Welcome to São Miguel Island!

We’re so happy you’re coming to the workshop in the Azores, and we look forward to meeting everyone! To make things a bit smoother for you, we’ve created this landing page to introduce the group and help shape the day we’ll spend together in a clear way. It’s also nice to have information like vendors and tags all in one place, so hopefully this page helps with that. Let’s go!

January 27th Meetup

The evening before the workshop, we’ll meet for a group gathering at 19:00 at Ta Gente (MAP). We don’t plan to eat dinner here, so I advise eating somewhere beforehand. This gathering is simply to share a drink and say hello. Meeting here for the first time is preferred over meeting in a dark parking lot the next morning, so come if you can!

Extra Session: Jason & Sharlene

Surprise session on Monday the 27th! We learned that Jason is coming to Azores with his partner, Sharlene. She’ll be travelling with the group during the workshop (not as a photographer, just taking in the views so she’s not alone in Ponta Delgada). So after a few back and forths, we concluded: why not photograph them in Ponta Delgada to kick off the workshop.

So on Monday at 17:30, meet at Portas da Cidade (map) and we’ll go from there until meeting at Ta Gente. If you can make it great, if you show up late, all good, if you’re not into it at all, that’s totally fine. They won’t be in wedding clothes, this is totally a bonus and just for fun, so perhaps we will see you there!

General Thinking Each Day

The workshop flow is often dictated by the weather. While we may have specific locations in mind, those plans should remain flexible.

The days are planned similarly to how a real elopement would be organized. We know our key spots for sunrise and sunset, and during midday, we’ll adjust based on the weather. While this might seem vague and open-ended, this approach will lead to the best photos overall.

Just like a destination wedding or elopement, we’re going for it each day regardless of weather conditions.

Food, Attire, Details

Food is a common question. Rest assured, we will take breaks throughout the days for delicious coffees, pastries, and rest when the timing feels right. The days won’t be 14 hours straight of grinding.

It’s a good idea to prepare on the 27th by buying some light snacks to tide you over. Each morning when we leave, nothing will be open when we get in the cars and go, so preparing something for a light breakfast is advised.

Regarding what to bring, we recommend packing relatively light since we’ll be mobile during the days. It’s common for guests to bring one camera body with two lenses (one wide and one long) or two bodies with one lens each. Of course, you should pack what works for you, but we’re sharing what is most common: a mobile setup. Extra batteries are advised because we might not be at “charging locations” during the days, so come prepared.

For clothing, we recommend shoes that you’re comfortable wearing on trails that might be wet or muddy. We don’t plan to do any hardcore mountaineering, but it’s wise to have appropriate footwear, especially as it looks like we’ll be dealing with rain.

Finally, a few more details to consider. The roads are very windy in Sao Miguel —there’s simply no way around that—and we are at high altitudes. If you believe car sickness might be something you experience, please prepare beforehand with the appropriate medications.

An additional preparation that might not be obvious is having cash on hand. We might encounter a trail that has a fee, or we might decide to enter a private area that’s cash only, etc.—things happen spontaneously. While we have no intentions of going to places with outrageous entrance fees, there might be locations that require a small fee to enter.

Entrance Fees: Grena Park + Parque Terra Nostra

One heads-up is we will be visiting Parque Terra Nostra and there is a €16 entrance fee everyone will need to pay. We would not be visiting and paying this much to enter unless it was worth it (it is), so we don’t want this to come as a shock when we get there.

You can read more about the park here: Parque Terra Nostra

Grena Park is also a location we’re considering. If we do go there, please note there is a €10 admission (potentially discounted, we’ll see).

You can read more about the park here: Grena Park

January 28th – Kasia + Kostek (Couple)

Departure Time: 06:15 (sunrise 07:50 / sunset 18:00)
Cars leave from Hotel Talisman (map)

Kasia starts hair and makeup at 05:30 at Campo de São Francisco 17, Ponta Delgada

Day 1 – January 28th, 2025
Starting with sunrise preparations in Ponta Delgada, the day explores the eastern side of São Miguel Island. Key locations include Miradouro Ponta da Madrugada for sunrise, Ribeira dos Caldeirões Waterfall, Terra Nostra Park in Furnas, and coastal locations including São Pedro Hole, Porto das Capelas, and ending at Ferraria for sunset.

January 29th – Maria + Jonathan (Couple)

Departure Time: 06:15 (sunrise 07:50 / sunset 18:00)
Cars leave from Hotel Talisman (map)

Maria starts hair and makeup at 05:30 at Campo de São Francisco 17, Ponta Delgada

Day 2 – January 29th, 2025
Another sunrise start from Ponta Delgada, this time exploring the central and western regions of the island. Key locations include Ponta do Ermo, Porto de Santa Iria, Grená Park, Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake), Lagoa Canário, Miradouro Boca Inferno, and concluding at Mosteiros Beach for sunset.

Both days follow a similar structure:

• Being open-minded to the locations changing due to weather and the spontaneous nature of these workshops
• Early morning start (depart Talisman at 06:30 in three cars)
• Full day of shooting at diverse locations
• Regular breaks and lunch included
• Return to Ponta Delgada around 19:00
• Group dinner to close each day

Please note so there’s no surprises – Cole is being dropped off at the airport for his 19:30 flight after the sunset location on January 29th, day two of the workshop

Hosts

Cole Roberts

Gävle, Sweden

Cole is the co-founder of Way Up North, Nordica, Hop Farm Beach and has been a FujiFilm X-Photographer since 2016. His passion for photography is matched only by his love for the great outdoors and country music.

Instagram

Website

Filipa Couto

São Miguel, Portugal

Filipa is a brilliant wedding photographer from São Miguel who knows her beautiful island inside out. Her deep knowledge of key locations and local vendors made her invaluable during our first workshop in São Miguel in early 2024. Working with her again for our next event is a true pleasure. Filipa’s expertise and passion for her island home continue to enrich our workshops, offering participants a unique, insider’s perspective of São Miguel.

Instagram

Website

Anna Ascari

Modena, Italy

Anna is the co-founder of Hakuna Matata Weddings and a distinguished wedding photographer. Her accolades include the Way Up North award for ‘Best European Wedding Photographer Under 25’ in 2021 and ‘Wedding Photographer of the Year’ in 2022.

Instagram

Website

Guests

Robert Pilichowski

Toronto, Canada

Main Goal: Connect with like minded individuals and peers while discovering a country i’ve never been to before.

Instagram

Website

Kostek Kostka-Sosnowski

Warszawa, Poland

Main Goal: expanding portfolio, establishing new contacts

Instagram

Website

Kasia Sosnowska-Kostka

Warszawa, Poland

Main Goal: Meeting new people, new approaches, new energies!

Instagram

Website

Christian Bruno

Lake Como, Italy

Main Goal: Exploring, new inspirations

Instagram

Website

Aurora Ceriani

Lake Como, Italy

Main Goal: Explore the island and find new type of inspirations

Instagram

Website

Dominik Scherer

Karlsruhe, Germany

Main Goal: Enjoying the beauty of the azores with chilled humans.

Instagram

Website

Maria & Jonathan

Portimao, Portugal

Main Goal: learning new techniques, meeting like-minded people, exploring new destination, refresh mind …

Instagram

Website

Jason Wright

NYC, United States

Main Goal: To connect with some awesome photographers and explore a new location.

Instagram

Website

Couples

Day One

Kasia + Kostek

Day Two

Maria + Jonathan

Rides

Vendors

Tagging these vendors is very important because they have donated their services in exchange for tags and a gallery afterwards. So please remember this part

Bouquets: @ssousa001 + https://www.facebook.com/SoniaSousaFloresEPlantas

MUA: @alexandra.s.makeup

Hair: @florian_marconot

Kostek
Suit: @Zara
Shirt: @vistula_polska
Jewellery: @manoki.pl
Watch: @Oris
Shoes: @walklondonshoes

Kasia
Dress: Self designed
Shoes: @vans
Jewellery: @sothopl + @aniakruk_jewellery
Engagement ring: @magdalenapaszkiewiczjewellery

Maria
Dress: @ateliermaratana

After The Workshop

What might be unique about this workshop is that afterward, we compile all the photos everyone took into one gallery. We do this for two reasons:

• It provides easy access to the vendors who contributed their time and resources, as well as the couples.
• It’s an excellent exercise for everyone to review the work of others—you’d be surprised at what you see in their edits and what they noticed during the trip.

We set a deadline for this so it doesn’t linger forever, and the deadline is February 27th.

You can email your photos to [email protected]. High-res or low-res, 2 photos or 20,000—it doesn’t matter. We don’t police what you send, but we kindly ask that you send something.

Logistics

This spreadsheet looks hideous on mobile, but is here if you need it.