Monica Dalmasso, Photographer
Winner, 2024 Banff Centre Mountain Book Competition
Thank you for sharing your work and your story with the readers of Common Climber! First, let's begin with the basics, where are you from originally and where do you live currently?
I’m from Nice in the South of France and I have lived in Chamonix for 25 years - it's my base camp.
I’m from Nice in the South of France and I have lived in Chamonix for 25 years - it's my base camp.
You take a variety of photos - from portraits to drone to extreme sports, including climbing. You also have a background in climbing. Tell us more, like when did you start climbing?
I started climbing at the age of 15 when my parents finally got me into it. A little later I joined the French climbing team, but I never really liked competition. I felt reduced to a body that had to perform and, above all, I was too far from nature, I lacked space.
I started climbing at the age of 15 when my parents finally got me into it. A little later I joined the French climbing team, but I never really liked competition. I felt reduced to a body that had to perform and, above all, I was too far from nature, I lacked space.
Nasim Eshqi (IG: @nasimeshqi) on "Digital crack," Aiguille du Midi, Monte Blanc, French Alps (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
How did you decide to start climbing?
I think it all started with my first readings of mountaineering and adventure stories.
I think it all started with my first readings of mountaineering and adventure stories.
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Do you still climb, and if so, what types of climbing do you do?
Yes, as often as possible. I mostly climb sport, but I also like mountaineering and I’m trying to climb trad. Trad is a style of climbing I'm not good at - I have a lot of progress to make, so it's very motivating. I've often wondered why I climb, and especially why I always have so much fun doing it. Climbing takes my mind off things, and when I'm climbing I'm 100% into it. Do you have a favorite style of climbing?
I've really enjoyed climbing on steep slabs, and for years I loved slabs with small holds. Now that I've trained indoors, I've got a bit more power and I prefer steep climbs on well-structured rock. I really like gneiss. Limestone too, when it's not polished, and granite. Do you have a favorite place to climb and why?
When I lived in the South, I climbed a lot in the Verdon, at Baou de Saint Jeannet, Cimai and Buoux. I still love going back to these magical spots, but my current favorite crag is Ceuze, for the beauty of the location, the rock and the fabulous routes. When did photography enter your life and do you have formal training?
Photography entered my life when I realized that I didn't want to continue studying mathematics (originally I wanted to do research) and I wanted to be able to live outdoors for the rest of my life. |
Steph Huson on "Clocherpenche," Beaufortain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
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I looked at what I liked: nature, climbing, adventure and photography, and decided to study photography at the Ecole Nationale Louis Lumière school in Paris. I learnt photography before beginning to compete in climbing. When I stopped competing I worked for Patagonia in it’s early days in Europe and then Black Diamond for a few years and then I came back to photography full time.
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Tell us more about the intersection of climbing and photography for you.
In climbing, I love the ‘gesture’, the beautiful lines, the purity of the rock's forms, disappearing into the wilderness, and making yourself as small as possible to enter into the intimacy of the environment. I've come to realize that what interests me most in photography is the same thing: making myself as small as possible and transcribing the emotions I feel in the wilderness. I also like to look for particular angles to show the climber's point of view during the climb. Do you have a favorite place to photograph climbing and/or a favorite style of climbing to photograph? Why or why not?
I prefer to photograph climbing in the mountains, or in fairly harsh environments, when the elements are a little chaotic or unleashed: wind, clouds, storms..., when the mountain doesn't reveal itself completely. You recently published a book Monica Dalmasso: Sauvage! (Monica Dalmasso and Cédric Sapin-Defour, Glénat; France, 2023). Tell us more about that. What is the book about?
The book retraces the path I've followed through my mountain photography. Over the years, the climber's place in my pictures has become smaller and smaller. In the book, the human presence becomes more and more discreet, a trace in the snow or a shadow. Our gaze lingers on the infinitely small, or the infinitely large, as if to rediscover the link that unites us to the wild world. At the end of the book, I talk about the peoples who have never lost touch with nature, the forest peoples. |
Liv Sansoz (IG: @livsansoz) climbing a crevasse on the Mer De Glace, Chamonix (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
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Vent du dragon, Aiguille du midi, Chamonix, France (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
Petit Aiguille Vert, Chamonix, France (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
Was this your first book and, if so, what made you decide to publish this book?
Yes, it’s my first book - hopefully not my last! I wanted to make a book about nature, not just about climbers. If a climber is in a picture, it's because they bring something extra to it, otherwise I wouldn't frame them. And I wanted to show the dreamlike side of wilderness, because that's what drew me to mountaineering in the first place.
Yes, it’s my first book - hopefully not my last! I wanted to make a book about nature, not just about climbers. If a climber is in a picture, it's because they bring something extra to it, otherwise I wouldn't frame them. And I wanted to show the dreamlike side of wilderness, because that's what drew me to mountaineering in the first place.
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Were there any challenges you experienced when publishing or creating the book?
The challenge was to write a book about the mountains, but also about the human relationship with the wilderness. For me, the mountain is neither a backdrop nor a playground; it's much more than that. You have a co-author, Cédric Sapin-Defour, tell us about Cédric and his role in the book.
Cédric wrote the texts that introduce the chapters and is a friend with whom I share deep-rooted values. We understood each other very quickly, without needing to explain things. We spoke the same language, he with his words, I with my images, and the dialogue between the images and the texts took on a life of its own. A few months after writing the texts for “Sauvage”, Cedric published “Son odeur après la pluie”, translated into 15 languages and a worldwide success. Your book was nominated - and WON! - the 2024 Banff Centre Mountain Book Competition (congratulations!). What are thoughts about being nominated and winning?
I feel like a child who’s been given a treasure. |
Francois Damilano (IG: @francois_damilano) ice climbing at the La Jonction above Chamonix, France (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
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BANFF: Monica Dalmasso: Sauvage!
Monica Dalmasso and Cédric Sapin-Defour, Glénat (France, 2023)
It is fascinating to see how each person interprets art differently. Are we meant to take in a book from cover to cover, or do individual images resonate more when absorbed gradually over time? Is simplicity or complexity more important? That's the nature of art—it gets us all talking. Sauvage! was chosen as this year’s Mountain Image winner for its diverse portrayal of mountain life—showcasing everything from the presence of humanity within its landscapes to the absence of it, as well as the macro details that define these elevated terrains. Although the text was not meant to be weighed as heavily as the imagery, I personally found the words in Sauvage! perfectly complemented the visuals in a way that enhanced and added depth to the imagery, making me continually want to turn pages. In the end, we all agreed: this book inspired us to want to go out, explore the world, and create a few images of our own. And if that's not the purpose of mountain imagery, then what is?
– Irene Yee, 2024 Photo Competition Jury
Half Dome, Yosemite, California, USA (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)
Are you a full-time, professional photographer? If so, when and how did that transition happen for you (transitioning from being an amateur to a professional) and what is the difference to you personally?
Yes, since the beginning, photography has been my only source of income. I sell fine art prints, and I'm working more and more on subjects that make sense to me: the human relationship with nature, glaciers, the impact of global warming on the mountains… There wasn't really a transition. When I started making images, after I stopped competing in climbing, I immediately sold them. Brands knew me as a climber, it just took me a while to switch to photographer mode.
Yes, since the beginning, photography has been my only source of income. I sell fine art prints, and I'm working more and more on subjects that make sense to me: the human relationship with nature, glaciers, the impact of global warming on the mountains… There wasn't really a transition. When I started making images, after I stopped competing in climbing, I immediately sold them. Brands knew me as a climber, it just took me a while to switch to photographer mode.
What are your current goals?
Climb as often as possible and improve my trad climbing!
Climb as often as possible and improve my trad climbing!
CLIMBER? "Fessura della Disperazione" at the Velle dell' Orco, Italy (Credit: Monica Monica Dalmasso, IG: @monica.dalmasso)