Your rented villa by the sea, or the old streets of Ortigia. No studio, no travel for you, just your own trip photographed exactly where you're living it.
Autumn offer · FromWhy a villa session
A lot of families and couples spend their whole trip at a rented villa along the coast, and never plan to leave it for photos. You don't have to. I bring the session to you: the pool, the terrace, the view you booked the place for, all in the pictures, not just the people.
It also means no logistics: no driving anywhere with kids in the heat, no meeting point to find. We agree a time, usually late afternoon, and I show up to your door.
Prefer the old town instead, or a bit of both? Many people combine an hour at the villa with a walk through Ortigia, Syracuse's historic island, five minutes from the mainland and one of the most photogenic places in Sicily.
Where we shoot
Most of the villas I photograph are along the coast south of Syracuse, around Fontane Bianche, Arenella and the whole Plemmirio peninsula, including the villas around Punta Carrozza, Punta Castelluccio and the Isola area, all a short drive from Ortigia. Tell me the address when you book and I confirm the drive.
Baroque façades, narrow alleys and the sea on three sides. Piazza Duomo and the seafront promenade are the two spots almost everyone asks for.
If your villa has a pool or a sea view, the last hour before sunset is when it photographs best, warm light, calm water, and a comfortable temperature for children.
Fontane Bianche and Arenella have pale sand and shallow water, good for family photos with younger kids. Around the Plemmirio peninsula, the rocky coves at Minareto beach and Pillirina beach are quieter, with clear water over rock: lovely for couples, and just as good for a family photo shoot once the children are old enough to climb over rocks on their own.
Staying at Fontane Bianche but dreaming of Ortigia? It's about 20 minutes by taxi: that's what Sophia and Will from Boston did, here's their story.
I regularly photograph guests at the boutique and luxury hotels in and around Syracuse: the Grand Hotel Minareto on its cliff in the Plemmirio reserve, with the private beach and the pool facing Ortigia; the Ortea Palace, the 1920s former post office on the Ortigia seafront, with the rooftop terrace over the harbour; the Maniace Boutique Hotel on the southern tip of Ortigia, with its sea-facing terrace by Castello Maniace; Palazzo Artemide, right on Piazza Minerva next to the cathedral; and the historic Grand Hotel Villa Politi, beside the Latomia dei Cappuccini quarry gardens. Tell me where you're staying and I'll suggest the best corner of the property and the right hour.
Sessions
Up to 15 people at no extra cost, enough for grandparents and two families sharing a rental together. We work around nap times and pool time, not the other way around.
A quiet hour by the pool or on the terrace as the light drops, or a walk through Ortigia instead. No posing, just the two of you where you're actually staying.
When a villa is booked by an extended family, this is often the only time everyone is together in one place all year. Worth documenting properly.
An hour at the villa and an hour in the old town, in the same session, if you want both the place you're staying and the place you're visiting.
Practical
Yes, this is one of the most common sessions I do. Whether it's a villa you found on Airbnb, VRBO or through an agency, I come straight to you: no need to travel anywhere, and you get the whole place, the pool, the terrace and the view, as part of the story.
Most of the villas I photograph are along the coast south of Syracuse: Fontane Bianche, Arenella, and the whole Plemmirio peninsula, including Punta Carrozza, Punta Castelluccio, the Isola area, and around Minareto and Pillirina beaches, all a short drive from Ortigia. If your villa is further out, just tell me the address and I will confirm.
Yes. Fontane Bianche is on the coast just south of Syracuse, and many of the villas I photograph are there. I come to your villa at no extra cost, and we can finish on the beach: the pale sand and shallow water are good for family photos with younger kids.
Yes. Many families rent a villa in the countryside around Noto, and I come to you there too: sessions around Noto start from €330, travel included. We can photograph the terrace, the pool and the olive trees, and if you like finish in the baroque centre of Noto at golden hour.
No. Travel anywhere in Syracuse, Ortigia and the nearby coast is included in the price, with no callout fee; around Noto sessions start from €330, travel included.
Late afternoon into golden hour, when the light is warm and low. If the villa has a pool or sea view, that is usually when it looks its best in photographs, and it is a comfortable time for kids too, after the heat of the day.
Yes, a lot of families and couples combine both: an hour at the villa, or a walk through Ortigia's old town and along the seafront. We plan the route together based on the light and how much time you have.
Up to 15 people at no extra cost, which is enough for grandparents and two families sharing a villa together. Just let me know the group size when you book.
Yes. On request I can call in a professional videographer for video and drone footage, a beautiful way to show a villa's pool, garden and sea view from above. The videographer's price is agreed separately, based on what you want filmed.
Yes, regularly. That includes the Grand Hotel Minareto in the Plemmirio reserve, the Ortea Palace on the Ortigia seafront, the Maniace Boutique Hotel on the tip of Ortigia, Palazzo Artemide on Piazza Minerva, and the Grand Hotel Villa Politi by the quarry gardens, as well as the smaller boutique hotels around the old town. I come to the property, work around your check-in and dinner times, and can coordinate with the concierge if that's easier. Just tell me where you're staying when you book.
Wherever you're staying
Tell me your dates and the address of your villa, or that you'd rather meet in Ortigia. I reply within 24 hours.
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