Are you are a photographer, fashion brand, film producer or advertising agency? And looking for the perfect Caribbean location for your next summer shoot? Curacao is the answer!
There are many beautiful locations to pick from that would be the perfect backdrop for your Caribbean spring or summer campaign. In fact, Google ‘Tropical Island Caribbean’ and you will find hundreds of colorful and exotic pictures. All with stunning white sand beaches, waving palm trees, colorful houses and crystal clear blue waters.
While scrolling through the pages your mind wanders and you see yourself sipping on a fresh coconut. And then it hits you. You realize that producing a summer shoot on an exotic location comes with challenging conditions that you have to consider before you start packing your flip-flops and book the models. In short, you know you want a location in the Caribbean. But which one is affordable, easy to reach and safe?
As Curacao-gurus we know everything there is to know about producing on our island. Therefore we have put a list together for you with;
Main reasons to choose Curacao for your next summer shoot
- Sun all year round
- Outside the hurricane belt
- Over 32 beaches
- Colorful buildings
- Direct flights
- Diversity in locations
- Easy permit climate
- Competitive budgets
- Multi-lingual
- A dedicated local production team
Let’s start with our favorite and of course the number one, the sun!
#1 – Sun all year round
For a summer production, you need sun – and lots of it, however with many locations sun is not guaranteed. On the contrary, Curacao has 365 days of summer so – sun all year round. And in addition to the sun, we have trade winds blowing consistently from the east. That will keep you cool during the day and warm at night. Furthermore, the rainy season is between October and November and is marked by short occasional showers. Mostly at night and continued sunny weather during the day.
#2 – Outside the hurricane Belt
Hurricanes are scary as hell and are a real threat to a large area of the Caribbean. Fortunately, Curacao is located just off the coast of South America and therefore located outside the hurricane belt. And therefore hardly affected by any hurricane or tropical storm that passes thru the area. As a matter of fact, you can book your trip the whole year through without a worry!
#3 – Over 32 beaches
Scattered along the coast of Curacao are over 32 beautiful beaches surrounded by clear blue waters. Whether you are looking for the perfect white sand beach or prefer a coral beach surrounded by rocks, Curacao has it all! And if you want to catch that golden light, the furthest beach on the main island is just within an hour drive.
#4 – Colorful buildings
When you walk into the city center the capital of Curacao called Willemstad, the vibrant candy-colored colonial houses catch your eye right away. The harbor area (Handelskade) buildings and streets are well preserved and neat. However, the non-preserved buildings in the adjacent neighborhoods are equally impressive. Conclusion, Willemstad with its Dutch architecture and influences is a shoot-heaven that easily compares to a Caribbean city shoot location like Cuba.
#5 – Direct flights
If you had the privilege of visiting Curacao, we don’t have to tell you that the island, although small – it’s pretty civilized. In particular, we have one of the larger airports in the Caribbean. With daily direct flights coming in from Europe, South America, and the United States, Curacao is a great option to choose as Caribbean shoot destination. Below a short-list with flights to and from Curacao for you;
- Amsterdam – 3 daily direct flights from Amsterdam with KLM & TUI
- Frankfurt – 1 time a week with Condor
- Miami – 3 daily flights with American Airlines
- New York – 3 weekly flights with JetBlue
- Charlotte – 1 time a week with American Airlines
- Toronto – 6 weekly flights with WestJet
- Montreal – 2 weekly flights with Air Canada
- Panama City – daily with Copa Airlines
- Bogota – 11 weekly flights with Avianca
#6 – Diversity in locations
All the Caribbean islands have things in common like beautiful beaches, sun, palm trees, great diving spots, carnival, rum… Yet, at the same time, they could not differ more in geographically matter of speaking. While some of the islands are humid, green with mountains Curacao is relatively flat and dry. The diversity in landscapes is what makes Curacao a great summer shoot location. On one hand, you have the exotic and tropical white sand beaches scattered on the southern coast of the island. While, the northern coast is rough and rocky, almost other-planet like. Parallel to the northern coast is a red desert area with cactuses and thorned bushes, surrounded by a wall or rocks. Any lonesome cowboy will feel right at home wandering these plains. And equally important, along the coastal areas are beautiful architectural and designer private villas that can be booked for shoots. What makes Curacao a great shoot destination is that all locations are within an hour drive from the city center to the west coast.
#7 – Easy permit climate
Curacao is pretty laid back when it comes to permits really. Overall they are easy to arrange with local authorities. In many cases, you get permission to use a public location without having to pay a fee at all. We do, however advice to have a location scout arrange the locations for you up front and have a location manager on set to assist. Also, we can arrange the assistance with the ATA-carnet, clearance at customs and even a VIP arrival. We know the ways of the island and the people. And we have built good relations with the location owners and local authorities in order to make the production a smooth operation without any unexpected situations.
#8 – Competitive budgets
Comparing to some of the other Caribbean islands Curacao is quite affordable as a shooting destination really. The island is not solely depending on tourism and therefore not as commercial-minded (yet). In particular, rates of hotels and location fees are considerably lower than in Europe or the US. The fact that we run our own in-house casting agency specialized in kids models is a big advantage for (kids) fashion shoots and commercial productions where local talent is needed. As a result, you can save on budget and have more to spend on other expenses!
#9 – Multi-lingual
Because of its colonial history, Curacao is multi-ethnical, and therefore also multi-lingual. The local language, Papiamentu is the most widely spoken language. It is a mix of Portuguese Creole with African, Dutch, English, and French influences. Besides Papiamentu, most locals speak Spanish, Dutch, English and in some cases a little German. Also, kids learn English from a very young age at school which makes it easy for fashion photographers to communicate with our young talents.
#10 – A dedicated local production team
Traveling with your crew to a foreign and unknown location is always a risk. You never know what you get is also what you asked for. This can be disastrous for any shoot. You will manage in the end – but it’s a pain and quite stressful. And this is where we come in, Chicas! We are very passionate about what we do and call ourselves “passionate professionalists”. We will be with you every step along the way. From the moment of the first contact until we put you safely back on the plane. We can arrange a stress-free production for you and make sure your summer shoot is a success (fresh coconut included!).
Some cool links with information about Curacao:
