Behind the Session - Transformational Retreat in Costa Rica
Retreat Magick with Amber Hagberg in Costa Rica
Some retreats feel like work. Some feel like synchronicity. This one felt like a remembering.
It pulled me deeper into my own artistry, into a new level of leadership behind the camera… the kind of experience that stays with you long after flying home.
Last December, I traveled to Costa Rica to capture Here for More Live and The Masterpiece Retreat with my dear client and friend, Amber Hagberg. Two experiences woven into one week of depth, sisterhood, and embodied leadership. The kind of rooms that change people from the inside out.
For five days, the jungle wrapped around us. The ocean softened us. And the women who gathered stepped into a level of truth and visibility that was powerful to witness.
As a retreat photographer, my job is to capture the emotional arc while respecting the container. But this experience was different. I wasn’t observing from the edges: I was invited into the room. Into the sisterhood. Into the heartbeat of the work.
And it changed everything about what came through my camera.
The Atmosphere: Ceremony, Depth, and Embodied Leadership
Amber is known for creating spaces where women drop their armor fast. It’s a blend of ceremony, strategic coaching, and a depth of devotion that sets a tone no one can fake.
From the moment I walked into the space, it was clear this room wasn’t surface-level. Sage burning gently. Women arriving with open hearts. A rhythm in the air that said: we’re here to rise.
Nothing was rushed. Nothing was forced. Everything unfolded with intention.
The women who gathered brought their full selves: ready to dissolve old identities, claim new chapters, and witness each other with a level of presence that felt rare and sacred.
What I Captured: Sisterhood, Ceremony & True Transformation
Across both the live event and the retreat, four themes shaped the visual story:
1. Sisterhood & Connection: Not manufactured. Not curated. Real, honest, magnetic connection.
Hands held during breakthroughs. Soft tears during coaching. Laughter that cracked something open. These are the moments retreat leaders can’t plan, and yet, they always seem to define the experience.
2. Ceremony & Ritual: From opening circles to soul-led speakers to sunset reflections, ceremony was the backbone of the retreat. It wasn’t a chapter in the itinerary. It was the frequency guiding the entire week.
3. Embodied Leadership: Women stepping all the way into their voice. Owning their truth. Being witnessed in ways they’d never allowed themselves to be before.
The kind of leadership that photographs differently: grounded, present, powerful.
4. The In-Between Moments: The quiet details that mean so much: A nourishing, intentional meal. A spontaneous burst of laughter during ceremony. A powerful poolside portal.
This is where the soul of retreat photography lives.
Hybrid Retreat Coverage That Feels Like a Living Legacy
Most retreat photographers choose either photos or video. I don’t.
My work blends both: cinematic video and emotive still imagery, so the experience becomes a complete visual ecosystem leaders can use long after the retreat ends.
For Amber, that meant walking away with visuals that captured the full spectrum of the week: the depth, the breakthroughs, the play, the sisterhood, the moments that shift someone’s entire trajectory.
This is the real power of hybrid retreat coverage: your work continues to speak, sell, and serve, months and even years beyond the retreat.
The Creative Distinction: Being Invited Into the Room
One of the rarest gifts a retreat leader can offer is trust, and Amber offered it fully.
Rather than having me float along the perimeter, she invited me into the space. Into the circle. Into the emotional pulse of the group.
And that changed the imagery in a massive way.
Instead of capturing moments from a distance, I was able to anticipate breakthroughs, feel the energetic shifts, and document the nuance that only becomes visible when you’re part of the experience, not outside of it.
That trust shaped every frame. It elevated every moment. It brought forward images that feel like truth, not performance.
In AMBER’S Words:
“I am obsessed with Monica’s art. I literally cried opening the albums.
Her photos captured the entire essence of the retreat. The energy. The vibes. My next launch is going to be out of this world with the photos.
But her energy and contribution to the experience was more than the camera. She brought so much to the space itself.
I cannot wait to bring her back again and again.”
What This Retreat Confirmed in My Own Leadership
This retreat became a mirror for my own next chapter.
It reminded me that the most compelling visual work doesn’t come from hiding on the edges, it comes from being in partnership with leaders who value depth, trust the creative process, and understand the potency of being witnessed.
Amber embodied that on every level.
For Leaders Planning a Retreat in Costa Rica (or Anywhere in the World)
If you’re hosting a transformational retreat, spiritual, strategic, somatic, mastermind-based, your work deserves a creative partner who can hold the emotional range of the room while capturing the story you’re here to lead.
Retreat Magick blends instinctive photography, cinematic videography, and a deep understanding of retreat dynamics (after over 60 retreats captured!), to create visuals that feel like legacy, not just standard documentation.
Your retreat deserves to be remembered, not scrolled past.
