Greece Retreat
Santorini & Milos • April 18-24, 2023
Two springs ago my family and I had our suitcases packed and were ready to board a flight the next morning for Hawaii, as news broke that the U.S. was being restricted from travel to Europe. Little did we all know, it was the beginning of 2 years of shut downs, restrictions and just a roller coaster of uncertainty & darkness. That same April I was supposed to host my dream photography retreat in Greece, which I eventually had to refund & cancel. Somehow making it through the last 2 years, to now be able to offer an even better experience three years later… it feels like the celebration after climbing a mountain. A time to come together, to dream big again & see and do amazing things TOGETHER.
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”
The experience I’m offering below isn’t like any of my other retreats – it calls to the adventurers heart. Women wanting to discover more about themselves & the things we sometimes don’t even realize are sleeping within us, until we find ourselves completely transported to the beauty & unfamiliarity of a new place. I consider this as much of a soul retreat as a photography one. My hope is that it awakens you in a way that you can then pour out into your art with that newfound aliveness & way of seeing.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
This retreat is longer than any others I’ve held and is unique in that it is a travel photography retreat. The itinerary & details are listed below to give you the full scope of what’s included. We will be doing quite a bit of exploring & adventuring, as well as shooting 2 of my favorite family models, that have agreed to come to the remote island of Milos for us. We’ll also be taking portraits of each other in iconic once-in-a-lifetime backdrops. Though this isn’t a sit down & learn Retreat, there’s plenty of time for hands on shooting learning & editing in our Villas, where I can walk around and help individually. Some of my attendees favorite time during Retreats is also the unstructured time, where we can just freely discuss all things photography.
Retreat Itinerary
APRIL 18
Attendees will be arriving in Santorini, where I will arrange for your airport transfer to our villa in Fira, that has breathtaking views overlooking the Caldera. Check-in to the Villa can be as early as 3 pm, but I will be arriving on a sunset flight. Anyone is welcome to join me on my flights from Denver, if you’d like a travel buddy. This first night is for everyone to arrive & get adjusted with any time differences. Shops, restaurants & public transportation are in walking distance.
APRIL 19
This will be our first full day to explore Santorini & purely enjoy the sights, sounds & amazing food. We’ll plan to take gorgeous portraits of each other in this iconic backdrop along the way, while exploring creative use of light & technique — so please be sure to pack something you want to be captured in. Though we aren’t capturing a family while in Santorini, this will still provide educational opportunities for shooting, editing & of course all the chatting in-between. Santorini is known to be a crowded & touristy island, so I’m saving our family sessions for Milos, which is famous for its beautiful (and uncrowded) beaches.
APRIL 20
We’ll enjoy the morning in Santorini & then head to the port for an early afternoon ferry* to Milos, where we’ll be staying on the water in the cutest boutique hotel in Pollonia. We will have 2 suites overlooking the sea & there’s a little pool bar in the common area to enjoy below. We’ll be in walking distance to shops, restaurants & the beach. The absence of nightclubs & beach bars playing loud music gives Milos a relaxing atmosphere.
APRIL 21
Time to get exploring & see this ridiculously beautiful island! I’ll have 3 cars for us, but will need 2 other volunteers for driving. Our first Family Model Session will be at sunset – what a dream! When not exploring or dining, we will be round table editing & I’ll be walking around to help each person individually. Ideally, you’ll bring a laptop, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry, I’ll be sending out an editing video after the retreat showing how I edited the galleries.
APRIL 22
Another full day in Milos to explore, edit what we’ve shot together & finish the day with our second sunset Family Model Session. All this time together lends itself to open dialogue about all things photography & I find that to be something attendees love; where they can freely discuss specific things they struggle with, over sit down formal education.
APRIL 23
After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll head to the port to take the late morning ferry* back to Santorini for our last night in Fira. This Villa has 3 jacuzzi with Caldera & Sunset views, so might be a good place to celebrate our final hours together, overlooking the twinkling lights of the island.
APRIL 24
I’ll plan to arrange everyone’s airport shuttles for flights home, but I personally will be taking a very early flight out. For anyone with a later flight, Villa check-out is at 10 am & breakfast will be served before departure.
* Ferry schedules haven’t been published yet, so ferry times are based on last years schedule & could change. The 2023 Ferry schedules will be released this winter.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Daily breakfasts & lodging in ocean view Villas, with (mostly) shared beds. All transportation during the retreat, including: ferries to/from Milos, car service & shuttles to/from airport, & to/from ferry, as well as car rentals on Milos. Also included is my Painterly Action Collection (with the famous 1-click).
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Airfare, Lunch, Dinner, Alcohol, Snacks or presets/actions outside of my Painterly Collection.
INVESTMENT
$4,000
— SOLD OUT
REGISTRATION OPENS AT 12 pm NOON (MST) ON AUGUST 17 (Sorry, no early birds & I’d highly recommend setting an alarm to submit, as past retreats have sold out instantly & I just never know how these will fill). Limited to 10 attendees for an intimate & soul filling experience. Four $1,000 non-refundable payments will be due on the seventeenth of August, October, December and February to secure your seat. Please email me at stormy@stormysolis.com at registration opening to request your seat. Seats are filled on a first come basis.
Refund Policy
Seats are non-refundable or transferable. In the event you can’t attend, you can sell your seat to someone to replace you.
GREECE RETREAT
Santorini & Milos • April 18-24, 2023
Two springs ago my family and I had our suitcases packed and were ready to board a flight the next morning for Hawaii, as news broke that the U.S. was being restricted from travel to Europe. Little did we all know, it was the beginning of 2 years of shut downs, restrictions and just a roller coaster of uncertainty & darkness. That same April I was supposed to host my dream photography retreat in Greece, which I eventually had to refund & cancel. Somehow making it through the last 2 years, to now be able to offer an even better experience three years later… it feels like the celebration after climbing a mountain. A time to come together, to dream big again & see and do amazing things TOGETHER.
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”
The experience I’m offering below isn’t like any of my other retreats – it calls to the adventurers heart. Women wanting to discover more about themselves & the things we sometimes don’t even realize are sleeping within us, until we find ourselves completely transported to the beauty & unfamiliarity of a new place. I consider this as much of a soul retreat as a photography one. My hope is that it awakens you in a way that you can then pour out into your art with that newfound aliveness & way of seeing.
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
This retreat is longer than any others I’ve held and is unique in that it is a travel photography retreat. The itinerary & details are listed below to give you the full scope of what’s included. We will be doing quite a bit of exploring & adventuring, as well as shooting 2 of my favorite family models, that have agreed to come to the remote island of Milos for us. We’ll also be taking portraits of each other in iconic once-in-a-lifetime backdrops. Though this isn’t a sit down & learn Retreat, there’s plenty of time for hands on shooting learning & editing in our Villas, where I can walk around and help individually. Some of my attendees favorite time during Retreats is also the unstructured time, where we can just freely discuss all things photography.
Retreat Itinerary
APRIL 18
Attendees will be arriving in Santorini, where I will arrange for your airport transfer to our villa in Fira, that has breathtaking views overlooking the Caldera. Check-in to the Villa can be as early as 3 pm, but I will be arriving on a sunset flight. Anyone is welcome to join me on my flights from Denver, if you’d like a travel buddy. This first night is for everyone to arrive & get adjusted with any time differences. Shops, restaurants & public transportation are in walking distance.
APRIL 19
This will be our first full day to explore Santorini & purely enjoy the sights, sounds & amazing food. We’ll plan to take gorgeous portraits of each other in this iconic backdrop along the way, while exploring creative use of light & technique — so please be sure to pack something you want to be captured in. Though we aren’t capturing a family while in Santorini, this will still provide educational opportunities for shooting, editing & of course all the chatting in-between. Santorini is known to be a crowded & touristy island, so I’m saving our family sessions for Milos, which is famous for its beautiful (and uncrowded) beaches.
APRIL 20
We’ll enjoy the morning in Santorini & then head to the port for an early afternoon ferry* to Milos, where we’ll be staying on the water in the cutest boutique hotel in Pollonia. We will have 2 suites overlooking the sea & there’s a little pool bar in the common area to enjoy below. We’ll be in walking distance to shops, restaurants & the beach. The absence of nightclubs & beach bars playing loud music gives Milos a relaxing atmosphere.
APRIL 21
Time to get exploring & see this ridiculously beautiful island! I’ll have 3 cars for us, but will need 2 other volunteers for driving. Our first Family Model Session will be at sunset – what a dream! When not exploring or dining, we will be round table editing & I’ll be walking around to help each person individually. Ideally, you’ll bring a laptop, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry, I’ll be sending out an editing video after the retreat showing how I edited the galleries.
APRIL 22
Another full day in Milos to explore, edit what we’ve shot together & finish the day with our second sunset Family Model Session. All this time together lends itself to open dialogue about all things photography & I find that to be something attendees love; where they can freely discuss specific things they struggle with, over sit down formal education.
APRIL 23
After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll head to the port to take the late morning ferry* back to Santorini for our last night in Fira. This Villa has 3 jacuzzi with Caldera & Sunset views, so might be a good place to celebrate our final hours together, overlooking the twinkling lights of the island.
APRIL 24
I’ll plan to arrange everyone’s airport shuttles for flights home, but I personally will be taking a very early flight out. For anyone with a later flight, Villa check-out is at 10 am & breakfast will be served before departure.
* Ferry schedules haven’t been published yet, so ferry times are based on last years schedule & could change. The 2023 Ferry schedules will be released this winter.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Daily breakfasts & lodging in ocean view Villas, with (mostly) shared beds. All transportation during the retreat, including: ferries to/from Milos, car service & shuttles to/from airport, & to/from ferry, as well as car rentals on Milos. Also included is my Painterly Action Collection (with the famous 1-click).
What's Not
INCLUDED
Airfare, Lunch, Dinner, Alcohol, Snacks or presets/actions outside of my Painterly Collection.
Investment
$4,000
— SOLD OUT
REGISTRATION OPENS AT 12 pm NOON (MST) ON AUGUST 17 (Sorry, no early birds & I’d highly recommend setting an alarm to submit, as past retreats have sold out instantly & I just never know how these will fill). Limited to 10 attendees for an intimate & soul filling experience. Four $1,000 non-refundable payments will be due on the seventeenth of August, October, December and February to secure your seat. Please email me at stormy@stormysolis.com at registration opening to request your seat. Seats are filled on a first come basis.
Refund Policy
Seats are non-refundable or transferable. In the event you can’t attend, you can sell your seat to someone to replace you.
