LAKE COMO PHOTOSHOOT GUIDE
ALL YOU NEED TO GET THE BEST
The culture and heritage of Lake Como, seen through a narrative eye
History begins with the Celts and Romans, and major events continue without interruption to the present day.
My itineraries are planned around a single idea: the deep and genuine discovery of the area. This means looking beyond the famous lakeside villas – most of them privately owned, with an entrance fee. With me, you can explore further: unknown landscapes, hidden villages, unusual views – all while being photographed.
Here is how it works in practice.
During the Half-Day Narrative Photography Project we follow local culture and history along the lakeside roads, travelling in my car; for the finest lake views, you can also book a water taxi. The Full-Day Project allows us even more: reaching the lesser-known mountains, with their ancient villages and remains invisible from the shore. Some of these places are almost forgotten – and I can lead you there.
SUPERPOWER
... In case of rain
That said, I am only a photographer and I cannot control the weather – but I do have one superpower.
Subject only to my availability, I offer a ‘Weather Insurance’: if rain is forecast, we can move the session to a drier day.
NB: this is possible only when I am free from other commissions. Please allow a minimum stay of four days to make the most of the lake, and book the session on the first day – or the second at the latest.
Anyway, Lake Como can be beautiful in every kind of weather – this depends on the story we decide to tell – but not everyone is a fan of rain.
EMOTIONAL NARRATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY
The art of storytelling
With my approach, strolling through the narrow streets around the lake – or crossing its steep meadows – becomes a creative and unconventional way of creating your photographs. Rain is not as easy to embrace here as it is in Venice, which is transformed by it, becoming evocative rather than sombre, its surfaces glistening with reflections. Here on the lake, however, rainy weather is best spent exploring historic sites rather than scenic spots – and is distinctly unwelcome unless you happen to be aboard a water taxi.
But if the rain clears and the sun comes out, paradise reveals itself: the atmosphere is crystal clear, the landscape vivid and saturated, with clouds adorning the sky.
Every season offers something worth photographing, and every season tells a different story.
The heart of it is this: while you explore beautiful places, you receive a genuine visual narrative about you and the feelings you share, set within one of the most spectacular landscapes in Italy.
PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Just you and the lake
Of course, I also create narrative portraits of individuals and influencers.
Here is the wonderful Joycie – I am honoured to be her personal photographer in Italy. In the opening slideshow you can see her posing at the legendary George Clooney’s villa, l’Oleandra. Here, instead, she is on the boat, framed by Villa Monastero at Varenna.
We have also worked together in Milan, Venice, the Dolomites, Lake Garda and Tuscany.
THE SURPRISE PROPOSAL PHOTOSHOOT
Naturally the girl cries...
(… And sometimes the man too) 🙂
I specialise in surprise proposals, photographing dozens of them every year.
For those who commission a project, I keep a private guide explaining how to plan this very special event in the most emotional and artistic way.
We got the photos – they look beautiful! I'll write a review as soon as I have time later today. Thank you so much for being part of this special moment once again!
We were very happy with the proposal and with how everything went – thank you so much for your advice and help!
I chose Lake Como because it was the destination we were most excited about! We had high expectations, and it was the place we couldn't stop talking about before the trip. At the beginning my second option was Venice, but the villages here were so beautiful – they looked perfect for a proposal.
If you are looking for information about a surprise proposal at Bellagio, this is the dedicated page:
www.progettifotografici.com/surprise-proposal-bellagio-lake-como
YOUR INVESTMENT
Is it worth it?
‘Is it worth it?’ – and its silent twin: ‘what if the final images are not up to standard?’. These are the two legitimate doubts of anyone weighing an investment like this, and they deserve an orderly answer.
The quality of the images is the responsibility of the method. A frame is built with precision, not picked up along the way; and as for posing, with me as director you need no skill at all: a few gentle instructions are enough – give me two minutes, and I can make even a lamp post pose naturally.
As for the value: what the investment opens is not a number of hours, but a complete creative work. The conception, the itinerary planned around the movement of the sun, the places my colleagues have never discovered, the session itself, the meticulous post-production, the final sequence edited as one story. Not the clock: the completed project.
This is why my projects are not priced by the hour. The investment opens a project and reserves the day, each formula with its own maximum of hours: a one-hour session and a five-hour session carry the same investment.
Let me explain this a little better – just take me as someone who’s genuinely enthusiastic about his work, not as someone who’s getting carried away.
What do I gain from creating a three-hour project instead of a five-hour one, when I’m genuinely passionate about my work?
What I find, in practice, is that I then have to try to achieve the same result in less time – probably without being able to do it quite as well. I enjoy what I do, and I want to have the time to do it properly, rather than constantly feeling that I’m rushing towards the next location.
And, in the end, what do two fewer hours of photography actually mean compared with the time invested in conceiving the project, planning the itinerary, selecting and post-producing the images, and carrying out the fine-art post-production? Very little.
The real difference is what happens during those hours: having the freedom to explore, to notice something unexpected, to stop when the light is right, and to create the kind of coherent visual narrative that takes time to build.
And the reason all this matters is simple: the lake described by the guidebooks is not the whole lake. Travel publications live on what sells, and tend to present the theme-park version as ‘the best’, but it’s because of business – a handful of celebrated places, often overcrowded; blogs suffer less from commercial interest, yet they chase popular topics more than quality alternatives, due to SEO.
With my projects, you take home a Lake Como that the vast majority of visitors never see – and a story that remains when the journey fades.
Full-Day Narrative Photography Project — €1,670 (recommended)
Up to ten hours together, with breaks to rest, eat or change outfits.
An emotionally edited sequence of 200 or more post-produced images, presented as a coherent visual narrative – including skin colour correction and retouching, and the careful de-wrinkling of clothing.
We will reach some spots that remain ‘secret’ even to my colleagues, spending the day together without haste.
Images delivered straight to your email within ten days.
We can also plan across two half-days instead of a full day. This makes it easier to reach the best locations and allows us to work with better light, choosing the time and place according to the direction of the sun.
Half-Day Narrative Photography Project — €1,270
Up to five hours of continuous work.
120 or more post-produced images, with the same artistic approach and the same meticulous post-production.
Images delivered straight to your email within ten days.
Surprise Proposal Narrative Photography Project — €570
NB Available exclusively for surprise proposals.
As with every project of mine, complete planning assistance is included.
Beyond documenting the proposal, I am also available for a couple photoshoot.
Up to two hours together.
Images delivered straight to your email within five days.
Extra for next-day delivery, subject to availability: €220.
> Complementary services
I can also work with an image consultant – precious help in choosing the most suitable outfits based on your personal Armochromy – and with a professional tourist guide; and I can recommend the right vintage wooden taxi boat.
NB please remember my services are not per hour. These prices are set for opening a project with me and booking the day, with a different maximum of hours available.
As an example: the price of one hour-photoshoot or a five-hour photo shoot is the same.
FAQ
Meeting the incomparable, wonderful John Doe, the FAQ man!
John Doe
Hi Luca, I hope you’re doing well! I was looking for a one-hour photoshoot, but I couldn’t find this option on your website. Do you also offer shorter sessions? Thanks so much!
Luca Rajna
I collaborate with some great agencies that offer this option, but my studio takes it a step further. Here we are not just taking ‘pictures’ at Lake Como: we are helping you discover the lake in a way you could not on your own.
Moreover, the post-production of the projects commissioned directly at my studio includes skin retouching and clothing de-wrinkling.
John Doe
Hi Luca, it’s great to stay in touch! Why are there so many hours included in your packages? There may be too many for us, since we will only be staying on Lake Como for two nights!
Luca Rajna
Thank you for appreciating my style, dear John, and for taking the time to understand it! I can genuinely deepen your experience of the lake.
With my projects we reach the most picturesque, photogenic corners of Lake Como – often the lesser-known ones. During a short stay, this is a fine opportunity to escape the busiest tourist routes: you will enjoy things that only a select few – the 1% of visitors – ever get to.
Together, we will immerse ourselves in the beauty of the lake and create lasting memories.
John Doe
Hi Luca, do you recommend taking the tour with you instead of exploring the lake with a tour guide?
Luca Rajna
No, not at all, dear John! The tour guides possess a level of expertise I cannot match – and they speak English far more fluently than I do…
The best solution is to combine the two: commission one of my projects and hire a tour guide for the hours we can plan together. I have strong connections in that sector and can recommend the right professional.
John Doe
Hi Luca, can we rely on your car for transport?
Luca Rajna
Absolutely! We will all meet at the starting point of the session – please make sure you can reach it independently – and from there we will travel together in my car. And since the lake reveals its true character from the water, don’t miss to book a water taxi: you’ll be amazed.
A SURVEY IN THE CELTIC KINGDOM
Can you believe this is Lake Como?
Indeed, here we are.
Lake Como has a prehistoric heritage, followed by the Rhaetians, the Celts, the Romans and the Christian era.
Our lake is far more than elegant villas and picturesque villages: together we can explore a past stretching back more than 2,500 years. I am a local, and I know where to take the best pictures in the most beautiful, untouched historical places.
Celtic faerie tale – but it’s Lake Como
A Roman bridge lost in the middle of nowhere – from the age of Julius Caesar
Saying hello to Annie and Brandon
Nineteen years old
August 2023: a photoshoot along the lakeside promenade leading to Villa Olmo, Como. But… why these two?
They were my youngest protagonists ever – from the United States, both attending Mercer University in Georgia!
Black and white photography
Post-production and delivery of the edited work
If you are drawn to black and white, simply ask: alongside the colour collection, I will happily provide a black-and-white version of the final images.
the end
See you around our beloved lake?
So… here we are.
Will I become your photographer in Italy? Let me know if it sounds good to you 🙂
PS If you are planning an elopement wedding, there is a dedicated post: progettifotografici.com/lake-como-elopement
This other post is about Venice, but I recommend it because it explains how to dress for a photoshoot – together we can apply the same principles to the colours of Lake Como: www.progettifotografici.com/venice-photographer-photoshoot