Amalfi · Conca dei Marini · Positano
Ess & Leo
Positano photographer
A bridal photo session along the Amalfi Coast, from a convent cloister to Positano at night
Ess and Leo came from China to the Amalfi Coast for a bridal photo session: no ceremony and no guests, just the two of them, a wedding dress and a day along the coast.
We met at the Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi, where they were staying, and started there, in the cloister and under the pergola above the sea. Then we moved along the coast, through Atrani and down to the beach at Conca dei Marini.
Ess wanted portraits on the rocks at all costs, so we went a little crazy to find the right ones, a few steps from the water. We finished at night, walking through the lanes of Positano.
The session
Best of Ess & Leo’s day on the Amalfi Coast
The hotel
Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi
The Convento di Amalfi, today the Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel, sits on the cliff above the harbour of Amalfi. It grew out of a monastery founded in 1212 by Cardinal Pietro Capuano, next to the cave church of San Pietro a Toczolo, already mentioned in a document of 1022.
Cistercian monks from Fossanova arrived in 1214, and Capuchin friars took over in 1583. In 1882 the brothers Andrea and Alfredo Vozzi turned the convent into a hotel.
Henry W. Longfellow stayed here and published his poem “Amalfi” in 1875; the path next to the hotel still carries his name. The cloister, with its white interlaced arches, was restored in the 1930s.
For a photo session it is a gift: the cloister, the long pergola over the sea and the terraces above the harbour gave us the first hour of pictures without leaving the hotel.
The coast
Atrani, Conca dei Marini and Positano
Atrani is a few minutes east of Amalfi. Its municipality covers just 0.12 km², the smallest in Italy: a tiny square, a beach and the Collegiate Church of St Mary Magdalene, founded in 1274.
Conca dei Marini lies between Amalfi and Furore, with fewer than 700 residents. It was a trading base of the Republic of Amalfi, and a 16th-century watchtower still stands on Capo di Conca. The beach below faces east and falls into shade from early afternoon, so morning is the time for photos on the rocks.
Positano climbs the cliff around the majolica dome of Santa Maria Assunta, which keeps a 13th-century Byzantine icon of the Black Madonna. In 1953 John Steinbeck wrote about it for Harper’s Bazaar in “Positano Bites Deep”, calling it a dream place that becomes real only once you have left.
In the evening, when the day-trippers leave, the town lights up from the beach to the top of the hill. It is the best moment to walk through its lanes and stairs with a camera.
Good to know
Planning a photo session on the Amalfi Coast?
How long
Three or four hours are enough for two or three places. A whole afternoon lets you end in Positano after sunset, as Ess and Leo did.
When
Spring and October have softer light and fewer crowds. In July and August the coast road is packed and the beaches are full.
Getting around
The coast road is narrow and parking is scarce. A driver is the easiest way to move between towns; in season, ferries link Amalfi and Positano.
Light
The cliffs put many beaches in shade early in the afternoon. Plan the order of places around the sun, not around the map.
Rocks
The rocks by the sea are slippery. Bring flat shoes for the walk and change only for the photos.
Where to start
Your hotel is often the best first location. Many hotels on the coast have terraces, gardens or cloisters that are perfect for the first hour.
Check my availability
Planning a photo session on the Amalfi Coast?
Tell me your date, where you’re staying and how many hours you have in mind. I’ll reply with my availability and a route that fits the light.
