Monica’s passion for photography began at 12 years old with a hand-me-down Nikon camera. She began by taking photos of her home in Italy, her family, friends, pets, and anything else that would hold still for a moment. Her world was transformed through the lens. Her ability to see beyond the immediately visible was validated in her photographs. Monica’s travels in Africa, Europe and America inspired and changed her. She refined her craft and she found her art.
“One of the things I love most in my work as a photographer is the personal connection that is created with my subject, be it person or place. When I’m shooting, there always comes a moment in which something magical happens. I am not exactly sure what happens, but I do know when it happens. In that moment I know I have captured the essence of my subject. And I know I have taken a great photo. Everything flows from that moment. This is why I’m passionate about my work.”

Monica’s transition from advanced amateur photographer to professional began when she collaborated with Susanne Sims on the book Healing Vacations in Hawaii, published by Watermark Publishing in 2004. Together, Monica and Susanne interviewed over forty alternative healing practitioners all over the Big Island, with Susanne as the author and Monica as the portrait photographer.

Monica has found her heart’s home in Hawai’i. The grace and Aloha spirit of the Hawaiian people and their land nurture her soul, and inspire her creativity taking her to new levels.

Come into Monica’s world as seen through her lens. All her photos are shot in natural light. What you see is what she saw.