Born in Italy, Giancarlo Mecarelli embarked on his career as a photographer and freelance art director in Milan in 1987. In this capacity, he directed numerous advertising campaigns and created covers and editorials for both Italian and international fashion and lifestyle magazines. Mecarelli also held exhibitions in Milan and other Italian cities.

In 2004, he published City Angels, a book of portraits featuring media personalities. That same year, during a business trip to Brazil, he visited Paraty for two days. The following year, he embraced Brazil—and Paraty in particular—as his new home. There, he founded the Paraty Zoom Photography Gallery and launched the International Photography Festival Paraty on the Spotlight.