Tenerife is a magnificent island, in its small size it has an incredible variety of landscapes thanks to its seven internal microclimates. In a few kilometers by car you can reach completely different landscapes, passing from ancient forests immersed in fog, arid lava fields and volcanic formations where the famous and beautiful Tajinaste grow up to wild beaches with stacks that stand out against the ocean. All these wonderful landscapes can be found within an hour’s drive, considering that the two most distant points of Tenerife are an hour and a half away from each other.
Is Tenerife a landscape photographer’s paradise?
I can say: yes it is!
I haven’t mentioned the Teide park yet, it’s the most amazing place in the whole island of Tenerife and maybe in all the Canary Islands.
Up there, in the Teide park, it’s another world! It seems that time has stopped many years ago and lava and stars reign here.
For all night landscape photographers it is a daydream. the Milky Way gives its best from up there and you can create hundreds of captivating compositions using that perfect environment for night photography, including lava formations, caves, flowers and dead plant roots.
It was a fun week, the group enjoyed taking stunning photographs of this beautiful island.
We spent three nights in the Teide park and during the day we went to all the most beautiful places in Tenerife, capturing sunsets on wild beaches and above a sea of clouds.
This trip has been planned down to the last detail to be in the right place at the right time according to the weather and the month of the year.
Day 1
The group arrived at Tenerife South airport and from here we departed to reach our hotel in Los Cristianos.
After settling in and relaxing a bit, we had a welcome meeting to present the week and then we immediately left to face the first sunset at the playa de la Tejita, where we played with the waves in the foreground and waited for the mountain in the background turned red hit by the sun.
After sunset we went to dinner in the most typical restaurant in Tenerife, located inside a banana farm. The guys loved it, especially for its super generous portions.
After dinner, checking various sites, we noticed that the sky was full of high clouds so we decided to go back to the hotel.
Day 2
Free morning for rest and relaxation in Los Cristianos. For those who wanted there was the possibility to stay in the swimming pool or to go to the beach exactly in front of the hotel. Obviously after a hearty breakfast. All hotel breakfasts are included in the tour.
At 14 we left to reach the Teide park. In a couple of hours of walking in the caldera, we crossed breathtaking landscapes where it seemed to be on Mars, encountering huge lava formations such as the Catedral, a lava mountain in the shape of a cathedral.
The group enjoyed taking pictures of Tajinaste with the sun star and enjoyed the surreal landscape.
Returning to our van we had a picnic dinner and dressed up for our first night photo session at a place called le Minas.
We created scenes with ourselves as the subject and a torch in hand among lava and stars and studied how to create an panoramic of the entire galactic arc.
Around 3 in the morning we returned to the hotel.
Day 3
Free morning for rest and relaxation in Los Cristianos. For those who wanted there was the possibility to stay in the swimming pool or to go to the beach exactly in front of the hotel.
At 14 we started the first photography lesson in front of the computer.
Christian Høiberg, the master of landscapes, started by explaining landscape photography and how to get the most out of a file through a Lightroom workflow.
After which Giulio Cobianchi explained how to manage the various focus stacking files (a technique studied in the field) by joining them together and showed his Photoshop workflow to get the best out of a night photograph. Specifically studying how to extract details and colors from the Milky Way.
After that we left the hotel to reach La Masca, a village lost in the mountains of Tenerife. We continued our photography lesson creating compositions between prickly pears and palm trees. This place is always charming.
Another “difficult session” in front of typical Canarian food in a restaurant and we were off to face another magical night in Teide Park. This time in front of the Cathedral.
While we were inside the caldera, we waited a little longer for the visibility of our galaxy’s core.
Around 1am the nucleus was right above the Cathedral, what a crazy scenery!
Between single shots and panoramic shots with the entire galactic arc above the Cathedral, the guys had a lot of fun and learned how to better manage the equipment and the various techniques to get high-level photos.
What a night it was!
At around 3:30 we returned to our hotel.
Day 4
A little sleepy, but happy with the shots taken the day before, we left the hotel at 2 pm to reach the Anaga forest, hoping to find it immersed in the clouds to have a bit of a mystical atmosphere.
So it was! We had so much fun in a famous mirador where the forest is at its best.
Christian Høiberg explained how to best capture the details of the trees and how to get beautiful photographs inside the forest.
Then we left to reach one of the most beautiful beaches of the island, playa de Benijo where we planned the sunset.
This place never fails. It caught us with a colorful sunset with the sun filtering between the stacks.
At this point, a well-deserved dinner in a restaurant in Santa Cruz cannot be missed.
Day 5
At 2 pm we faced the second editing lesson in front of the computer where Giulio Cobianchi began to explain about night photography. How to manage all the files of a night panorama, how to merge them together, editing, until you get the breathtaking scene.
Christian Høiberg went through and edited various client photos, showing them various workflows to get the most out of their shots.
Then we left with our van to reach a mirador in the Teide park, where we witnessed a breathtaking sunset above a sea of clouds. An unforgettable moment!
After dinner we experienced another incredible night under a crazy Milky Way above the Teide park.
Day 6
We dedicated this last day to visiting the astronomical observatory that the guys really appreciated and we analyzed and edited the photos of other customers in front of the computer.
Last farewell dinner at the hotel restaurant before packing for the airport the following day.
Day 7
Return home from Tenerife sud airport.
Tour leaders
Giulio Cobianchi is a professional landscape photographer, experienced and specialized in night photography with 10 years of experience. His passion in looking for darker skies to better capture the beauty of our night sky, led him to travel to incredible places around the world. Tenerife is one of his favorite places. His satisfaction is making your dream come true.
Christian Høiberg is an international landscape photographer with a passion for wild landscapes where nature reigns. He is the founder of “CaptureLandscapes”, where he helps aspiring and advanced photographers improve their photography skills to make high-impact photos. With his great experience as a photographer and tour leader around the world, you will be in the best of hands.
