We’re kicking off a new year of spotlight features with travel and landscape photographer Roberto Moiola.
An Italian native, Roberto shoots his stunning home country from a unique and personal perspective, bringing us more than the familiar coastal villages and ancient monuments of the postcard perfect Italy we’re usually exposed to. Rather, he strives to showcase the breathtaking peaks of the Italian Alps, dangerous frozen lakes and the changes in his surroundings, whether that be seasonal or man-made.
Come with us as we head off the beaten track to explore a perhaps lesser-known Italy.
LG: Have you always taken imagery of beautiful architecture and intriguing landscapes? Where did it all start?
RM: It all started many years ago, when I was first walking among the mountains that I could see from the garden at home, then through my first trips abroad. I was born in an enchanting area (Valtellina, Lombardy), where I still live, surrounded by beautiful mountains, so I was lucky enough to be immersed in nature from an early age.
I would say that it was instinct that pushed me to want to portray the idyllic landscapes near home, and my passion for beauty, combined with the desire to discover nature and the peoples of the world, led me to travel and tell stories by photographing different environments.
The choice to travel to tell a story is one of the things that fascinates me most about my job, every trip is for me an extraordinary opportunity for personal and professional growth.
What has always driven my passion is the infinite desire to seek new views, to turn my gaze towards little-known places in order to enhance them. Even though we often find ourselves in iconic and well-known places, I think there is always the opportunity to be creative and bring out a personal style that makes an image unique.
LG: What’s your all-time favourite shot from your collection on Alamy and why?
RM: The Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Dolomites in general have always been among the places I love most, that’s why I’ve chosen a photo of that area. From whatever point of view you admire them, the Three Peaks offer breathtaking scenery. I love the Dolomites for their jagged peaks, steep rock faces, deep valleys, picturesque alpine pastures and crystal clear lakes.
Up there, I am witness to unforgettable and impressive magical dances of colours known as the Enrosadira, which is a unique natural phenomenon when the dolomite rocks are tinged with different colours: orange, red and purple at dawn and sunset, light yellow at midday, white at dusk and moonlight.
Hiker on rocks admiring Tre Cime di Lavaredo and Monte Paterno
LG: Tell us the story behind your most difficult shot.
RM: Among the most difficult shots are certainly the night adventures above frozen lakes in search of bubbles, as this can be very dangerous.
I always ask myself if the risk is worth it, yet the strong emotions I feel walking at night over a frozen lake, brought back to reality from time to time by the spooky sounds of the ice due to settlement, have no equal.
I’ve always been attracted to and curious about the fragile frozen world of winter environments. Every year I try to capture the details that show the life under the surface of iced lakes of the Alps. Dazzling bubbles of methane trapped under the ice are one of the most fascinating natural winter phenomena, which I have never stopped researching, studying and photographing over many years of exploration in the harsh cold winter landscape.
Frozen Lake Sils at sunrise with Piz Da La Margna in background
LG: What kind of story do you want to tell with your images?
RM: I love describing the beauty that surrounds us, trying to capture through photography the moments in which nature presents itself in a particular way (night, dawn, sunset, autumn, thaw, etc.). I like to observe its changes during the seasons, to showcase through my images its majesty together with its perfect but also dramatically fragile balance.
Through the years, I have been able to see the damage that we are unfortunately inflicting on our natural world, for example glaciers, which I have often documented with my images.
I think photography is a way of feeling, of orienting one’s life guided by the passion that stimulates creativity. I truly believe that allowing my mood to impact a shot is a great way to figure out where my art will fit into the shot.
LG: What advice would you give to a fellow photographer who is just starting out?
RM: I think today it’s very difficult for new photographers to enter the commercial world of photography and agencies. The more time passes, the fiercer the competition becomes… my advice is to try to stand out with original shots and to follow your own ideas rather than chasing easy copies of images already seen.
We cannot expect to be able to achieve excellent results in every genre that fascinates us, even if an artist is multifaceted I believe they should follow their innate passion.
I would also avoid rushing in vain in search of an “immediate” result. You have to grow gradually, without speeding up and gaining experience.
