Copacabana Beach and Selarón Steps Photoshoot in Rio: Three Dresses, Two Places

Photographer: Débora Oliveira

Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach

Beach and city in the same session. This solo shoot started on Copacabana Beach in the soft light of a cloudy morning, with a flowing red dress and a white one, and finished at the Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, where blue and sequins stood out against the tiles.

It is a good example of how two very different locations can give two different galleries in the same day.

The photos in this gallery are from my session with Svetlana.

A red dress on Copacabana

We began at the water line with a long red dress and a scarf that the wind lifted into the frame. Walking, twirling and looking back at the sea gave the movement, and the mountains of Copacabana appear softly in the distance.

A white dress and a green jacket on the sand

For the second look, a white dress with lace and an olive green jacket on the shoulders. Sitting on the sand, touching the hair and looking away from the camera gave quiet, close portraits, a few of them in black and white.

A blue dress at the Selarón Steps

In Santa Teresa the blue dress was a strong match for the yellow and blue tiles of the staircase. White sunglasses and a denim jacket gave variety, and sitting on the steps with the colors behind gave the best photos.

Sequins, red walls and a coconut

The last look was a sequin top and a light skirt in front of the red tile wall and the flag mosaic. We finished in a street corner with graffiti and a green coconut, a very Rio detail for the final frames.

Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro
Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro Woman in a long red dress with a scarf on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro
Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach
Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach
Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach
Woman in a white lace dress and green jacket sitting on the sand of Copacabana Beach Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro Woman in a blue dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner
Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner
Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner
Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner Woman in a sequin top in front of the red tile wall at the Selarón Steps, and a green coconut on a graffiti street corner

Tips for a similar photoshoot

  • Pick a different look for each location: flowing and soft for the beach, bold and simple for Selarón.
  • Bold colors like blue stand out on the Selarón Steps. Avoid busy prints, because the tiles are already full of color.
  • Start at the beach in the morning and go to Santa Teresa afterwards. It is easier to plan with a two-location pack.
  • Bring sunglasses and a light jacket. They change the mood of a look quickly.

Locations in this session

Want a session like this in Rio?

Send me your dates, the area where you are staying and the pack you like. I reply with availability.

Message me on WhatsApp See packs

Packs and pricing · Solo travelers

More sessions

Woman in a green and yellow feather Carnival costume next to the yellow tram in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
Santa Teresa · Carnival · Jazzmin

Carnival Photoshoot in Santa Teresa, Rio: Samba Costume, Yellow Tram and Murals

Woman in a long peach crochet dress sitting on the colorful tiled Selarón Steps in Rio de Janeiro
Selarón Steps · Haddy

Solo Photoshoot at the Selarón Steps in a Peach Crochet Dress, Rio

Woman in a red dress running and walking on Ipanema Beach with sunflowers under a cloudy sky
Ipanema · Ru

Ipanema Beach Photoshoot with a Red Dress and Sunflowers, Rio

WhatsApp