Virgil is from a small French town between Lyon and the Swiss border.
In June 2011, with nothing more than a bag on his back, Virgil set out to explore the world and discover his passion for the great outdoors and photography. In 2011, his first year of traveling, he began guiding friends and tourists in the Daintree rainforest for fun, which sparked his interest in becoming a guide.
Since he is traveling, he has lived in seven different countries, including Australia, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Svalbard, and has visited more than 60 others across every continent. He developed a deep affection for the Daintree rainforest in Australia and its local community.
The Guiding Parkour
Over the years, Virgil has cultivated a global network of connections that propelled him into a career as a full-time outdoor guide in 2016. Following his passion for the Arctic, he ventured north and embarked on guiding snowmobile trips during his first winter in Lapland, Finland. In the subsequent three summers, Virgil found himself guiding white water rafting adventures in the glacial waters of Iceland and the rivers of southern Norway. Always seeking new challenges, in 2018, he expanded his guiding endeavors even further north to Svalbard, where he joined a local Norwegian company based in Longyearbyen.
With years of experience and a growing repertoire of skills in the Arctic, Virgil now spends approximately five months each year guiding polar expedition vessels. Leveraging his extensive knowledge of the Arctic, Virgil has expanded his guiding reach to encompass broader polar regions, including Greenland, Northern Canada, South Georgia, and Antarctica. He possesses a wide range of skills and serves as an expedition leader, photography leader, naturalist guide, lecturer, sea kayaking guide, zodiac driver, and polar bear monitor including firearm handling.
Additionally, since the winter of 2018, he has taken on the role of a professional photography instructor in Tromsø, Northern Norway. He hosts private photography tours and workshops that focus on capturing the breathtaking Arctic landscapes and the renowned Aurora Borealis.
Does Virgil live off his photography?
The varied experiences as a nature guide in the North have enabled Virgil to achieve financial comfort, continuous learning opportunities, building connections, and incredible photo opportunities. Years of serving as a tour guide have granted him access to remote and challenging locations. Sharing knowledge has also evolved into a passion for him.
Every day, he ventures into the wilderness, closely observing the changing light, ice, and wildlife from one month to another. Each season offers unique perspectives in the polar regions, and witnessing these transformations provides a significant advantage for his photography and the narratives behind his shots. This mindset has allowed him to enhance his photography skills and elevate his guiding abilities and creativity to new heights, enabling him to merge his passion with his work.
In other words, guiding in such remote and inhospitable places on Earth nourishes his photography and deepens his understanding of the natural world.
His Photography Mind
Virgil is specialized in Polar Landscape and Night Photography. He has a huge focus on polar light and the famous aurora borealis.
''Patience and creativity are all you need.''
Virgil is a self-taught individual who believes in the power of self-guided learning and the sharing of knowledge among peers. His unwavering passion for photography and the great outdoors drives him to constantly improve, integrating photography into his daily life. One distinctive aspect of his photography style is his focus on capturing the northern lights, which inspires him to create robust and meaningful compositions around them. The movement of the viewer's eye within the frame is the essence of creating powerful images.
The photos showcased in his gallery are the result of countless hours spent braving snowstorms, enduring strong winds, enduring extreme temperatures, and patiently waiting for nature to present that precise, extraordinary moment. These images stand as a testament to Virgil's dedication and the immense amount of effort he invests in his craft..
"A great aurora image is a great image even without aurora."
Really often, the aurora is the wow effect of the photograph, the icing on the cake.
Virgil is always oriented on understanding and respecting his surroundings, finding the best angles and techniques for his compositions, and looking fo the right orientation to sublime the light in relation to his chosen subjects. Many attempts are made to capture the unique shot, and this is what makes stories behind the photo; This is what makes a cliché unrepeatable, even for himself.
POLARPOD - LEADING the opening expedition of PERSEVERANCE in Svalbard - July 2023
Virgil had the honor to lead the opening expedition of Perseverance in Svalbard alongside with Jean-Louis Etienne.
As the expedition leader, he had the opportunity to bring this incredible sailing vessel part of the Polar POD Expédition official in Svalbard to some incredible locations. It was the first trip of Perseverance into the ice and with guests, and it was a big success!
PUBLICATIONS
THE GUARDIAN - World Nature Photography Awards - Gold winner - www.thegradian.com
GEO.fr - World Nature Photography Awards 2022 - www.geo.fr
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FRANCE - Article Interview/guide photographer - www.nationalgeographic-fr
THE GUARDIAN - Northern Lights photographer of the year 2022 – in pictures - www.theguardian.com
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPAIN - Las mejores imágenes del concurso MontPhoto 2022 - www.nationalgeographic.com.es
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPAIN - Las mejores fotos de auroras boreales de 2021 - www.nationalgeographic.com.es/
NATURE IN FOCUS - Winners Of The Northern Lights Photographer Of The Year 2022 -www.natureinfocus.in
PETAPIXEL - April 2023 - ''The 2022 Unique Aurora Shot'' - Full article - petapixel.com/2023
DIY PHOTOGRAPHY - March 2023 - ''The 2022 Unique Aurora Shot'' - Full Article - www.diyphotography.net
THE GUARDIAN - 2021 Northern lights photographer of the year – in pictures - www.theguardian.com
PETAPIXEL - March 2022 - ''The 2022 Unique Aurora Shot'' - Full article petapixel.com/howIcapturedaskierwithaurora
DIY PHOTOGRAPHY - March 2022 - ''The 2022 Unique Aurora Shot'' - Full Article - www.diyphotography.net
VISIT NORTHERN NORWAY Tourism Board - March 2022 ''The 2022 Unique Aurora Shot'' - Full Article -nordnorge.com/en/artikkel
THE EYE OF PHOTOGRAPHY - February 6th2021 - Series ''Arctic Night Life'' - loeildelaphotographie.com/en/virgil-reglioni-dv/
LE ROUTARD - July 2020 - Article & interview with Portfolio on ''How To Capture The Aurora'' www.routard.com
Public Collaborations
In early 2022, Virgil has his first contributions to the European Space Agency. He was invited to participate in and hold an online presentation at the Aurora Service workshop about Space Weather activities and end-user experiences.
End of October 2022, Virgil finds his aurora photography work exhibited at the 2022 ESWW, The 2022 European Space Weather Week organized by the European Space Agency.
Seven of his aurora photographs are displayed for the exhibition during the whole week in La PLAZA - Zagreb - Croatia.
Virgil is also holding a presentation of his photography work in person at ESWW & an Instagram Live session via ESA account (2.7M). Included in this presentation, the planification behind the shot, the use of the ESA's aurora tools, and some storytelling images.
Congrès Des Métiers De L'Image - 23/24/25 Avril 2023 - Vannes France
avec la Federation Française de Photographie et des Métiers de l'Image
Conférence - L'histoire Polaire
''Nous verrons comment mon amour pour le monde polaire, le froid, et les jours sans lumière m'ont amené à créer une symbiose entre mon travail et ma plus grande passion qu'est la photographie. Quelle est mon approche en terme de composition? Qu'est ce que je recherche à travers mes images? Et surtout comment est-ce que je construis mon histoire derrière ces clichés uniques ? Le lien sera fait entre 11 ans de voyages, mon présent et mes projets.''
