Portugal questions

[jfn98]

Hello All

i'm going to Portugal next month and although i have a good idea of what to do and what to bring, i have a few questions related to Photography and gear...

- I will go to Port, Lisbon and Lagos spending about 5 days in each...

Since i don't often have the chance to do seascape photography, I intend to bring a tripod and use it with my ND filters for long exposure with the algarve cliffs as a background. I don't expect amazing results since i don't do this kind of photography often but just to have fun doing it, test some stuff and if i get a few keepers, i'll be happy!

When traveling, i usually bring my a7riii and my 24-70 2.8. For the type of travel pictures i take, it suits me find. The 22 other lens i have are the sony 20mm 1.8 and the sigma 100-400mm.

- Since i will have a tripod, i was wondering if In Lagos and surroundings the light polluton be low enough to do some astrophotography (again dont do this often so might be fun to try...) If so, i might bring the 20mm along...

- In Porto and Lisbon, i expect the towns to be very crowded at this time of year. That being said, even with the crowd, would bringing a tripod along to certain sites (like the miradouros in Lisbon) would be worth it? I'm not talking in the middle of the day but early morning, blue/golden hour or for night photography? Or even at these times it will be too crowded to take a tripod out?

Thanks for the help

 

[Rluizsm]

I live in Lisbon and often travel to Porto and the Algarve. I usually use the 20-70 f/4 G with the A7R V when I travel and don't use a tripod. I've traveled with the PZ 16-35 f/4 and the Tamron 28-200, or with the 20-70 and the Tamron 50-300. On a few occasions I've traveled with primes, such as the 20 f/1.8 G, 24 f/2.8 G, 35 f/1.8, 50 f/2.5 G and 85 f/1.8. In each case I've always been happy with the photos, but since I like to travel light, my favorite choice is one camera/lens, and in this case, the A7R V with the 20-70. I don't like to change lenses when I travel, and most of the time I'm with my wife and sometimes my children and grandchildren, and I try not to interfere too much with their trip. It's a matter of compromise. I hope you can really enjoy your trip.

 

[peter826]

I visited some of the Lisbon miradouros when I was there a few years ago. In my experience (September), there were few people out at sunrise. I had some nice shots at Santa Luzia, for example.

I tried to go to one at sunset -- Graca. It was so busy that getting a tripod out would have been impossible. I was able to get a few shots from in between people, but it wasn't a good sunset anyway. People were effectively lined up along the ledge, so really unless someone walked away, there was no getting a clean shot.

 

[jfn98]

Hello

Thanks for the answers.

I usually carry only my 24-70 on travel unless i know i will use my 100-400 for wildlife...Eventually i might buy a 70-200 but it is not for a foresable future

I intend to walk around with my 24-70 and might bring the tripod early in the morning for sunrise but mostly keep it for long exposure in the algarve... I have so few chance to do seascapes and use my 10 stop nd filter that it is worth bringing along...

I wanted to see in case locations made it easy to bring a tripod...My typical bag for travel is a hadley pro from billingham which i love but it doesnt have a place for a tripod. I might have brought another bag like the wandrd sling 6l but i found it less convenient and less ''confortable''.

Thanks again

 

[tarapada focus]

I was in Portugal (and Spain) a month ago though I didn’t spend quite as much time as you are planning to spend.

Even though it was not peak season in mid May, sunsets were always crowded at all the Miradouros. In contrast, I had Portas do Sol and another miradouro all to myself at sunrise. And Tram 28 was also empty then. So at least in Lisbon early morning is your best bet.

in Porto, I really liked the drive on N222 through Douro Valley. Do plan to spend some time driving on N222. There are several places there where you may also get spectacular foregrounds for your astro photography shots.

There are a few nice viewpoints of the Porto bridges and town from a high vantage point. But getting there was difficult on your own - we had taken a tuk-tuk tour and the tuk-tuk was able to go places where private vehicles can’t. So you might want to try at least one tuk-tuk tour.

The indoor monuments don’t allow tripod photography, so definitely some fast lenses needed.

Safe travels and share pics. My trip is documented in a 5 post series if you want to take a look.



Cheers

--

Abhijit

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ashetti/

 

[mreynolds767]

I am sure you will have a great time!

I loved the scenery of the Algarve but only had a short stay there and did not get good weather (unless you like blue bird skies). Most photography there is from a cliff / hill top not actually on the beach so the sky is typically an important element.

The other thing I realized and you will as well. The sunrise/sunset is not very well aligned during the summer months in the Algarve. Have to go off season - like the Winter months to get the sun to rise or sun over the ocean.

Combination of that made for some nice images but nothing great so I enjoyed myself and spent a few hours exploring around sunrise a couple mornings but didn't come home with anything memorable. Experimenting with ND filters will be fun there though. Outside of Lagos you should have sunrises all to yourself along the coast which you can walk on the cliff edge for miles.

24 2.8 is probably decent enough for Night Skies. 20 1.8 is definitely better but if that is the only thought on why to bring it...

The sky is not that dark in the Algarve ; looking out over the ocean helps obviously but Lagos has too much light pollution so you would have to be in a bit of a remote area miles to the East or West of Lagos. Driving there can be tricky after dark so really might depend exactly where you are staying if star photography while you are there makes any sense. I know of a good spot and I did get a good capture there of the MW but I would not recommend driving there after dark. (single lane curvy road for 2 way traffic with rocks on the side of the road).

Sunrise in any city you do not have to worry about crowds ; other times it will depend - you will need the tripod for any long exposure seascapes so taking it on the trip regardless ; no harm in taking it out with you in the city at sunrise/sunset/blue hour/night. I think you will find it manageable (using a tripod) if you arrive early and wait in your spot with crowds at a "lookout" type location in Lisbon or Porto. if you show up last minute for sunset though ; a tripod likely cannot be used. Worst case you bring it but don't use it. Would be more concerned in center of a piazza for that type of location I would not bother bringing it outside of Sunrise times.

Personally I would break up your nights a little differently to add a 4th stop to give some time to the coast near Lisbon. The town of Sintra has plenty to see for photographic and general tourism and the coastline just west of Sintra is fantastic for photography - all the way along the Atlantic from Magoito beach to Cabo da Roca is wonderful!

And in contrast to what I wrote about your timing for the Algarve, the sun should be setting nightly in perfect location for this coastal area over the Atlantic. You can shoot from the water's edge or up on the hills/cliffs. Likely even get some wildflowers in spots on the cliffs for your foreground. I have I believe 3 photos from this small area on my website currently and none of the rest of mainland Portugal.

Unless you include the Douro Valley - where I assume compression would be very beneficial - I would leave the 100-400 at home.

I would bring the 20 lens anyway just for that wider angle option. Portugal to me overall feels like a wide angle location and would feel a little restricted personally starting at 24.

 

[Cherry_F]

I concur with the previous posts. I had to go to Porto and Lisbon at various occasions for work, and, as a result I could shoot pics only early in the morning or at sunset. Many people in the evenings, desert streets in the morning.

I would suggest you try to "escape" from Lagos. There are plenty places to see in Algarve. The Lagos/Portimão aera is highly uranized, whereas the "outback" sierras and the earstern part (Tavira, Olhão, Faro, ) has a lot to offer.

____
Photography is so easy, that's what makes it highly difficult - Robert Delpire

 

[dfrat]

When I went to Portugal. I went with a 16-35, 24-105 & 100-400. The 24-105 was my workhorse. The 100-400 was my least-used, but I still wouldn't leave it behind. My tripod was only used a few times. Having a comfortable bag made it easy. I was there for 13 days and walked 120 miles. In the end, I don't have any regrets about the gear I went with. Here's a link to the photos I took. https://www.dantefratto.com/Galleries/Travel/Portugal

 

[George 68]

I took a tripod to Lisbon and Porto when I visited. I only used it when shutter speed dictated but it wasn't a problem. You do get a fair amount of interest as getting out proper photographic gear does now separate you from the norm, but you get used to that.

[ATTACH alt=" Lisbon 60s exposure to "hide" the crowds of people"]3704787[/ATTACH]
Lisbon 60s exposure to "hide" the crowds of people




Porto 20s exposure

Hope you have a great trip!

--
Put on a good pair of boots and walk out the door - H.W. "Bill" Tilman
-
There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept - A. Adams
-

George Muir

Explore George Muir’s 60 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[sirhawkeye64]

Hello All

i'm going to Portugal next month and although i have a good idea of what to do and what to bring, i have a few questions related to Photography and gear...

- I will go to Port, Lisbon and Lagos spending about 5 days in each...

Since i don't often have the chance to do seascape photography, I intend to bring a tripod and use it with my ND filters for long exposure with the algarve cliffs as a background. I don't expect amazing results since i don't do this kind of photography often but just to have fun doing it, test some stuff and if i get a few keepers, i'll be happy!

When traveling, i usually bring my a7riii and my 24-70 2.8. For the type of travel pictures i take, it suits me find. The 22 other lens i have are the sony 20mm 1.8 and the sigma 100-400mm.

- Since i will have a tripod, i was wondering if In Lagos and surroundings the light polluton be low enough to do some astrophotography (again dont do this often so might be fun to try...) If so, i might bring the 20mm along...

- In Porto and Lisbon, i expect the towns to be very crowded at this time of year. That being said, even with the crowd, would bringing a tripod along to certain sites (like the miradouros in Lisbon) would be worth it? I'm not talking in the middle of the day but early morning, blue/golden hour or for night photography? Or even at these times it will be too crowded to take a tripod out?

Thanks for the help

Honestly I would try to narrow down your kit to maybe more travel-friend lenses like a 28-200 or 28-300 Tamron, the 20mm you have, and maybe a fast 50mm for casual low-light shooting. I think (and this is just my opinion) lugging around a 24-70 and 100-400 is not going to be a pleasant trip as you will proabbly be doing a lot of walking in Portugal (i went last year and just around Lisbon I did about 6-8 miles a day for 5 days). But I traveled light with one body, a 14-30 wide angle, 24-120 and a 50mm prime. All fit into my ThinkTank Turnstyle 20 (which was acutally too big for just that kit, so a smaller bag would have worked for me). On my upcoming trip to Greece I plan to bring the same thing basically (I have the other lenses you mentioned but they're staying home, too much to carry around).

As for the light polution, I'm think Porto and Lisbon are not a good spot, but somewhere in between might be. I would consult a dark sky map though to be sure. But definitely get away from the big cities (I would say if it's a major city or a big tourist destination city like Algarve, Sintra, etc) they won't be good for astro. You need to get into the darker areas.

According to this map ( https://www.darkskymap.com/nightSkyBrightness ) most of the western part of Portugal has a fair amount of light pollution and you'll want to go east, but even then so, I'd stillcall it somewhat polluted with light on the eastern side/border of Portugal (where it meets up with Spain). In fact much of the general area seems to have a bit more pollution that I'd want. Even the US has much better dark sky areas (particularly in the western US).

This map ( https://darksitefinder.com/map ) also seems to say the same thing (much of Portugal has some level of light pollution that would make it not ideal unless you go perhaps to the SE regions of Portugal).

 

[Hilifer]

Love Portugal!
Don’t miss Obidos, Batalha, Sintra and Coimbra while you’re moving between major points. A 24-70/2.8 does me just fine on my visits, though I may go MF with my Voigt 21/1.4 inside smaller, darker places.

As much as I like them, I haven’t brought a tripod to Portugal previously, though I get it if you plan any astro.

--
Michael
"Things are more like they are now than they've ever been before."

 

[sirhawkeye64]

Love Portugal!
Don’t miss Obidos, Batalha, Sintra and Coimbra while you’re moving between major points. A 24-70/2.8 does me just fine on my visits, though I may go MF with my Voigt 21/1.4 inside smaller, darker places.

As much as I like them, I haven’t brought a tripod to Portugal previously, though I get it if you plan any astro.

I'd add a few things to Sintra (and a few others for the OP)....

If you have time, visit Mafra (the Mafra Palace is a good place to visit for half a day -- take the bus there although it's maybe a 1 hour ride each way, so it's about a half day trip but worth it and it's not that expensive, maybe $25 USD for a ticket to the palace).

If you go to Sintra, spend some time there. at least a day (it may take you an hour on the trian to get from Lisbon to Sintra) but it's a town that after visiting, I wish I had spent more time there, but I only went to visit Pena Palace and Park, and Palace of Monsserate, both great places to visit (along with the Sintra National Palace), but if you have time, leave enough so you can wander around Sintra too. Keep in mind that during the busy season (which can stretch into late September) crowds can still be a problem and public transport can take a while so a trip to Sintra will take at least a full day probably there and back. So I'd say for the best experience, allot two days if you can. Getting from Pena Palace to Monsserate is a bit inconvenient because you have to take the bus back down to the town, and then back up to Monserrate which is only maybe 1 mile from Pena, but there is no direct way to get to it that I know of. So doing that will eat up some time. If you only have time for one, do Pena palace (maybe even skip the palace tour and just do the park behind it, which you can do without paying for the palace tour itself I think). But get the transfer ticket regardless because it is a steep hike up to the palace, which is where you either go to the palace tour or into the park behind it.

--
* PLEASE NOTE: I generally unsubscribe from forums/comments after a period of time has passed, so if I do not respond, that is likely the reason. *

 

[plantdoc]

We went to Mafra Palace, which a couple of years ago, was not listed in most tourist guides. Only a school group was visiting in the whole huge place. We made a slight splurge and hired a private guide, who spoke excellent English and drove us to the Palace and Obidos. He had an excellent sense of humor and considerable knowledge about the places as he walked us around. Also, told us about living in Portugal, where he was born. Can't remember the service that booked the guide, but the price was not more than $175 roughly as I remember. He also led us to an excellent cafe near the Palace for lunch.

Greg

 

[Hilifer]

To add to SirHawkeye’s info… I took the train to Sintra (round trip) from the Rossio station in Lisbon. Wasn’t quite sure what to do on arrival, but got it sorted out after a nice lunch and was soon up top via the bus. After my relatively brief tour (I didn’t stay too long as it was afternoon and there were lots and lots of people), I walked back down the hill, shooting along the way.

Make sure you have your return ticket in hand when you line up for the train ride back so you don’t have to fuss with the kiosks as everyone is jostling to get through the gate. Next time, I’ll get one from the ticket office first.

Most of my interior shots were with my Z7ii + Voigt 21/1.4. Outside, and in town, I used my 24-70/2.8.

(That was May 2024… my first visit to Sintra after a half dozen Portugal trips since the 1997 World Expo.)

--
Michael
"Things are more like they are now than they've ever been before."

 

[plantdoc]

In Sintra, don’t miss the other gothic mansion and oddities. Can’t remember the name but is noted for the weird upside down tower and other gothic features. More interesting overall than the palace and fewer tourists. Just a modest walk from the palace. In Lisbon I also suggest the tile museum located in an old monastery and church.
greg

 

[jfn98]

Hello All

I recently took my 100-400 for a walk around my town (places that i have taken numerous photos and where i always found the 24-70 or 28-75 were lacking in reach... Turns out, most of the composition i could make work were around 100mm and found them a bit meh... So i wont be taking my 100-400 after all. I dont mind logging the lenses around as far as weight is concern but my idea would be to have some other point of view than my regular 24-70mm and since i dont have the budget for a 70-200, i thought the 100-400 might be a makeshift alternative... I have an old tamron 90mm 2.8 macro lens for my old canon mount with an adaptor that works decent enough. I also wanted to add a 85mm to my kit so the sony 85mm 1.8 might be an option.. or just stick to the 24-70mm and 20 1.8mm...

I will take my 20 1.8 just for the wide angle if i found 24mm too thight in some area (and it is lightweight so not a lot of space in the bag) I will definitely bring my tripod as i want to experiment with long exposure and filters whether it is in the algarve or the cities. Most of the nature aorund me is lake, river,etc... So i'll have fun with seascapes... Since i'll have the 20 1.8 and tripod i will try astro in the algarve. I don't expect the results to be great but i'll experiment and maybe get some decent one...Anyway i've never really done astrophotography before so i dont expect amazing results

Thanks again for the advices