Retirement doesn’t look the same for everybody. For Marino and Nic Battigelli of Sudbury, retiring from the day jobs gave them the opportunity to pursue their real passion: photography.

The dramatically composed landscape images they produce are as individual as the brothers themselves, but share a keen eye for composition, colour and the interplay of light and shadow.

They opened Two Bees Fine Art Photography in the fall of 2023. “Two bees” like two Bs, as in two Battigellis.

Marino is a retired child psychiatrist who moved back to Sudbury from Burlington after his retirement. He’s been a dedicated shutterbug for 50 years, he said. Nic is a retired teacher with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. His love for photography isn’t as long-standing as his brother’s but his passion is just as high.

And while they share a lot of things in common, one thing they don’t share is equipment. Marino is a Canon guy, while Nic prefers Fuji.

What they love to shoot are landscapes and architectural images. 

“No weddings, no babies,” Nic said.

Fortunately, there are plenty of places for the brothers to ply their trade. Their favourite places to shoot include Capreol, Skead, Cartier, Tilton Lake Road, Secord Falls, Wanup, Kukagami Road and Willisville. They plan to go farther afield, too, with plans to begin exploring Manitoulin Island, Killarney and French River.

The brothers are also community volunteers. They’re currently putting together a fundraising calendar for Independent Living Sudbury-Manitoulin, featuring 13 accessible places in the area. They also teach photography.

Readers of Sudbury.com might recognize Nic’s work. Several of his images have been featured in Sudbury.com’s good morning story that runs at 7 a.m.

If you want to check out the Battigelli brothers’ work, visit their website, TwoBeesFineArt.ca.

Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com.