Vacation photoshoot

Brazil’s landmarks are busy, and the session is planned around that. The Escadaria Selarón in Lapa, the Arpoador rock and the viewpoints of Parque Nacional da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro fill with tour groups by mid-morning, so a sunrise start is the usual answer; the Pelourinho in Salvador is quieter on a weekday morning than on a Tuesday evening, when music fills the squares. At Iguaçu Falls, the walkways of the national park on the Brazilian side open to visitors at set hours, and the first entry of the day gives the clearest view before the queue for the lookout forms.

Solo travellers are a large share of these bookings, and the direction changes for them. A person photographed alone by a stranger needs more talking, more movement and simple tasks — walk to the railing, look back, laugh at something — rather than instructions to pose. Friends travelling together get a mix of the whole group and pairs; families get one frame with everyone in it before the children lose interest. For a session built around the children, the family session is the better fit.

Keep valuables to a minimum: a phone and a card, with passports and jewellery left in the hotel safe. The photographer picks routes and times with people around, and in the busier centres of Rio de Janeiro and Salvador keeps the session moving rather than standing in one quiet corner. Brazil has used the same clock all year since daylight saving time ended in 2019, so the sunrise start time agreed by message does not shift mid-trip. The gallery is delivered within 7 days.