Rio de Janeiro
Elopements

Why elope in Rio de Janeiro

“The most dramatic natural backdrop of any city in the world. And I have seen most of them.”

Rio de Janeiro may have the most dramatic urban geography of any city in the world. The Corcovado mountain with Christ the Redeemer above the city, Sugarloaf rising from the bay, the Tijuca rainforest descending to within kilometres of Ipanema beach — the city's natural setting is simply incomparable. I photograph in Rio for couples who want South American energy, extraordinary landscape scale, and a visual context that is instantly recognizable worldwide. The light here, particularly in late afternoon from the hillside neighbourhoods of Santa Teresa and the Lapa arches, has a tropical warmth and softness that is very different from the harder light of the Colombian highlands. Rio requires an experienced local guide and careful security planning, but the photographic rewards are significant.

The light

Rio's coastal geography creates the most diverse range of portrait environments I know of in a single city: ocean beach, mountain summit, colonial hilltop neighbourhood, rainforest interior, and a bay that reflects the city's lights at blue hour. The Christ the Redeemer lookout at dawn, before the tourist crush, is one of the most spectacular portrait contexts available anywhere in South America.