There are assignments in a photographer’s career that transcend the framework of “portraiture” and enter the realm of lived experience. My sessions with Monika Moser fall into that rare category. Over the years, I had the privilege of photographing Monika on several occasions, but one Paris session stands apart, not only as a creative milestone but as one of the most unforgettable encounters of my time working in France.
Who is Monika Moser?
Monika Moser is a veritable hotelier at heart, whose career spans over two decades in luxury hospitality operations – across iconic properties like Le Fouquet’s Barrière in Paris, Shangri-La Hotel Paris, Hilton Worldwide, and Four Seasons – before pivoting toward business development and design leadership.
During her tenure at Wilson Associates, Monika served as Regional Managing Director for London, New York, and Paris, skillfully blending her operational savviness with strategic oversight in hospitality design.
At the time of this session, she was serving that role at Wilson Associates Paris – Tristan Auer Boutique, a prestigious hub for high-end interior design. Her professional trajectory has always been marked by elegance, cosmopolitan energy, and a sense of cultural fluency that translates seamlessly into her personal style. My task was to create a portfolio that not only reflected her role as a creative executive but also revealed her life beyond boardrooms and design studios.
A Portrait of Personality: From Markets to Palaces
Monika was very clear from the beginning: her portfolio should not be restricted to the corporate image. She wanted her photographs to embody her lifestyle – her love for travel, food, music and cultural immersion. We began with a seemingly simple activity that was deeply meaningful to her: choosing her own fruits and vegetables in a market within Versailles.
The Rooftop of the Palais Garnier: A Rare Encounter
From Versailles, our journey escalated in scale and grandeur. Monika guided me through the gardens and opulent spaces of the Palais de Versailles, where her poise matched the timeless elegance of the setting. But even Versailles, with all its royal magnificence, was not the pinnacle of our session. That awaited us in the beating heart of Parisian culture: Opéra Garnier. Few experiences in my photographic career have been as transformative as the moment Monika secured us access to the roof of the Palais Garnier. Positioned among the colossal statues that crown the building, Monika gazed across Paris while I captured the city and its architectural majesty beneath her – an image that fused her poise with the grandeur that surrounds her.
Backstage at the Opera: Ghosts of Stravinsky and Diaghilev
As remarkable as the rooftop session was, the true climax of the experience came when Monika led me backstage into the dressing rooms of the Opéra Garnier. To walk through those hallowed corridors, lined with vintage costumes and heavy velvet, was to step into the living memory of performance history.
For me, a lifelong admirer of classical music, the resonance was profound. This was the very stage where Igor Stravinsky’s compositions and Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes had electrified audiences a century earlier. As I photographed Monika in the dressing rooms, the ghosts of those performances felt palpably near – the echo of dancers’ footsteps, the hum of orchestras, the anticipation of a curtain about to rise. I could even smell in the air some Guerlain’s Mitsouko – that Diaghilev was known to love and spray before and during the performances.
The resulting images carried that aura. They were not simply portraits of a successful businesswoman in Paris. They were layered with the textures of history, art, and personal passion – an intertwining of Monika’s story, my lens, and the eternal cultural heartbeat of the Opéra Garnier.
A Personal Highlight in Paris Photography
Looking back, that day remains the highlight of my Paris photography career that year. The combination of access, atmosphere, and artistic freedom was unparalleled. It reinforced why I am drawn to lifestyle and portrait photography: the ability to document not only faces but also the environments, passions, and stories that define a person.
With Monika Moser, the narrative was rich and multidimensional. She was not merely posing; she was sharing pieces of her world – from the humble authenticity of a fruit market to the gilded majesty of Versailles and the sacred backstage corridors of the Opéra Garnier.
Closing Reflection
As photographers, we sometimes chase the perfect light or the perfect composition. But sessions like this remind me that the most powerful images are born when a subject invites you into their life and opens doors – both literal and metaphorical – that you could never enter on your own. With Monika Moser, those doors led from a Parisian markets to the rooftop of one of the world’s greatest opera houses.
And through those doors, history, personality, and art converged into one unforgettable portfolio.
Written by Lifestyle Photographer and Brand Storyteller – William Bichara – based in Dallas, available worldwide.
