A romantic experience in Sintra with Cara and Daniel | Lisbon Couples Photographer
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Note: this is a human-generated article, written with intention, love and soul.
Today’s whimsical adventure is all about Cara, Daniel and their romantic experience in Lisbon, more specifically Sintra. In this article I’ll walk you through their experience, showing how we transformed a standard photoshoot in Lisbon into a extremely intimate and intentional immersive experience in fairytale-like Sintra.
So, newly engaged Cara and Daniel chose Lisbon for a gastronomic, romantic getaway for their first international trip together and they surely accomplished their goal!
Together for 8 years and coming all the way from Colorado (USA), they met a very grey and rainy Lisbon instead of the usually bright and sunny one that appear on all brochures. But despite all the storms, Cara and Daniel were ready to embrace whatever weather conditions Lisbon would throw at them and with that in mind, off we went to whimsical Sintra.
How a Sintra Photoshoot Became a Romantic and Intentional Experience
Step 1: choosing the right route
To transform a standard photoshoot into an intentional and transformative experience, it is of the utmost importance that my couples feel honored, respected and relaxed during their experience and Cara and Daniel were not exceptions.
They didn’t have any special requests when it came to location but based on their personality traits and relationship dynamics (that I assessed through a detailed and fun questionnaire) I offered them 3 available routes to choose from. Each having it’s onw perks:
Option 1 was the most iconic but also the busiest of them all, allowing little to no privacy;
Option 2 was the most private but featured a more modern part of Lisbon that didn’t have quite that “typical portuguese” aesthetic;
So they went with option 3 which offered the privacy of option 2 whilst featuring a very portuguese romantic village.
Why does your romantic Lisbon experience route matters so much?
The route is important because it will define the entire energy of the experience. Not only that, it will determine how comfortable you’ll feel throughout the entire time which will have a major direct impact in everything else.
Step 2: intentional conversation starters to foster intimacy
Intimacy (noun):
a state of close, personal, and familiar association with another person, characterized by feelings of emotional closeness, connection, and support.
Cara and Daniel are both introvert individuals with demanding careers. Maybe you identify with them, and if so, you know this combination often means that you live very busy lives where time and energy to dive deeper into your relationship on a daily basis might not be as much as you wished it was.
With that in mind, I like to bring with me some thoughtful questions to ask during your experience, and that’s what I did for Daniel and Cara. These questions have some essential specificities that transform them from broad conversation starters into doors to a deeper connection:
they are not to be answered to me but rather between you and your partner;
every question is based on your personalities and relationship dynamics (assessed during your pre-experience onboarding process);
some questions are designed to be answered by both of you while others are carefully thought to be mainly answered by one of the parts.
What’s the main goal of these conversation starters?
To allow you — and in this case Cara and Daniel — to forget about the world around you and create a universe of your own, immersing yourselves into your love and bond.
The most profound memories of Daniel and Cara’s experience happened precisely as consequences to those thoughtful conversation starters.
Step 3: hands-on curated exercises to deepen connection
This is probably the part I love the most about these experiences. It is amazing to plan every detail of it and even more amazing to watch my couples bloom while putting it into practice.
Ever since I’ve started to design these hands-on exercises, I’ve been noticing how much depth, intention and connection they bring to the overall experience. It is as watching a weight being lifted from my couples shoulders. As if, all of a sudden, they shyness and self-consciousness disappeared and they surrender completely to the moment, to each other. As a beautiful flower, blooming.
That’s what happened to Cara and Daniel. It became obvious that this shared activity inside the experience provided them a feeling of connection and safety that although were already there, in that moment solidified.
Why a written exercise?
Many of my couples are, as I am, introverts. And even when they are not, being in front of a camera can be quite challenging in itself, let alone explore intimacy while being photographed.
A written exercise allows you to be 100% honest and raw without fear of being judged (by me or someone else). It also protects your privacy which provides you a safe opportunity to simply express your deepest emotions and thoughts, freely.
After you finish the exercise, I’ll invite you to either read it aloud to each other or take turns reading each other’s words, silently. I’ll also leave it to you to choose if you prefer to exchange your letters afterwards, when your are both alone. This experience is not mine. It is 100% yours. You have total control of it.
There’s also no time limit for this moment. The goal is for you to take the most out of it and that can’t happen if you’re being rushed.
Cara and Daniel decided to read each other’s letters silently. A moment solely of their own. Deep. Raw. Intimate. Their love felt almost touchable. I took some images to immortalize the moment but I retrieved myself both during the exercise and afterwards, keeping my distance and allowing them to just be. Together.
Being a facilitator of intimate relationships is knowing when to be present and when to retrieve myself from the space so you can immerse yourselves in the moment, fully.
Step 4: adding a cultural experience
Most of my beloved humans are from abroad so I always like to offer some traditional treats to make this experience even more immersive. After all, Portugal is well known for its cuisine, it only makes sense that food is also part of the experience.
This not only allow you to taste a bit of Portugal but also ensures that those 2 hours were indeed well spent: you saw Portugal, tasted Portugal and experienced Portugal whilst living an unforgettable and unmatched romantic experience. Nothing was left behind.
Besides, who doesn’t fancy a sweet, am I right?
In the end, Cara and Daniel didn’t return home with just pretty pictures to look at but rather with new memories to remember, an experience that changed them and their communication, that offered new information and tools that they can now use for the rest of their lives when balancing their demanding careers with their eagerness to spend quality, meaningful and intentional time together.
These images will forever remind them of a chapter of their lives worth revisiting, over and over again. And one day will be their legacy, the images that they can use to tell their children and grandchildren all about that special time when mum and dad were engaged and lived a one of a kind experience in whimsical Sintra.
If you too want to live an experience to call your own, something that lingers, that goes beyond pretty pictures, that has the ability to deepen the bond you already share, this is the first step.
I’ll see you on the other side, where magic happens.
To Cara and Daniel: thank you for allowing me to capture the beautiful, gentle and honest love that you share. May this chapter of your lives be filled with joy and laughter for many many years to come.
With love and gratitude,
Patrícia
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FAQ:
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An intentional photoshoot is a guided experience designed for deep connection, not just for taking pictures. I (the photographer) act as a facilitator, creating a space where you (the couple) can be present with each other without the usual distractions, resulting in authentic and meaningful images.
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Iconic locations for a Lisbon pre-wedding photoshoot include the historic streets of Alfama, the scenic views from a Miradouro (like Senhora do Monte), the architectural beauty of Belém Tower, and the vibrant energy of the city's tiled facades.
Your route will be defined by your own preferences and personalities. Rest assured that I’ll take into consideration all of that when presenting you your custom route options.
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A pre-wedding photoshoot offers a chance to escape the stress of wedding planning and create a dedicated "connection appointment." It allows you to create a set of beautiful, authentic images that celebrate your relationship before the big day.
For Hailey and Griffin this experience also allowed them to use some of their engagement photos in their wedding invitations giving their guests a bit of context into their own story as a couple.
About the Author:
Patricia Nunes is a couples photographer, experiences designer and the creator of the "Intentional" newsletter. She specializes in helping discerning couples build more intentional lives and relationships, using expertly guided photography experiences as a powerful tool to facilitate profound connection.
Lisbon, London and beyond.
Article Summary
This article showcases a pre-wedding photoshoot in Sintra, reframing it as an intentional experience. It follows a couple's journey through iconic Sintra locations, detailing how the photographer's guided process helps them connect deeply amidst the demands of wedding planning. The piece argues that a photoshoot can be a powerful tool for presence and intimacy, not just for creating beautiful images.
