Uruguay is in the southern hemisphere. Summer runs from December to March. The Atlantic coast is most visited from late December to February when Argentine holidaymakers fill Punta del Este and José Ignacio. For elopement photography, the peak holiday season is not the ideal window.
November: Early Summer
November is the beginning of the Uruguayan summer. The Atlantic water is starting to warm, the days are long, and the Argentine summer crowd has not yet arrived. José Ignacio in November is a small, quiet village. The same village in January is completely transformed. The quality of light in November on the Atlantic coast, with the sun still fairly low in the sky by European or North American standards, produces a warm, directional quality that the higher summer sun of December through February does not.
December to February: Peak and Crowded
December through February is the main Uruguayan coastal season. The beaches are full, accommodation in Punta del Este and José Ignacio is at maximum occupancy, and the prices reflect it. Photography at Playa Brava in January requires an early start to avoid the crowd. José Ignacio is so full in mid-January that finding an empty stretch of beach requires knowing the less-visited sections. Peak season is not impossible for elopement photography but it requires more careful planning of timing and location within each beach.
March and April: End of Summer
March and April see the Argentine holidaymakers depart and the beaches return to their normal quieter state. The weather is still warm, the water temperature is at its annual peak (it takes time to cool after the summer), and the light takes on the particular quality of autumn approaching that summer does not have. April in José Ignacio, with the gauchos returning to the surrounding estancias and the village at its quietest, is one of my preferred months for the Uruguay coast.
Destination Wedding Photographer
Vancouver · Medellín · Worldwide
