Honeymoon Portraits on Lake Como


Meet Krisha and Praveen, a freshly married couple from Singapore in Italy on their honeymoon photoshoot.

Silhouetted couple sharing an intimate moment against warm sunlit background in a series of romantic close-up shots.

I'M SYDNEY DUNCAN, A MILAN BASED PHOTOGRAPHER.


I specialize in romantic couple sessions, lifestyle family portraits, and editorial-style branding photography across Italy. I work with international clients who value imagery that feels intentional, effortless, and emotionally grounded. My goal is to create photographs that don’t just document the moment, they hold it.


Today's couple? Krisha + Praveen

A couple in white outfits rests together on a window ledge with a scenic mountain view in the background.
A sequence of close-up shots showing hands with rings casting dramatic shadows on a reddish-brown surface.

Meet our couple


Krisha - AKA Miss Singapore Asia-Pacific, is no stranger to the camera. She didn't want your standard, bright and smiling couples portraits, she wanted editorial drama.


Of course I was up to the challenge. If you're familiar with my work, then you know I'm all about the drama! Sculptural lighting, harsh angles, layering, and movement, I'm all about it, and I had the perfect location in mind: A stunning little spot overlooking Lake Como in all of it's picturesque glory.


Always a little nervous about punctuality, I arrived from Milan to the ferry hours early. Public transit in Italy isn't exactly known for its dependability, and so I never want to take any chances.


Low and behold, from across the ferry stop I spot our gorgeous couple!


A couple shares an intimate moment in a train car with scenic mountain views through the window.
Interior view of a boat cabin with wooden tables, blue chairs and windows overlooking the water on a sunny day.
Two people in white clothing share a joyful moment together while sitting in what appears to be a vehicle.


I never expect my clients to be as absurdly over punctual as I am, so pleasantly surprised, I make my way over.


We make for quick pals, bonding over the bitter cold and Krisha and my shared remorse for having worn skirts. Just as soon as we meet, the ferry arrives and we're off to the shoot location.

Lake Como Ferry Portraits


We weren't on the ferry for a full minute before ideas started spinning. I'd been itching for a ferry photoshoot for as long as I'd been shooting on Lake Como, each time I crossing the water post and pre shoot having watered the seed of that desire until the houseplant that is my creativity was all but overgrown.


The three of us were sat chatting about return tickets and other logistics, but my attention was faced elsewhere: A rust orange corner table nestled between large windows, the light shining in and onto it gloriously in harsh angular shapes.


Shamelessly (though politely, I'm no savage), I asked the couple sitting in that spot if they would be so generous as to let me highjack it.


Thankfully they were generous to oblige. The spot was ours, and it didn't disappoint.

A couple shares a tender kiss while sitting by a window with bright blue sky visible in the background.


Once we'd reached our stop, I was already totally and completely jazzed with the couples portraits we'd managed to capture. While I had initially planned to sit in solitude at some cafe near the shoot location (I had brought my laptop along and was going to spend the time working) our couple expressed they hadn't yet eaten. Very well, work can wait, let's find a cafe together gang!


Easier said than done apparently, because this far north of Lake Como in the winter just about everything is closed.


Finally after some trial and error walking back and forth in the cold, we stumbled into a hotel cafe... open, though nearly desolate, and completely stunning. Unbeknownst to the three of us, we'd just wondered into spontaneous photoshoot location #2.



Friends enjoying drinks and conversation while seated at a waterfront restaurant overlooking a scenic lake view.

Romantic Italian lifestyle portraits... al volo


I'll be honest, it all seemed too good to be true.


An immaculate breakfast buffet in an empty dining room, an outdoors patio with romantic metal chairs and tables overlooking the lake. It was just too stunning, too perfect. It was too totally exactly the sort of dreamy Italian cafe I had always yearned to shoot in for us to have just stumbled inside... there was no way that management would let us take photos.


Not only did they allow it, they were total dolls! They opened up the large window to let us out and even gave me a remote to control the position of the awning. Normally, they expressed, they don't do such things, but given we were the only customers present they made an exception. We were totally floored, and the shots were absolutely banging.

Silhouetted diners enjoy a meal at an elegant waterfront restaurant with ornate railings overlooking a scenic lake view.
Couple enjoying coffee and conversation at an outdoor cafe overlooking a scenic mountain lake view.
Two people relax at a lakeside cafe terrace with mountains and a boat visible across the tranquil water.
Two people sit at an outdoor cafe terrace with white columns and orange awning in a European setting.
Couple enjoying coffee at an outdoor cafe table with red building facade and ornate lamp post in background.


Just to recap, by this point I've spontaneously had two photography dreams fulfilled. So It's been a good day. Truly we could have even just called it at this point, but with our final destination just next door we gleefully moved forward.

A series of film photographs showing people relaxing along a stone balcony overlooking a scenic mountain lake view.

EDITORIAL STYLE PHOTOGRAPHY


This location can be a bit of a journey to get to, especially for me as a Milan based photographer, but it is always worth the journey.


Our couple couldn't have looked chicer. Like, seriously, magazine worthy.

Silhouettes of people enjoying scenic views of Lake Como with snow-capped mountains in the background on a clear day.
People admiring scenic mountain views across Lake Como from a stone terrace in Italy.
Silhouettes of people sitting along a lakeside wall with mountains and misty water in the background.

Portraits that tell a story


We finished off our session with portraits sat on a gorgeous concrete staircase leading up to a small lookout point.


For several shots we emphasized the shadows, working to carve out the highlights of our couple from the dark contrast.


Overhead view of a person in white clothing walking across a textured concrete surface casting dramatic shadows.
Close-up details of a white wedding dress flowing across dark stone steps in dramatic lighting.



To wrap things up, I repositioned myself so that the subjects (our couple) were lit straight on. Still editorial, but less edge.


By the time we'd wrapped up, I was totally floored at the story we'd crafted. So much of the shoot had been completely unplanned, but each surprise flowed in seamlessly to the next.


That's the most beautiful part of the job, really. Letting those spontaneous moments take you.


A series of artistic outdoor portrait photos showing a person laying on textured stone in dramatic lighting and poses.