The best locations for a photo session in the Algarve
Nine places I use often — beaches, pine woods, cliffs and villages — with the best light window and how crowded each one gets.
The Algarve has two hundred kilometres of coastline and an enormous difference between its western and eastern halves. Choosing the right place is half the work — the other half is choosing the right hour.
Praia de Faro and the Ria Formosa
High dunes, wooden boardwalks and light that turns honey-coloured at the end of the day. It's where I take most couples, especially outside high season. Best time: 60 minutes before sunset.
The pine woods of Vilamoura and Quinta do Lago
My secret for summer family sessions: shade, a soft floor of pine needles, room for children to run and beams of light cutting through the trunks. It's never crowded.
The cliffs of Lagos and Ponta da Piedade
The Algarve postcard: golden rock and turquoise water. Spectacular, but packed between June and September — it works best at sunrise or in the shoulder season.
Carvoeiro and Algar Seco
Dramatic rock formations and staircases between cliffs. Excellent for couple sessions with a more editorial, cinematic feel.
The Tavira salt pans and Praia do Barril
The eastern Algarve is calmer and flatter. The salt pans turn into pink mirrors at sunset; Barril has anchors buried in the sand, which makes an unrepeatable backdrop.
Alvor, Sagres and the whitewashed villages
The Alvor boardwalk at dawn is one of the most beautiful things in the region. Sagres is wind, black cliffs and the end of the world — perfect for elopements. And there are always the whitewashed streets of Loulé, Silves or Ferragudo for those who prefer stone to sand.
Don't choose a location because of a picture you saw on Instagram. Choose it by the hour you can actually be there.
How I choose with you
Once you've booked, I send two or three suggestions for your exact date, with the precise sunset time, the tide and a note about parking and the walk in. Most of the time we end up somewhere that wasn't on the original list — and it's almost always the best one.