In your bio you say “The welfare of wildlife and the integrity of its environment will always come before the pursuit of an image.” How do you ensure this statement remains true?
Roberta Pagano: My passion for photography grew hand in hand with a deep curiosity about the natural world and an interest in understanding its underlying mechanisms. Growing up with this close relationship to nature made me aware of how profoundly interconnected everything is. We are not above nature, we are part of it, immersed in a single unified system.
This awareness continues to shape my photographic approach today: rather than imposing myself on a scene, I seek to enter it quietly and respectfully, allowing nature to reveal itself in its own time. As a naturalist – I hold a degree in Natural Sciences – I believe that no photograph is worth more than the life it portrays or the landscape it inhabits. This belief guides every step I take in the field.
Them Frames: You’ve photographed Polar bears in some very remote locations, what is that experience like?
Roberta Pagano: Encountering a Polar Bear in its natural environment is an experience that leaves truly strong impressions. Watching its majestic stride across the Arctic ice, as it sniffs the cold air in search of scents, is an image that will stay with me for a long time. I won’t hide the fact that sometimes, while observing them, I stop shooting and put my lens aside to fully enjoy this incredible experience.
Them Frames: Where are some of your favorite spots to make photos, and which locations are on your bucket list?
Roberta Pagano: I am deeply interested in the Arctic environment in general. The Svalbard archipelago, in particular, is a place I love profoundly, I have visited many times, and I always enjoy returning.
From our latitudes, Arctic problems may seem distant, but this is a misconception. The consequences of climate change are sadly real and tangible everywhere in the world, and even more so in this fragile ecosystem, which plays a special role in the global climate.
Discovering Svalbard many years ago was a true revelation for me. The Arctic place I would love to photograph and explore, and which is on my wish list, is Greenland, where I plan to travel in the near future.
Them Frames: If you could blend a song or album with your portfolio, which would it be and why?
Roberta Pagano: I love rock and metal music, but when I think about photography, Depeche Mode comes to mind, a band I love dearly. If I were to include a song in my portfolio, it would definitely be “Enjoy the Silence”: “All I ever wanted. All I ever needed is here in my arms.” It expresses everything I feel.
Them Frames: Finally, please finish this sentence: I need photography in my life because…
Roberta Pagano: Expressing myself through images is a true remedy for the soul.
You can enjoy more work by Roberta Pagano by visiting her website and Instagram.
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