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Courtney and Edgar, were married in Chicago, like a week ago, in almost total secrecy, the trip to Costa Rica was already planned, they then had the idea to have a photography session on the beach in order to make some cards and [...]]]> -

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Courtney and Edgar, were married in Chicago, like a week ago, in almost total secrecy, the trip to Costa Rica was already planned, they then had the idea to have a photography session on the beach in order to make some cards and announce the good news to the family… They were staying at the Paradisus Conchal, but decided to have the photos shots somewhere else, I proposed them Tamarindo, we met at the beautiful newly open “Langosta beach club” (Tamarindo Preserve) and had a hour session on location and on the beach… the sunset was absolutely amazing that day…

When asked why they chose Costa Rica for their honeymoon, Courtney answered: “CR it’s our initials… so…”

A truly unique couple…

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Here is a word from the bride:

Hello Toh!

I just wanted to thank you for the AMAZING photos that you sent us. We have started to share the first few with our friends and family back here in the US and they are in awe! You captured such stunning moments, and we cannot thank you enough and looking very, very forward to see the rest!

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Wedding at the Langosta Beach Club from Bidrop.com on Vimeo.

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Wedding photography in Costa Rica

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Indigo, band from Tamarindo Costa Rica, interprets “Tu verras” (Claude Nougaro). Made in Tamarindo by Bidrop.com Photography and Video in Costa Rica.

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I have been interviewed by week of life in order to be included in their remote places part of the website.

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First part is here.

Here is the second part:

4) One thing is for sure: you have good light at [...]]]> -

I have been interviewed by week of life in order to be included in their remote places part of the website.

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First part is here.

Here is the second part:

4) One thing is for sure: you have good light at your disposal during work, as the sun is the best source of light for photographers. How does the climate in Costa Rica suit your needs?
For sure the light here can be really good, but I’ll define it more like powerfully—strong and moving really quickly. Basically we have two seasons, rainy (people in tourism call it the “Green season”) and dry, I have to be precise and state that I’m talking about the pacific coast where I’m living and mainly working. The Caribbean has a different climate. So the green season has a lot of clouds, mist, and rain with a violent sun behind, so we have a beautiful diffuse light, slightly colored at the end of the afternoon; or those clouds can give the opposite effect with some really dramatic storm light with a direct sun passing black clouds, giving intense contrast. The summer (dry season) is a constant blue sky with a punishing hard sun half of the day, but beautiful mornings and sunsets. The main inconvenience is that all year long the sun is setting from 5:15 to 6:15, and lowering in the sky really quickly. The perfect Blue hour (perfect for a real estate shot) just stays for 10 to 15 minutes, so you have to be ready. I sometime miss those long European evenings that have twilight for 2 hours.

5) Since the European Union was established, there have been increasingly more debates on politics in Europe. The situation is similar in the United States. What is the situation in a place such as Costa Rica? Is anyone preoccupied with politics at all?
Well, Costa Rica just passed through a presidential election campaign, and they elected their first female president, so there was a lot of talk about national politics, but honestly as a non-voting resident, I just stayed on the surface of the talks; I’m more interested in local activism.

6) Where did you learn about the Week of Life project and what do you think about it?

I learned about it through a post on reddit.com, I browsed the website and quickly found the concept really interesting. Not long after that I registered and made my first week.
It is, as a viewer, a great way to travel through time and space; giving me the possibility to spend one week in the life of a a Tcheque photographer, a Chinese student or a designer in Samoa. From my computer screen in Costa Rica I have all these people sharing their life, their everyday life, in a beautiful way. I love it.

As a photographer or participant to the project, it gave me a subject to concentrate on for a full week, to express one day in 9 images, a morning in 3 photos. that’s an interesting challenge, it is also, as a human being, a good way to reflect on what my life is, what am I doing with it, how am I spending my days… my time… my life.

7) What would you say about awareness in your country – newspapers, magazines and information in general? What do the media focus on?
Costa Rica is a small country, so the local magazines offer a rather small output. One magazine is quite interesting, there is also, in my opinion, one interesting newspaper, doing a good job on national news: la Nacion (www.nacion.com). Sadly a lot of people here are buying cheap (in every way) tabloids full of sensational stories, graphic photographs and almost naked “models”. I get most of my news on the internet.

8 ) What would you say about Costa Rica to attract the attention of people who would like to visit this country and know nothing about it?
The classic thing would be to say that the country constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949, it has had 60 years of uninterrupted democracy. Maybe more important to people wanting to visit the country—Costa Rica is ranked 3rd in the world, and 1st among the Americas, in terms of the 2010 Environmental Performance Index, it plans to be the first carbon neutral country by 2021, and According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index. It is
is the “greenest” country in the world. That says a lot about it. Another important stat is that while the country has only about 0.25% of the world’s landmass, it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. Around 25% of the country’s land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentage of protected areas in the world. Everything is not perfect here of course, but it is the best I have found around the world.

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The whole interview is here.

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Photos from Toh Gouttenoire Illustrate the Tico Times article “Paradise Lost: No Condos for Oasis Investors” (by Adam Williams) about the Tamarindo development.

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Short Shrift : Hired to guard the construction site at Tamarindo Oasis, José Alberto Vargas, 59, from San José, claims he has [...]]]> -

Photos from Toh Gouttenoire Illustrate the Tico Times article “Paradise Lost: No Condos for Oasis Investors” (by Adam Williams) about the Tamarindo development.

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Short Shrift : Hired to guard the construction site at Tamarindo Oasis, José Alberto Vargas, 59, from San José, claims he has not been paid for his past year on the stalled project, only given some food.

Shells with a View: Tamarindo Oasis Condominiums, sold on promises of paradise, await resolution of a financial conflict in a case that is winding its way through Costa Rican courts.

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I had the pleasure to shoot a Jennifer and Scott on their honeymoon trip in Tamarindo, they stayed at the Capitan Suizo, which is located on a very nice and quiet part of the beach.

It was a really quick session of one hour but the sunset was perfect…

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I had the pleasure to shoot a Jennifer and Scott on their honeymoon trip in Tamarindo, they stayed at the Capitan Suizo, which is located on a very nice and quiet part of the beach.

It was a really quick session of one hour but the sunset was perfect…

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Wedding and honeymoon photography in Costa Rica

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- Bidrop.com is happy to say that we’re working on our new website: www.weddingbybidrop.com.

Weddingbybidrop.com will be the website dedicated to wedding photography and video in Costa Rica. We also shoot Honeymoon and vows renewal.

For 7 years Toh Gouttenoire has been shooting (in photography and [...]]]>

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Bidrop.com is happy to say that we’re working on our new website: www.weddingbybidrop.com.

Weddingbybidrop.com will be the website dedicated to wedding photography and video in Costa Rica. We also shoot Honeymoon and vows renewal.

For 7 years Toh Gouttenoire has been shooting (in photography and video) for Bidrop.com and other company more than 100 weddings in Costa Rica, mainly sunset beach photography in Guanacaste, but also, weddings in Arenal, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Playa del Coco, Montezuma, Malpais, Playa Langosta, Playa Flamingo, playa potrero, puerto viejo, Limon, playa Tamarindo…

WeddingbyBidrop.com is working with high end customers as Hacienda Pinilla, JW Marriott Guanacaste, Los Sueños Marriott, Paradisus playa conchal, Capitan Suizo, Hotel resort Diria, , Los Altos de Eros, Four Seasons Papagayo, Villa Caletas, Sugar Beach, Bahia del Sol, Flamingo beach resort…

Please visit our wedding photography website and contact us with any inquiries.

www.weddingbybidrop.com at work

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This was a shooting I made for Sol Realty, a Tamarindo based Real estate company.

The major challenge was to find the angle for the whole house shot, and the famous “twilight shot” also known as “The money shot”. This kind of cliff house is the perfect candidate [...]]]> -

This was a shooting I made for Sol Realty, a Tamarindo based Real estate company.

The major challenge was to find the angle for the whole house shot, and the famous “twilight shot” also known as “The money shot”. This kind of cliff house is the perfect candidate for an helicopter shot, times being difficult ,even if we have available a pretty inexpensive gyrocopter in Tamarindo perfect for aerial photography (adrenaline rush included….). I found access to a tower, the only spot that could give me the whole house and also the ocean, I shot it from the staircase in a realy uncomfortable position holding the tripod as still as possible over the window… There is always an angle, find it…

Real Estate photography Costa Rica

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A really relax wedding, with a nice family atmosphere in a beautiful place: “La Laguna del cocodrilo” in Playa Tamarindo.

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- Wedding photography in Costa Rica -