Ambassador | Francesco Capaccioni @kdallasteppa

Juni 21, 2021Von Team Support

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER | ITALY | @KDALLASTEPPA

Francesco, better known as @kdallasteppa, is a travel photographer who has worked with us since the beginning. It's been an absolute pleasure to have him on the team as a content creator and peer. We absolutely love his style and enthusiasm for travel photography. Make sure to check him out on Instagram and get inspired!

At Cortazu, we’re proud to say Francesco has been using our gear during his travels these past years. Let’s get to know him a little bit better by asking him some questions about himself, his travels, and why he’s working with Cortazu!

HI FRANCESCO, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR YOURSELF

Hey! I am an Italian guy. I want to highlight this not for the usual reasons; pasta, football, Ferrari, Rome and Venice. I want to highlight this because we Italians have a big problem that is likely not well known to most. The problem is that we are so used to ignoring the beauties of our own country! We take them for granted each and every day. The same could of course be said about many other countries, but I firmly believe that here in Italy it stems from deeper roots and has made its way into our subconscious way of living.

The reason I think this attitude is unjustified, is that anywhere you are in Italy (and I can say this with confidence, having explored practically all of it) you’ll find a lot of undiscovered, beautiful areas within a 10km radius of you. That is what I believe to be the main difference between myself and the average Italian. I am addicted to exploring and discovering the undiscovered. The more unknown a place is, the happier I am to discover and explore it. This was something I learned about myself quite late, after many years of university, armed with an old Nikon gifted to me by my uncle as a graduation gift, I found my passion.

Fast forward to today, and I was able to grow to over 50,000 followers and collaborate with travel agencies promoting their trips around the world. This was an absolute dream for me, being able to travel for free in exchange for my content. As I began to get noticed I was approached by many prestigious companies, and have now worked with companies such as American Express, Dolomite,Vodafone, Tomtom, Sony, Motorola and many more.

I am blessed to be able to pursue my passion, this alone motivates me to continue.

WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO TRAVELING AND PHOTOGRAPHY?

To travel is to explore, exploration is mostly seen as being outside, but can also occur inside us as human beings. Photography is just a reaction to this, a way to show how you feel in that place, in that moment.

Exploring is what makes me happy about life, and I love inspiring my followers to do the same. Helping others find themselves and find happiness in travelling is a pleasure and often way easier than you would think. I have found that often it is not financial means prohibiting them to do this, rather them needing an extra push to get out of their comfort zone.

WHAT’S YOUR BEST TRAVEL MEMORY?

I have countless travel memories that I will never forget, but the one that comes to mind is watching the sunset in Lapland. It was unbelievable that something so white could appear so orange, almost gold. The silence of the place gave an eerie yet surreal feeling. I felt outside of this world. The temperature was -40 degrees, but I felt warm!

INSPIRE US. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE DESTINATIONS?

I am in love with Iceland! I have been there twice so far but would happily visit again and again. Iceland is not just a place, it is a feeling. Roaming there you feel the rumbling under your feet, the everbecoming of land that is so young and forever changing. In my opinion there is nowhere on this planet quite like Iceland. I would love to revisit as I think my skill set has developed since my last visit, and I'd like to be able to show my true feelings about Iceland through my shots.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU MATCH WITH CORTAZU SO WELL?

As I mentioned earlier I have been lucky enough to work with a ton of different international brands, but the ones with which I feel a deep connection are the ones I sought out myself. I began working with Cortazu way back when they were still Cortez Outerwear, by finding them on Kickstarter. They didn’t even have a website at the time! I was blown away by their products and wrote to them right away to sincerely share my enthusiasm and spread the word of their brand all over. Having worked with many other premium outerwear brands, I always take my Cortazu with me on my travels. I love the design, the colour, and the fabric. It is the most essential piece for my travels when the weather is uncertain.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE CORTAZU ITEMS?

The mountain hard shell is my masterpiece. I always take that with me, wherever I go. Is it too windy? I bring it. Maybe it will rain? Okay, let's go. Will it be freezing at the peak? Doesn’t matter. It's just an essential for me. I can't roam without it!