There is no shortage of photos of Monaco, especially with a plenteous parade of influencers capturing their pouts in front of glistening yachts or the iconic Casino with their iPhones.
“These days, most smartphones off er excellent camera modules, complete and versatile, allowing you to take beautiful photos even in difficult conditions such as low light,” says photographer Aline Mota, who shot the December 2020/January 2021 Forbes Monaco cover.
“But even with the best camera phones— like the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra—you won’t become a photographer overnight because you need the technical basics.” For Mota, it takes time and work to develop a photographic eye that determines whether the image you are looking at is a quality image. “To be a photographer, you also have to be passionate and have a touch of creativity.”
It was during her travels around the world that the Brazilian from Fortaleza became intrigued in street photography, snapping people in spontaneous moments in outdoor public spaces. “The U.S. made a real impact me because of the variety of settings. New York is a great playground for its beautiful urban architecture and for street photography but I also loved northern Arizona for the magnificent Grand Canyon visual, as well as Monument Valley, an incredible landscape that has been the filming location for many classics of American cinema,” Aline describes.
She moved to the South of France in 2012 and five years later started working in photography professionally, specializing in outdoors shoots. “It’s true that there are a lot of photographers on the French Riviera,” admits Mota, who speaks Portuguese and French, “but with the number of requests for private events, portraits and birthday parties, and for print publication and shows, there is enough work to go around.”
Mota shares that for her photo shoot of billionaire businessman and Monaco resident Alexander Vik for the last cover of Forbes Monaco she used a Nikon with a 55-300mm telephoto lens. “A good photo consists of a good composition and the organization of ideas,” reflects Mota.
“To photograph is to build something. Above all, you have to ‘feel’ the photo and allow your techniques to influence the end result of your work.”