Can’t believe it’s been almost three months I came back from the most amazing trip of 2024 to Tûrkiye. A trip that will always remain special and close to my heart- for all the good reasons of course! I traveled to Istanbul and Cappadocia, did the most amazing things, ate the most delicious food and stayed at the best of best hotels. In short ” I was spoiled rotten by Turkish Airlines ” !
One of the highlights for me was the “FLYING DRESS PHOTOSHOOT IN CAPPADOCIA”. A photoshoot in a long flying dress with the hot air balloons in the backdrop- it’s dreamy and a must-do if you are a nostalgist like me! People do it for fun, memories, engagement shoot, wedding-shoot and what not.
But, before we delve into the nitty-gritty of how to go about doing one, let’s get to the correct pronunciation part of CAPPADOCIA. While the Turkish airlines representative pronounced it as ‘ ka·puh·dow·shiah’, our tourist guide pronounced it as ka·puh·dow·kiah ( with a strong ‘K’ sound ). So my understanding is that both the pronunciations are correct and can be used interchangeably. You’re welcome !
Now that we know how to correctly pronounce CAPPADOCIA, it’s time for the information you all had been waiting for. There are so many things to note and remember initially when booking your shoot, but when the shoot actually happens- it’s so much fun!
photographer
The flying dress photoshoot is the second most touristy thing post ‘ the hot air balloon ride’ to do in Cappadocia. There is no dearth of photographers who are all highly professional and proficient in facilitating these shoots. They work in a team of 2-4 depending on the photoshoot group size. Usually there is 1-2 stylist/helper per photographer. You can find a tonne of contacts on GOCAPPADOCIA IG and FB, but it really works beautifully through referrals, plus it’s safe!
My friend had booked our photographer who her friend had worked with before, so it was one hundred percent legit! Make sure to ask for testimonials, validate their social media and gather all the information you can prior to the shoot. I personally worked with STYLE_ CAPPADOCIA but you could connect with ISTANBUL_PHOTOSHOOT_, who was hired by another friend.
PIcK a date
Assuming your stay in Cappadocia is at least a couple days long, choose a date rather morning that fits yours and your photographers schedule. The shoots are scheduled essentially for the mornings right around dawn, so make sure you choose a morning when you feel you’ll be most-rested. Point to note- the shoot is contingent on the hot air balloons going up in the air, if the weather is cloudy or windy, the hot air balloon rides do get canceled which might affect your shoot plans. My advice- keep a standby date of a day or two in case the shoot gets rescheduled and only if you are there for an extended time.
TIME & DURATION OF SHOOT
The time entirely depends on the sunrise and time of the year. In winter its usually between 6:15-6:30 am and in summer it could be as early as 5:30-5:45am. While the shoot time can be later in the morning you would have to add an additional two hours prior to your shoot scheduled time which would account for your “getting ready time” and “driving to the location time”. This depends on factors like how fast of a dresser you are and your hotel distance from the location.
I wanted to do a full glam face and grab a quick bite before heading out, so I allowed myself a couple hours window. The shoot usually lasts about 1.5-2 hours depending on the number of locations outlined in your package and the number of people in your group. I had the two locations package and went with another friend, so give or take it was 2 hours for us.
The dress
The most exciting and probably the prettiest part of the shoot is the DRESS! Good news- your photographer provides the dress. At the time of booking the stylist from the team will reach out to you with dress options. You can choose one or a couple, remember each outfit you choose will incur an additional charge. The night prior to the shoot the stylist brings the dress to your hotel for a trial run. The winning dress stays with you till after the shoot is over.
The clothes are dry-cleaned after each use, at least thats what I was assuming and was acknowledged by the stylist too. If you choose to wear your clothes for aesthetic and hygiene reasons, that’s totally okay!
Some photographers might bring changing tents to the shoot site in case you are doing multiple outfits. As it was cold the morning of my shoot, I wore nude tights and boots under my dress. Usually the dress is so long and full of fabric that nothing under it shows. After 40 comfort comes over fashion for me: wink-wink!
TRANSPORTAtIOn
The photographer picks you up from your hotel and drops you off soon after the shoot is over. They even allow you to change in the car if needed. Your package rate is inclusive of this pick up-drop off service.
PHOTOSHOOT DAY
Now that you have the dress, the transportation all sorted out, it’s time to have some modeling fun. Remember you aren’t the only one at the shoot location, there will be several others in similar looking dresses and it looks so breathtakingly pretty! Your photographer will direct you start to finish and the helper/stylist will do all the BTS stuff of setting, fluttering, flipping-flapping your dress. It’s your true celebrity moment, so relax, pose and have fun.
price
Well, we are now down to the most important piece of information you were looking for- PRICE ? Quick pointers- the price is generally inclusive of the dress, the transportation, 15-20 edited photos and a couple high-resolution videos. The price is quoted in EUROS and the photographers accept cash only, so make sure you have the exact cash on hand for soon after the shoot ends. Payment is made before your drop-off at the hotel.
This whole experience can cost you anywhere between $90-$300. I understand it’s not cheap but the final price can vary photographer to photographer and the package you choose. I paid $250 for mine and given the excellent images and videos I got, I can totally justify spending that amount on this shoot. If I were to do it again, YES I would but with horsed and hot air balloons next time.
Feel free to email me at myriadmusings1@gmail.com or DM me on social for any questions pertaining to this FLYING DRESS photoshoot.
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