Santorini Photographer ANNA SULTE
Greece | Photography
This year has been a roller coaster. I got to wake up before sunrise, shoot in crazy winds and say ‘hello’ to the magic of city lights. So fun getting to work with new clients and old. Really really grateful for this journey and a big thank you to anyone who has let me into their life to document all these beautiful moments.
Hello dear friends,
Thank you for being together with me in this journey. This has been an exciting year both professionally and personally – I have had the chance to meet so many of you from around the world and have learned a lot and enjoyed every second. Doctors, teachers, artists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, you name it – seems like everyone has flocked to this small Greek island. Santorini has been the destination for Japanese, Canadians, Americans, people from virtually all European countries, Brazilians, Swedes, South Africans, Singaporeans and many many more.
You chose me to capture your moments here, for which I am immensely grateful. And I feel that we are more than just a photographer and clients.
I wish you the very best for 2018 and hope to see you here again someday!
Photographer Anna Sulte
There is a high interest on what to wear to a photo shoot in Santorini to look amazing. Over the years I have found out some things that work and some things that don’t, especially in couples’ photo shoots. Let this serve as a guide, not a definite road map for your choices.
The basics
Dressing up for a photo shoot is something we tend to overdo, the main point to remember is to stay true to your own style – you will simply look better in clothes that you feel comfortable in. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with dressing up and rocking a cool skirt or dress, but do not overdo it and try too hard. Same goes for colours – wear tones that make you feel in sync with yourself. One thing to keep in mind is that the clothes should fit you perfectly – we’re aiming for the tailored look to underline you personality!
The same is especially true for guys. No button-ups if your significant other usually wears cool brand sweaters. Think about it – if you’re on a couples’ photoshoot already, his wardrobe choices are not so bad, right?
Go easy on the prints
It’s safer not to go overboard with various prints, especially if they are words – if your t-shirt says something on it, it very often becomes the central point of interest in the image. Same should be said for patterns, try not to dress all in patterns, rather use it to accentuate. If you have to match patterns, make sure that they are of different scales.
Crash course in making your arms look awesome
Each of us has that spot on the body you wish could look better. For most of us, it’s just in our head and no one else even notices, but my experience shows that the key of looking beautiful is FEELING beautiful, so this has to be solved. Your photo session can even be a therapy to make you understand your true beauty.
Quite a few of us struggle with the way our arms look in photographs. As this advice shows, most often it is more connected to what you actually wear on the photo shoot – you must understand that some types of clothing just makes your hands look a bit awkward on camera, it’s that simple.
One of the most basic advice is just to choose a dress or top with quarter sleeves – it can be an elegant and stylish way to draw more attention to your face (which makes photographs more personal, in fact). Sleeves also optically make us look taller and slimmer, beware of the effect and use it to your advantage to look your best on camera.
If you still want to show some skin, go for it and uncover your shoulders, off-shoulders clothes are a bit more dramatic on photographs and add a pinch of originality. It’s also a good idea to accentuate the parts of your body you are proud of, like waist line in a tight dress or face with big earrings or an impressive necklace.
You can also dress in layers, which is actually what locals also do to level out the difference of temperature during the day and night. It’s usually done like this – find your favorite dress and combine it with a cute jacket, crop top or shrug. A big scarf that you wear on your shoulders can also do the trick. And of course don’t forget the classics – dark tones make you look slimmer.
The most important secret
Have fun, really. Don’t overthink this, the main thing is to take as much as possible from this amazing experience of you and your lover being on the island. Nothing makes you look better than being happy.
Today I thought I should share some of the information of what to expect when you sign up for a photo shoot and share some of the behind the scenes and give some advice of what to bring with you etc.
Be prepared that your photo session is going to be an adventure and as a real adventure. Santorini summers get quite hot – ideally bring a hat and definitely bring a water bottle. Photo sessions usually involve walking between the locations and you might have to do some climbing as well – it’s all worth it to get the perfect shot! That’s why you should think about an extra pair of shoes (ladies especially, the Santorini cobble stone streets are not perfect for heels).
Usually you’ll have to hold a comfortable pose to get the right shot – Santorini gets really windy (which allows for artistic effect), but some time might be needed to get the perfect whirl of your dress, hair etc. What we’re looking for is that decisive moment where you have the feeling like you’re on top of the world. In the windy days a long dress is the most comfortable and the best option for feeling and looking good. So if you want a short dress for the photo shoot it would be good to have two options in case of those crazy winds.
All in all, if you just prepare a bit and have a relaxed attitude, these photo sessions are a great opportunity to explore some of the glorious sights of Santorini and have a new experience with your loved one.
We’re well on our way in 2017 and I’ve been busy with shooting and planning to make this year even more awesome than the last. Today I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for being a part of my growth journey on this small Greek island in the Aegean Sea- Santorini.
Each opportunity to photograph an amazing couple is a chance to perfect my skills, make other people happy and soak up the love that surrounds you! Thank you for the unforgettable moments and kind words, I promise I will not let you down in 2017.
Have a great year and remember to laugh and love often and a lot!
Anna Sulte Santorini based vacation photographer.
I always admire people with passions and I’m always glad to meet like minded people. Olesya is solo traveler and likes to discover the world through adventure. That’s why I was thrilled that Olesya contacted me to arrange a solo photo session!
I felt that she is a real adventurer — she had come all the way from Dubai to discover Santorini with her own eyes. This was a long time dream plan for her, and I was very glad to capture it in my photographs. It is really an honor for any photographer to be a part of other peoples’ special moments, be it a wedding, anniversary or a very special trip that has been dreamed of for a long time :) .
This was the first time for Olesya in many respects — her first time in Santorini, as well as her first photo session, so I knew we had to make it special. Together we found her the most amazing make-up artist and hairdresser to make this session special.
I tried to capture the unique adventurous spirit of her and the magic of the moment. I think that people who travel alone are very special as they really immerse in the local culture and really experience the vibe of their travel destination. I hope that I was able to capture at least a fraction of the special aura around her — the aura of a true traveler.
We had sessions all around Santorini, at Oia, at the Santorini heart, Firostefani, Fira, Imerovigli and more.
Lately I have noticed that it is getting increasingly popular to travel alone. I must say that this could be one of the most enriching forms of travel, because you are really immersing yourself in the culture of your destination — you don’t bring any friends or relatives with you, so you’re forced to really get out there and communicate with the locals, arrange everything yourself etc. However, I must say that there are certain precautions you should take to make sure that you do not encounter unnecessary problems that can be avoided in the first place.
I have come up with my own short list of advice to help you when travelling solo:
It is a good idea to inform someone that you’re going on a longer trip, e.g. a hike. You could for example tell this to the hotel administration, so that they know what’s up. If something happens, they’ll know something is wrong, if you don’t return on the time you told them.
I see this quite a lot. People usually overestimate how much they can actually carry around. The fact that you can bring two suitcases from the airport with the help of a taxi driver DOES NOT mean you certainly should bring so much stuff with you. You should really think through the things you need and they should ideally fit into one bag that you can carry yourself without much effort.
Be brave and do not be afraid to communicate with all sorts of strangers — that’s really the best way to get to know a different culture. At the same time, you should double-check their motives. Some people might seem genuinely interest but try to sell you something etc. Be open and expect the best from all people, however, if you encounter some problems, place them on a mental blacklist.
To my mind these are the very basics to remember for solo travelers coming to Santorini, Greece or any other part of the world. By the way, the island of Santorini is really a great place to start your alone travelling adventures —it is a calm place for finding yourself.
I met SOLIVA GANTA at the Oia village, it was nice, warm October afternoon. I noticed her from far, she had her amazing dress in her hands, here-‘FAIRYTALE’ SANTORINI VACATION PHOTOSHOOT- you can read more of her story about that day.
She notices so many details and that makes her posts so interesting, so if you are traveler and need some useful information written with style -about Greece (Santorini), Italy then her blog is for you- SOLOKILOMETERS.
Update: It seems that blog posts are not available anymore. But here is an article with my photo from this shoot in Singaporean newspaper.
I have been so blessed with my solo travelers!!
Thank you Siti! :)
A relaxed photoshoot in sunny Imerovigli
Just days ago I enjoyed meeting a Canadian girl Joeti whose smile seemed to overpower the Santorini sun at times. She decided to avoid the crowded Oia and opted for a photo shoot in Imerovigli instead. We enjoyed the quiet village and had a relaxed meeting.
I must say everything aligned perfectly – the weather was magnificent with the sun shining and her dress seemed to compliment the ocean and the small Greek houses perfectly – so much so that passersby kept asking if we were having a fashion shoot for a magazine! And, I mean, we easily could have been, because her outfit blended with the surrounding so well. She had an eye-catching accessory as well – for the times when it was getting too sunny she had the most elegant big brimmed sun hat.
I hope some of that sunshine will follow her back home and that these photos will capture at least a part of those fleeting moments of the Greek summer in Santorini.
Personal photo session in Santorini by Anna Shulte
Should you keep the unedited photos of your photo shoots?
Recently there has been a lot of fuss going on about if you should get the RAW file versions of your photographs after photo shoots. You see, most people that are not much into the photography business tend to think that RAW images are an unedited versions of their photographs. Well, not quite so. You see actually RAW files are used by photography professionals only, one RAW file takes much more space then JPG and most likely you won’t even be able to view the files on your computer, let alone print them or share them with your friends. Photographers use special software to handle these files, and they won’t do much good for the client.
Santorini vacation photographer Anna Shulte
Photo session with Japanese ballet dancer was amazing! We had our shoot in afternoon when sun is setting down. She was like a graceful bird flying above the Santorini island.
Thank you Yukie! :)
Santorini portrait session with photographer Anna Sulte.
This is Raine, she is truly lovely person and her personality shines trough all her photos. We were walking though Oia village (so many steps), talking, having fun and of course photographing. As a result of nice communication the photos are amazing… Thanks to Raine :)
Hope to see you again.
Santorini Portrait Photography by Anna Sulte
