Algarve before the crowds Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Southern Portuguese province of Algarve is famous for its mild climate and beautiful beaches. In summer, huge crowds of tourists invade the beaches of Algarve. In some areas the hotels and resorts also invaded the cliffs and sands, with a too high concentration of buildings. However, there are still lovely spots.
In months other than the summer, the Algarve can be rather calm. In places like Praia do Vau ("beach of the ford"; this photo, in March) you may find just a couple of children and their parents, or a few retired Northern Europeans.
The western half of the Algarve, called Barlavento, has sandy beaches surrounded by these yellow-brown-reddish cliffs, which are formed by Miocenic limestone rocks (circa 24 millions year old), eroded by water, wind, etc.
In this picture, the beach continues around the cliff, as you can see in satellite view: 37.1196873, -8.5612035 (WikiMapia).
O Algarve no seu melhor, ou seja fora do verão e dos fins de semana prolongados. Praia do Vau, entre o Alvor e a Praia da Rocha.
The TrekEarth location system is not coherent in this case. All the "states" in TE continental Portugal are the names of today's administrative districts (kind of provinces), except the Algarve, which is the name of the old province. To be coherent and according to official administration, the name here should be Faro.

lucasgalodoido, Bluejeans, isa, AiresSantos, plimrn, Amaz, stego, Docarmo, brano14, ChrisJ, pierrefonds has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

asajernigan (14284) 2009-06-15 8:16

Francisco,
This is a great shot of this beautiful beach. The lack of crowds make this a great scene. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and detail. The waterline creates a nice diagonal through the shot which gives the scene direction.
TFS,
Asa

sacavem (8523) 2009-06-15 8:58

Olá Xuaxo,

É deste ALLgarve :) que eu gosto.Boa fotografia do teu arquivo.Cores muito bonitinhas.
Filipe

ines8 (996) 2009-06-15 9:05

Une tres belle photo, cher Francisco, les couleurs sont superbes, on sent les vacances....
Cumprimentos,
ines

lucasgalodoido (16789) 2009-06-15 9:27

Olá Francisco,
muito bonita mesmo essa praia, apesar das falésias estarem bem próximas à linha d´água. Gostei das cores de sua captura também, sobretudo no mar. Belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço

Bluejeans (33081) 2009-06-15 11:30

Oi Francisco ,
Uma bela foto que representa bem as praias do Algarve , de aguas límpidas que fazem um belo contraste com as falésias amarelas, são os teus filhos na foto , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

tober (4056) 2009-06-15 14:57

Hello Francisco, spring is the best season to go to Algarve, but for the summer the coastal part of Alentejo is much better -in my opinion- with its untouched nature.

Despite having been to Algarve for several times, I haven't seen this beautiful beach in your photo. I guess, even during the tourism season this beach could be wonderful if you go there early in the morning.

Best regards,

Tolga

isa (1964) 2009-06-15 15:34

OLá Francisco,
Belíssima composição, excelente ponto de vista e luminosidade. As cores algarvias deram o toque final,
Parabéns pelo trabalho. Excelente nota.

um abraço,
isa

jmdias (19899) 2009-06-15 16:10

chico

linda vista algarvia, gosto muito deste pov mostrando dos turistas . muito boas as cores e a luz. saudades do algarve, 8 anos ausente..

abraços

jorge

mbasil (2117) 2009-06-15 17:29

Really nice. I want to be there. Excellent job with the exposure (to leave the details in the clouds). Nice use of the rock on the left to frame the shot, too. As for the title, maybe you can take a "full crowd" shot in August, too? :-)
Mike

raszid62 (3493) 2009-06-15 21:50

Hello
Very beautyfull shot that's beach. Nice children on the sand. Amazing rocks and beauty sky. Alive and calm colours. I like it views.
Best Regards
Joseph

AiresSantos (42924) 2009-06-15 23:36

Ola Francisco
Em Marco já está bom para a praia no Algarve e muitas vezes tambem em Lisboa.
Muito bonita esta vista da Praia do Vau. Excelentes cores e luminosidade
Um abraco Amigo
Aires

adramad (4000) 2009-06-16 2:52

Hola Francisco.
Una gran fotografia, con unos colores magnificos y la maravillosa luz del Algarve muy bien captada.
Saludos.
Luis

Amaz (7512) 2009-06-16 16:21

Belíssima captura, Francisco!!!
Muito belas cores e öptima composição, amigo!!!
Bom travalho!!

Um abraço forte!!

stego (22478) 2009-06-17 17:56

Olá Francisco,
Uma bela compo, de uma uma linda praia, que eu nunca vi tão deserta. Aliás, as recordações mais vivas que tenho dela não podiam ser mais diferentes nesse aspecto, pois quando tinha para aí uns 19 anos estive acampado num parque que suponho semi-clandestino.
Um abraço, José.

Docarmo (8854) 2009-06-17 19:50

Oi Francisco,
Beleza de foto, volumes e cores em destaque, além do charme dos dois pimpolhos.
Parabéns!
Não tive esta experiência de viver nas proximidades do mar... isso deve influenciar os ânimos da gente.
Docarmo

plimrn (19720) 2009-06-19 15:56

Ola Francisco,
The close-up of the limestone cliff transforms this from 'merely' a classic beach paradise to a uniquely artistic composition. It's the turquoise water, the delightfully cloud-filled sky and the tiny couple all captured with great color and detail that give is the paradise part. Looks like you have beachy weather even in March - I thought this must be about the latitude of Cabo San Lucas but it doesn't look that way on the map - must be warm currents. The link is great too.
SAA, Pat

npecanhuk (14718) 2009-06-21 13:18

Olá Francisco!
Prefiro as praias assim! No máximo duas pessoas, de preferência eu e mais uma pessoa especial!
A foto está ótima, com características técnicas muito boas!
Parabéns, abraços e uma ótima semana!
Neyvan

ChrisJ (70443) 2009-06-30 17:54

Olá Francisco

Well composed using the rule of thirds, with wonderful warm cold colour contrasts, & good sharpness. Tfs!

pierrefonds (26659) 2009-07-03 4:49

Hi Francisco,

The diagonal line of the beach is an asset to the composition. The presence of the people has an effect of scale. The point of view leads our eyes toward the cliff and the horizon which is giving depth to the composition. The good luminosity is enhancinh the different tints of colors of the scenery. Have a nice day.

Pierre