by Paul Thomson
Landscape Photographer
Earlier this spring, I embarked on an exhilarating photographic journey through one of Italy’s best-kept secrets — the wild and poetic region of Abruzzo. Nestled gracefully between the shimmering Adriatic Sea and the towering Apennine Mountains, Abruzzo is a land of striking contrast: craggy, rugged mountains rise majestically, lush green valleys stretch invitingly, and ancient villages cling tenaciously to the hillsides. This enchanting area boasts an untamed spirit that feels delightfully worlds away from the heavily trodden tourist corridors of Rome or the picturesque landscapes of Tuscany, making it a perfect destination for exploration and creativity.
The Magic of Abruzzo’s Light and Weather
One of the most captivating aspects of this part of Italy — and a major reason I keep returning — is the ever-changing weather that sweeps dramatically through the mountains. In Abruzzo, the elements seem to have a life of their own. One moment, the sky is clear and soft with early morning haze; the next, heavy clouds are tumbling over the ridgelines, casting dynamic shadows across the valleys. It’s this constant flux — the interplay of light, mist, and atmosphere — that creates a dreamlike canvas for photography.
I’ve visited Abruzzo four times now, and each trip has offered entirely different conditions, moods, and photographic opportunities. Whether it’s the golden afterglow of a storm clearing over the Gran Sasso, or a veil of fog lifting slowly from the rolling plains of Campo Imperatore, this region has a way of transforming even the most familiar scenes into something new and unexpected.
There’s a particular quality to the light here — it’s soft yet dramatic, shaped by the altitude and the shifting mountain air. The landscape can go from harsh and contrasty to muted and painterly in a matter of minutes. As a photographer, this is where the magic lives: those transitional moments when the light breaks through, catches on a hillside, or highlights a single ridge while the valley below stays in shadow.
That unpredictability, far from being frustrating, is what makes photographing in Abruzzo so rewarding. You’re always on alert, always scanning the horizon, ready to adapt. And with a lens like the Sigma 16-300mm, I could react quickly to these changing scenes — zooming wide to capture the drama of an approaching storm, then punching in tight as a ray of light skimmed across a distant peak.
Abruzzo doesn’t offer the postcard predictability of some more well-trodden Italian regions. It offers something far more compelling — wild, raw, honest beauty shaped by nature’s whim. And no matter how many times I return, it never fails to surprise, challenge, and inspire.
But what made this trip truly different wasn’t merely the stunning location — it was the innovative gear I chose to bring along with me. For the very first time on a significant photography adventure, I decided to challenge myself by using just one lens: the newly released Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 specifically designed for the Fujifilm X mount. My goal was to thoroughly test the limits of this versatile all-in-one superzoom lens — to determine whether one lens could genuinely be sufficient to handle a variety of photographic needs. Could it effectively keep up with the ever-changing demands of capturing landscape scenes, travel moments, intricate details, and even the unpredictable nature of wildlife photography?
After ten days in Abruzzo, I have my answer — and it surprised me in the best possible way.
Why I Chose the Sigma 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS | Contemporary
Packing for a photography trip often involves agonizing over gear choices: Do I take the wide-angle for sweeping vistas? The telephoto for distant peaks? The fast prime for low light and subject separation? This time, I decided to travel lighter and smarter — or at least, test whether that was possible.
Sigma’s 16-300mm offers a whopping 18.75x zoom range, effectively replacing a bag full of lenses. On paper, it’s ideal for travel and landscape shooters who value versatility, and with the recent release of the Fujifilm X mount version, it made perfect sense to put it through its paces.
Fitted to my Fujifilm X-T4, the lens felt reassuringly solid. It’s not a featherweight lens, but considering the range it covers, it’s remarkably compact and balances nicely on the X-T4 body. The build quality is typical Sigma — no frills but robust and dependable, with a weather-resistant mount that’s a welcome addition for landscape photographers.
Day 1–3: Gran Sasso and Campo Imperatore – The Power of Wide and Far
My journey began in Gran Sasso d’Italia, Italy’s highest mountain range south of the Alps. The Campo Imperatore plateau, often referred to as “Little Tibet,” offered the kind of vast, rolling terrain and dramatic skies that beg for a wide-angle lens. At 16mm, I could do full justice to the grandeur of the landscape — layered foothills leading up to snow-capped peaks, under dramatic light that shifted minute by minute.
On one early morning hike across the Campo Imperatore plateau, low clouds drifted silently over the open plains as the first light of day broke over the Apennines. The sun rose slowly, casting a soft, golden glow across the frost-covered grass and highlighting the delicate textures of the landscape. With the Sigma 16-300mm mounted on my camera, I was able to capture expansive environmental shots at 16mm, truly conveying the vastness and ethereal beauty of the scene. Moments later, I could effortlessly zoom in to pick out intimate details. The ability to transition instantly from wide to telephoto without changing lenses made me feel completely in sync with the moment — responsive, unobtrusive, and fully immersed in the unfolding scene. Autofocus at both ends of the zoom range proved surprisingly fast and reliable. It wasn’t as lightning-quick as a dedicated Fujinon prime, but it never left me struggling either. For a superzoom, it performed amazingly well
Day 4–5: Medieval Villages and Narrow Streets – A Travel Photographer’s Dream
From the wilderness of the mountains, I descended into the heart of Abruzzo’s historic hill towns: Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Castel del Monte
These towns are a photographer’s paradise, with textured walls, crumbling stone, narrow passages, and lived-in charm. Here, the 16-300mm shined again — I could quickly switch from a wide shot of a cobbled alleyway to zooming in on a weathered wooden door, iron window grates, or the soft afternoon light filtering through a lace curtain.
Day 6–7: Rocca Calascio
No trip to Abruzzo is complete without visiting Rocca Calascio, a mountaintop fortress famous among photographers for its moody ruins and panoramic views. As sunset approached, the light changed rapidly, going from brilliant gold to dusky purples.
This was a challenging environment: strong backlighting, deep shadows, and the need for quick focal adjustments. The Sigma handled it well, although I did notice some softness at 300mm when shooting wide open. Stopping down to f/8 or f/11 brought back clarity and sharpness.
Encounters with Wildlife – Flexibility on the Fly
One of the unexpected highlights of my time in Abruzzo was the opportunity to photograph wildlife — a rewarding challenge that added another dimension to the trip. The region’s national parks, especially Gran Sasso are teeming with natural life, from wild horses and birds of prey to shy mountain dwellers like deer and chamois.
The telephoto reach proved invaluable when subjects appeared unexpectedly or were too far for a standard zoom. I often found myself walking with the lens set to somewhere between 200mm and 300mm, scanning the environment and quickly composing shots from afar.
Autofocus was consistently fast and reliable, even when tracking quick movements or shooting in dappled light. While the maximum aperture of f/6.3 at the long end can be limiting in some wildlife scenarios, bumping the ISO on my Fujifilm X-T4 compensated effectively, and the resulting images retained excellent quality with minimal noise.
Overall, the lens gave me the freedom to respond to wildlife opportunities without hesitation — a crucial factor when dealing with fleeting moments in unpredictable conditions. Whether I was walking through open grasslands or forested trails, I always felt equipped and ready to capture what nature offered.
Closing Thoughts: A Creative Liberation
This trip turned out to be about more than just capturing stunning photographs — it was a meaningful test in the art of creative simplification. By intentionally limiting myself to just one versatile lens, I discovered that I was able to work more intuitively, allowing me to respond to the unfolding scenes around me more quickly and with greater ease. This approach resulted in a deeper immersion in the entire photographic experience. I found that I wasn’t weighed down by an excess of gear or distracted by moments of uncertainty and indecision, which allowed for a more fulfilling exploration of my surroundings.
ABOUT
PAUL THOMSON
Landscape Photographer
Paul Thomson is a professional landscape photographer based in Castle Carrock, near the Lake District. With a passion for the outdoors, he captures the beauty of the North Pennines and other stunning landscapes. Paul is an ambassador for several brands including Kase Filters Global, Cameracal, Nature First, f-Stop, Kingjoy Tripods UK, and Fjern Outdoors. His work has been published in Practical Photography Magazine and featured on the BBC. He contributes to Outdoor Photography Guides and runs a YouTube channel and podcast. Paul offers residential workshops in the UK and abroad, as well as one-to-one tuition.
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