This journey will take you to the discovery of a beautiful gem in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean. Madeira, also known as the “Floating Garden”, is an archipelago located above the Canary Islands, 545 km northwest of the African coast, but belonging to Portugal.
In this volcanic paradise, very rich of different landscapes, prevails a captivating contrast of colors between the lush green and the black of the rocks, thanks to the combination of high humidity and a mild climate throughout the year.
Exploring Madeira, in a short time, you can admire rugged coastlines, majestic mountains, and laurel forests like the magic Fanal. Additionally, there are many waterfalls reachable through beautiful trails, while the night gives a perfect sky for night photography.
All of this makes this small island a true paradise for those who love nature and landscape photography.
What will you experience this trip?
Expect a week full of photography! We’ll take on photographic sessions at sunrise, sunset and whenever the sky allows, we’ll capture the Milky Way above forests, beaches and mountain peaks.
We’ll photograph all the most beautiful spots on the island, both the famous ones and the hidden gems.
We’ll be staying in two strategically located hotels on the island, in private rooms.
The spirit of adventure will not be missing, from walking through misty forests, to a few hikes to reach mountain peaks and waterfalls and there will also have time to chill and enjoy good local food.
Who is the Madeira Photo Tour for?
This trip is designed for lovers of landscape photography that want to enjoy the incredible landscapes that Madeira has to offer. All we ask of you is that you have a passion for photography and want to share this experience with a small group of likeminded people.
During the week we will introduce you to some of the most incredible places on the island. Alternating between sunrise, sunset and night photography, you get the opportunity to see and photograph these unique places in all types of conditions.
Photographing Madeira’s unique and extraordinary landscapes in the best possible light is our priority during the week.
This is an experience you’re not likely to forget any time soon!
Our goal is for you to return home with beautiful images, a greater understanding of landscape and night photography, and an unforgettable experience.
We are there to help you improve your photography skills and in addition to in-field tutoring, we will thoroughly cover both theoretical and practical topics throughout the week (as well as post-processing classes where we work on the images we’ve captured).
Wanna join?
Madeira Photo Tour Itinerary
Note: the program may change depending on the weather. We are flexible and will adapt to any situation in order to give you the best possible experience.
The meeting point is:
May 4th – Funchal Airport, not later that 3pm
On May 10th in the morning we will bring the group back to the meeting point.
Please the departure from Funchal Airport on May 10th no earlier than 10am.
Day 1
Arrival at Funchal Airport no later that 3pm.
After the presentation and an introduction of what we will experience during the week, we will leave the airport to reach our first hotel in about one hour by van, where we will spend the first 3 nights.
We will sleep in a hotel located in a strategic position, in a short driving time we will be able to to reach the most beautiful spots.
After arranging our things in the hotel we will get ready and go out to wait for the sunset at one of the most beautiful beaches of the island with caves, flowers and stacks that stand out from the Atlantic Ocean.
After dinner at a restaurant we will go hunting for the Milky Way in another fairytale spot, the Fanal forest, where we will focus on the creation of single exposures and double exposures without using the star tracker.
Around 2am we will be at the hotel.
Day 2
Sunrise at one of the most beautiful Miraduro of the island, where rugged mountains stand out from the ocean. After sunrise we will stop to photograph a waterfall and the fantastic village of Seixal, built over a lava flow.
After lunch we will return to the hotel for some relaxation and we will go out to photograph the sunset in the mystical Fanal forest.
Then we will have dinner and if the sky will be clear, we will face our night session on a wild beach between caves and stacks.
Day 3
Sunrise at Praia da Ribeira da Janela, waiting for the sunstar to filter between the stacks,
among flowers and a river flowing into the ocean.
Free morning for some rest and we will get ready in the afternoon to face the excursion to the most beautiful waterfall on the island. Two hours of walking in the middle of the forest but when you arrive in front of that show you will understand that every minute of walking was worth it.
After dinner we will return to the hotel to rest.
Day 4
We will take the morning of day 4 off. You can choose to sleep or explore the area around the hotel.
We will pack our things to move to our next hotel.
Next, we head out to photograph the sunset in another Miraduro located in the east of Madeira where ocean and mountains dominate the landscape.
Here we will have a packed dinner and move on to face our night session at the pico do Arieiro.
If the sky will be clear from up there, the signal of the Milky Way will surprise you! Here we can also focus on creating a panorama and using the star tracker.
Day 5
We will take the morning of day 5 off.
After lunch we will have our first post-processing where we will study how to manage all the various techniques studied in the field and we will face a complete workflow of one photo.
Next, at around 4pm we head out to photograph the sunset at Pico do Aireiro. Here we need 40 minutes hike to reach the top.
After sunset we will go back to the hotel.
Day 6
This morning the alarm rings early, an hour of hiking awaits us to reach the most beautiful view of the whole island. Here the landscape changes completely, everything is arid with succulent plants and the coast plunging into the ocean.
After sunrise and some exploration of this fantastic area we will return to the hotel.
In the afternoon we will have a new post-processing session. Today we are looking at some more advanced aspects of night photography. More specifically, how to manage and merge the files of a panoramic night image and how to get the most details from a Milky Way image.
After our last sunset at another Miraduro between flowers and stacks, we will return to the hotel to prepare our things for departure and to rest.
Day 7
Departure from Funchal Airport.
Additional information
- We can enjoy lunches and dinners in the various restaurants.
- During the free mornings, you can choose either to relax at the hotel or go for a walk.
- To avoid unnecessary long drives and to make the most out of the time we have, we’re going to have 2 or 3 packed lunches and dinners. We will buy food from the supermarket, or pick up something easy to take away and have lunch dinner in the middle of nature.
- When we have dinner in the middle of nature, we will take warm clothes with us to be able to face the night photo session in the best comfort.
- Every day there will be short and easy walks from the van to the spots. Only two days there will be walking to reach the most beautiful waterfall on the island and another spot for sunrise, 2 hours for the waterfall and 1 hour for the second spot.
Tour Guide
Giulio Cobianchi is a professional landscape photographer, experienced and specialized in night photography with 10 years of experience. His passions are the search for dark skies to better capture the wonder of the night sky and the exploration of new places where wild nature gives the best of itself. These passions have led him to travel to the most beautiful and wild places in the world and Madeira is one of them. His satisfaction is making your dream come true.
What will you learn on this photo tour?
Between amazing sceneries, good photography and a lot of fun, we hope to give you an experience and adventure that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
We don’t just want to give you an experience, though. We want to make sure you’re excited about the photographs you’ve captured on our various outings.
In addition to teaching photographic theories and techniques, we want to convey our passion and make you feel those emotions that being out in nature with a camera can give.
You will learn
- Better manage your photographic equipment in easy and difficult situations
- Plan the shot through the use of apps and websites
- Read the histogram, both during shooting and in post-processing
- Compositional rules and the fundamentals to create impactful images
- How to use filters
- Manage various kind of lights, at sunset, sunrise and long exposures
- Choosing the right white balance
- Focus and hyperfocal distance
- The importance of the aperture
- The right shooting settings based on the scene, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation
- Masks and layers
- Dodge and burn
- Choice of color profiles (sRGB, Adobe RGB, Pro photo RGB)
- Use the tracker to get the best detail of the Milky Way and less digital noise. From the pointing phase of the Polaris to the shooting phase
- Recognize the night sky without using apps
- Many shooting techniques that will allow you to take home some “wow” photos, including focus stacking, mean stacking, perspective blend, multi exposure, focal blend, time blend
- Panoramic photography, day and night, from the arrangement of the equipment, to the merging of the shots in post production
- How to get details of the Milky Way, from the shooting phase to the edit
- Milky Way Color Processing
- Tips and tricks that pertain to our specific workflow
Participation
In order to offer the best quality, the maximum of attendees has been limited, so that we can follow each participant closely and in the best way possible. A minimum is also been set for the tour to be confirmed.
Minimum: 5 participants
Maximum: 8 participants
Difficulty: Easy / Medium
Payment
To reserve your seat, you can pay a deposit via bank transfer at the moment of the booking and the remaining part within 30 days before departure.
Total cost: 2090€
Deposit: 700€
Tour dates: May 4th – 10th, 2024
Single room supplement: 800€
The cost include
- All Breakfasts
- All transfers by van
- Fuel
- Transport to and from the airport
- Support Whatsapp private group
- Photo editing lessons with registration
- All the accomodations in hotels in double rooms and private bathroom ( single room on request )
- One professional photographers who will teach you his special personal techniques
- Medical health insurance
The cost doesn’t include
- International flights
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- Theft / damage insurance / trip cancellation insurance
- Everything that is not included in the item “The fee includes”
F.A.Q.s
How can I reach the meeting point?
The meeting point is Funchal Airport, not after 3pm on May 4th
On May 10th in the morning we will bring the group back to the meeting point
Please the departure from Funchal Airport on May 10th no earlier that 10am
What level of photography is required ?
All of ours photo tours are open to beginners as well as professionals. Our only criteria is that you have a great passion for photography, and have the energy and motivation to be on the go every day and night.
What physical level is required?
No particular level of preparation is required. There will be some elevation gain in the two hikes but nothing difficult and all on a non-exposed path.
What kind of weather should I expect?
Madeira is an incredible island, the temperatures change within a few km of car.
During the day, along the coasts we will find temperatures on average warm, very pleasant, between 18 and 25 degrees. During the night on the mountains where we will take the photos we will be at about 1800 meters, the temperatures will drop approaching 3 or 4 degrees.
Documents and currency
- Passport/ identity card valid for travel broad
- The country’s currency is the Euro
- Visa/MasterCard credit card are accepted (you may have some problems with American Express)
- You can withdraw Euro in every ATM with a debit card
What camera gear should I bring?
At the very least, bring your own camera, lenses and tripod. If you are considering upgrading or investing in new camera gear prior to the trip, feel free to ask us for advice.
Photographic filters and a remote shutter release remote control are also recommended for those wanting to do long exposure photography.
The weather is cold during the night so extra batteries are useful.
We also suggest bringing multiple cloths to clean the lenses and a spare memory card.
What clothes should I bring?
Madeira island has a nice and mild climate (min 15°/max 30°) so summer clothing is ideal.
A windbreaker/sweatshirt is sufficient in the evenings as the average temperature is still warm.
During the day it’s important to protect yourself from the sun with a hat and possibly a sunscreen.
Up on then mountains we will be about 1700/1800 meters above sea level. The temperature here is a lot lower than down by the sea. You can expect temperatures down to zero degrees Celsius.
Winter clothes and good layers are essential to stay warm during the night sessions.
Hiking shoes and water repellent clothes are recommended.
How should I manage my suitcases?
Each participant can bring a suitcase and a photographic backpack.
This is to optimize the space in our van while traveling between the various places and from the Funchal airport to the hotels / from the hotels to Funchal airport.
To offer maximum comfort we have limited the number of customers, so there is always an empty space in the van to be more comfortable.
How should I organize the backpack and the various things to carry around?
You only need to organize your backpack on the day of the longest hike, when we go to photograph the most beautiful waterfall on the island.
It’s important to have:
- Mirrorless or reflex
- Wide angle and medio tele lens
- Tripod
- Some food
- Water
- Warm and water repellent clothes
