Flying Dress Photography in Santorini

Santorini’s unique and breathtaking landscape, Cycladic architecture, and Mediterranean atmosphere make Santorini a popular backdrop for “Flying Dress” photo shoots. For one, many newlywed couples, especially from Asia, have long been coming to the island for their honeymoons. They then pose on a terrace in front of the stunning panorama with the caldera and the other islands, or on a staircase amidst the picturesque villages. Alongside classic shots of couples in wedding dresses and suits, another photographic style has emerged here – portraits of women in so-called “Flying Dresses“. This is what these dresses with long trains that billow or “fly” in the wind are called.

The dresses are often made of metallic shimmering fabrics and usually come in vibrant colours. The colour palette ranges from primary colours like red, yellow, green, blue, pink, and turquoise to the trend colours of mobile phones (rose gold). They often create a strong contrast or are complementary to the other predominant colours here, especially blue (the church domes, the sea, and the sky), white (many buildings), red or pink (the rock formations, the bougainvillea, buildings), or yellow and orange (buildings and sunsets).

Even though every traveller carries at least a mobile phone, if not an additional camera, and the most famous views are photographed millions of times (with or without themselves), this type of portrait or staging has developed into a lucrative business for local photographers in recent years. The clientele is international.

Even in the clear light of early morning, the first teams swarm out. Besides the photographer and their clients, assistants are also present for preparation, lighting, or draping the dresses. From a high vantage point, the teams can then be spotted at their respective viewpoints, easily recognisable as bright splashes of colour, e.g., around St. Spyridon Church with its blue domes, Londsa Castle, the square in front of Panagia Akathistos, and on roofs and terraces exclusively reserved for them. There seems to be an agreement or coordination among them, as the respective groups take turns at the individual locations without hindering each other, despite the competition.

Only other travellers get annoyed when the seemingly best spots are occupied or passage is restricted during the shoots. If the wind alone doesn’t make the train fly, the assistants step in and wave the fabric or throw it high into the air.

I was able to observe a great shoot without a dress in Imerovigli at the Chapel of St. John the Beheaded. There, a gay couple had themselves positioned and photographed in the dramatic backlight of the sunset in front of Skaros Rock. The highlight was then a marriage proposal, including the presentation of the engagement ring – location and timing perfectly chosen.