Come Home With Photos of Everyone Who Came
You picked the smaller, quieter of the two Vivas on Playacar on purpose — the calm was the point, not the size of the crowd. Then the week runs the way these weeks always run. The messages we get from guests staying here open the same way almost every time: a couple wrote to us last spring, one line, "we have a hundred photos of the beach and not one good one of us." You did not fly down for the palm trees. You flew down for the people beside you on the sand.
We've photographed thousands of sessions across Playa del Carmen, and the ones we shoot for couples and small families staying at Viva Azteca almost all happen at the same hour, for one reason: at sunrise the public beach at Playa Fundadores is still empty, so the quiet you booked the hotel for carries straight into the photos. Six years and more than a thousand clients later, that early hour is still the easiest thing we can hand you.
What Couples and Small Families Book at Viva Azteca
The guests who write to us from this hotel are almost never a big celebration or a reunion of twenty — they are two people, or two parents and a couple of kids, who chose the quiet Viva precisely because they wanted it calm. These are the three sessions we photograph most for the people staying here.
Couples
No occasion needed — just the first week in a long time that belongs to nobody but the two of you, and a wish to remember it as more than a phone reel. It is the most relaxed of the three: a slow hour on the sand at first light, gentle direction, the two of you doing very little beyond being together while the beach stays empty around you. Our couples photoshoot guide covers outfits and timing.
Small family portraits
Two parents, a couple of kids, and the one picture the family never manages to take because somebody is always holding the phone. A small group is a gift for a sunrise session — we move fast while the little ones are fresh, and there is nobody else on the sand to work around. Our family photoshoot guide for Playa del Carmen covers how an early hour on the beach really goes with kids.
Anniversaries
The trip is the gift; the photographs are the part that outlives it. Five years, ten, twenty-five — the number changes and the request never does: one unhurried hour, the two of you, dressed the way you dressed for the dinner you already booked. We shoot it at sunrise so you are back with the whole day in front of you. Our anniversary session guide shows how we pace an hour like that.
Where We Meet You: Playa Fundadores by the Pier
Playacar sits just south of the heart of Playa del Carmen, roughly 3 kilometres from the town centre — which means the short taxi you were probably taking to dinner on Fifth Avenue drops you right at the sand we shoot on. We meet you at Playa Fundadores, the free public beach at the foot of Avenida Juárez by the Portal Maya sculpture, next to the Cozumel ferry pier. There is nothing to book and nothing that can cancel your morning, and we send the exact pin over WhatsApp the day before.
We keep to the north end of that beach, away from the pier, and we keep to one hour. The sun comes up around seven here, and for a while after that the sand is quiet and effectively yours — the ferry crowds and the beach clubs have not started yet, so the calm you chose the quiet Viva for is exactly what ends up in the frame. By the time it fills up you are back at the hotel with the rest of the day untouched.
Want one frame that belongs on a wall rather than in an album? Ask about our signature beach-gown editorial sessions in Playa del Carmen — metres of fabric in the morning breeze, made for a trip like this one.
Simple Pricing, No Session Fee
Pricing is refreshingly simple: there is no session fee. You pay $15 USD per photo with a 10-photo minimum ($150 USD), or choose a group package from $200 USD when a few of you want in — so you only pay for the images you love. You can see everything we offer, and hundreds of recent sessions, on our Playa del Carmen photographer page.
Every hotel has its own rules about photography on the property. We know how each one works — message us and we'll tell you exactly what your options are where you're staying.
Almost nobody who books us has been photographed properly before, and there is nothing to apologise for — we direct the whole thing, and you can see how that turns out on our Playa del Carmen photographer page. Send us your dates and we will tell you which morning to keep free.
Ready to Get Everyone Who Came Into One Frame?
Tell us your dates and who is travelling with you, and we will hold a sunrise for you. The early slots are the quiet ones, and they are the first to go.
Why Guests Here Book the First Hour
Everything we shoot for couples and small families staying at Viva Azteca happens in one short window — not for the light, but because that is the hour the public beach is still calm.
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You keep the quiet you booked
You chose the calmer Viva for a reason. At sunrise the north end of Fundadores is still empty, so that calm is what ends up in the picture — not somebody else's beach day behind you.
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You are back before breakfast
The short ride you were already taking into town, an unhurried hour on the sand, and the day you actually planned starts on time.
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We direct the whole thing
Almost nobody who books us has done this before. We tell you where to stand and what to do with your hands, so the result looks like you — a couple, or your family, not a school photo.
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You keep only what you love
There is no session fee. You see the full gallery afterwards and choose from it, which takes the pressure off the hour.
Sessions at Viva Azteca — FAQ
We are not models and we have never done this. Will it look awkward?
No, and it is the thing almost everyone apologises for in their first message. Practically nobody who books us has been photographed properly before. We direct the entire hour — where to stand, where to look, and when to simply ignore us and talk to each other. What comes out looks like you, not like posing.
How much does a session at Viva Azteca cost?
There is no session fee. You pay $15 USD per photo with a 10-photo minimum ($150 USD), or choose a group package from $200 USD if a few of you want in. You see the full gallery first and choose from it afterwards, so you only ever pay for the images you love.
Is a beach session realistic with young kids?
It is one of the most common things we shoot for families staying here, and a small group actually makes it easier. We start at sunrise while the little ones are fresh, we let them move instead of holding a pose, and the beach is empty — so there is nobody to work around and the frames you print are almost always the ones where a kid is mid-run.
Where do we meet you if we are staying at Viva Azteca?
At Playa Fundadores, the free public beach at the foot of Avenida Juárez by the Portal Maya sculpture, next to the Cozumel ferry pier. We keep to the quiet north end, away from the pier. There is no resort access needed and nothing to book, and we send the exact pin over WhatsApp the day before.
Does it have to be at sunrise?
It does not, but you should know the trade. This coast faces east, so there is no sunset over the water here. Sunrise gives you soft light and an empty beach — which is the whole reason a couple who wanted quiet books it; late afternoon is still lovely, it just will not be private. Either way, plan on about an hour on the sand.