Photoshoot in Italy. Photoshoot above the clouds

I took this photo with Mauro Benigno and Alexandra on Mount Erice in western Sicily, Italy.

It took about an hour to reach the summit by car. We zigzagged along the road leading to the summit.

The altitude is about 750 m above sea level.

The photoshoot took place in an old castle at the very top of the mountain, above the clouds that constantly drifted over the peak and interrupted the photoshoot. It felt like we were standing in cold milk. Of course, a photoshoot in such conditions was out of the question. We had to wait, and the precious sunset time was running out. But we got the shots we had come all the way for.

Sometimes people ask me why a photographer based on Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam suddenly appears shooting commercial and creative projects in Italy. The answer is simple: photography travels faster than we do. When you work with destination clients, borders disappear — one week it may be a wedding on the beaches of Phu Quoc, the next week a lifestyle or advertising shoot in Sicily.

This particular project on Mount Erice in Italy shows how flexible photography can be. The same skills I use when shooting destination weddings or commercial campaigns on Phu Quoc — finding the right light, catching authentic emotions, balancing elegance with storytelling — apply equally well in Europe. Whether it’s a red scooter climbing an old Sicilian street or a couple walking along the shore in Vietnam, the core idea is the same: every photo should tell a story that feels cinematic and unforgettable.

For me, being a photographer on Phu Quoc does not mean staying only on one island. It means carrying the island’s spirit of freedom, light, and creativity anywhere the work leads — from luxury resorts in Vietnam to historic castles in Italy.

Afterward, I bought a scooter-shaped magnet from Pepe, a local souvenir shop, and we began our descent into the darkness of the night, toward the illuminated town of Trapani, which lies at the foot of the mountain.