Algarve in Portugal arguably has one of the most beautiful and photogenic coastlines in the world. The dramatic warm-colored cliffs, in all different shapes and forms, give unlimited possibilities for seascape-photography. Algarve has been on my bucket-list for quite a few years, and was this years destination for our family’s summer-vacation.

We chose to stay in Lagos, as it is a little less touristy compared to some of the places to the east, and importantly, it is very close to some of the most photogenic areas. I did have a rental-car, which was nice for reaching a couple of my planned areas, but many of the most stunning locations was merely a 10 minute walk from our hotel. As a nice bonus, Lagos has a beautiful old-town, and everyone that has followed me for a while know that I really like to photograph cityscapes. Particularly old towns with classic architecture.

We spent 11 days there, which of course felt a little short, but to be honest, it was ok. We were lucky enough to have a few days with clouds that resulted in some fabulous sunrises. I was out every morning from around 4-5 am, shooting through sunrise and the all too short-lasting golden hour. In late June, the area was not packed with tourists or other photographers, and most mornings I found myself in total solitude on the cliffs or the beaches.

I brought my thrusted Hasselblad X2D, which worked like a charm, as expected. To me, this area is mostly a wide-angle location, The XCD21mm was definitely my most used lens, with the XCD 35-75 coming in second. My Mamiya telezoom stayed in my bag for the whole trip. For some of the scenes I actually found the 21mm (16-17mm full-frame equivalent) not wide enough. I solved that by stitching panoramas, but as you may know, stitching seascapes can be a pain with everything from horizons to wave-patterns. Before my next visit I will have to research som ultra-wide alternatives. Laowa make a few different, both with XCD-mount and full-frame solutions. That FF 9mm should probably be adequate for some of the widest scenes. I also used a ND-filter quite a bit to get those ethereal milky water and smoky sea-movement around the sea-stacks. Lots of fun.

I am quite satisfied with the results from this trip, but I will surely need to revisit sometime in the future.