A photography retreat where the only thing on your schedule
is going somewhere beautiful and taking photographs.
Volcanic peaks above the clouds. Ancient laurel forests wrapped in mist. Coastlines that drop straight into the Atlantic. Madeira is one of the most photogenic places in Europe — and almost nobody has shot it yet.
For seven days, this island is yours. No itinerary pressure, no tourist crowds, no one telling you where to point your camera. Just extraordinary light, extraordinary locations, and time to do what you came here for.
We stay together in a private villa. All meals at the table. Every morning we go somewhere. Every evening we look at what we made.
"The best photography happens when you stop rushing
and start looking."
We stay together for all 7 days. Your base, your home, your creative space. Shared rooms as standard — private room available in Premium.
Every day a new location. Mountains, forests, coastline. All transport included. No logistics on your side.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire stay. Good food, shared table, unhurried evenings.
We pick you up from Funchal Airport on arrival and drop you off on departure. You land — we handle the rest.
Sunrise, golden hour, midday, flash at night. We shoot every day, in every kind of light Madeira offers.
Every evening we look at the day's work together. Real conversation about real images. What worked, what didn't, why.
Everything except your flight to Madeira.
We organise a professional model and a location just for you. You go and shoot alone — portrait, fashion, editorial — at your own pace, in your own style. This is not a group session. It is yours.
Payment plan available. 50% deposit to confirm your spot, remainder 60 days before the retreat. Early bird pricing for the first 2 confirmed applications.
"I didn't create this retreat to teach you photography.
I created it to give you seven days of extraordinary light
and nowhere else to be."
Iryna Vereskun is a Ukrainian photographer based in Funchal, Madeira. Co-founder of Stelmakh Studio, she built her career across television production, editorial and portrait photography before rebuilding her practice entirely — after the war in Ukraine forced her to start over in a new country, in a new language, with nothing except her eye and her camera.
She studied under fashion photographer Rudy Arias and worked in production with Shutterfly, gaining commercial-level experience in photography workflows and systems. She has shot across Ukraine, the United States and Portugal, and now works from Madeira — where the light, the landscape and the isolation have shaped a very specific way of seeing.
The retreat fills quietly. Most spots go to people who write first. If something here felt like it was speaking to you — that is enough reason to apply.
2026 dates · Early bird spots available now