Photographing the Island of Eternal Spring – A Workshop in Madeira

I’ve just returned from an incredible week-long photographic workshop on the island of Madeira — an extraordinary island off the coast of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite its small size the island is host to a phenomenally diverse range of landscape locations. Our small group based ourselves in the quiet coastal town of São Vicente on the northern coastline, an ideal central location that allowed us to reach almost every corner of the island with no more than an hour and a half’s drive. In Madeira, this kind of accessibility is essential — not only because of the diverse range of landscapes on offer, but because the island’s weather changes at a moment’s notice. We spent a fair amount of time learning to interpret the plethora a weather apps, web cams and local advice as to where to go for the best photographic conditions. Needless to say, flexibility and spontaneity are the photographer’s most valuable tools here.

During our week, we explored and photographed many of Madeira’s iconic locations: Seixal, Ilhéus da Ribeira da Janela, Pico do Arieiro, Pico Ruivo, Bica da Cana, Fanal Forest, and the windswept peninsula of Ponta de São Lourenço. Stepping up to a well-used Miradouro (viewpoint) at the last of these locations just left me mesmerised at the grandness of the vista ahead of us. Sharp sea stacks, glowing orange in the late afternoon light, massive cliffs overhanging the cobalt blue waters of the Atlantic and the grand sweep of the peninsula looking like something out of a fantasy novel. Then there is the magical Fanal Forest. When shrouded in mist these ancient laurel trees emerge in anthropomorphic shapes from the murk, like giant ents standing stoically in the mist. And then the mountains! Despite being on a small island, Pico Ruivo stands at 1862 metres above sea-level! Each vista, each scene we visited presented a unique mood and light, shaped by the island’s ever-shifting clouds and the Atlantic weather fronts. If it’s bucketing rain in one valley, you can find sunshine in the next. Despite thick cloud across the island our last evening photographing the Milky Way at Fanal Forest as we were able to ascend above the cloud inversion.

Another magical morning unfolded at the sea stacks off Porto Moniz, where soft golden light bathed the rugged coastline as the Atlantic swell surged over rounded boulders in front of us. Despite the high level of tourists to the island, this particular location remained relatively empty at dawn; something we were both surprised and overjoyed at. 

The island’s mountainous spine, with its razor-sharp peaks and plunging valleys, offered endless compositions and an incredible sense of scale. Getting there was half the adventure — Madeira’s network of tunnels and winding roads are an engineering marvel, carving through cliffs and beneath mountains to connect the island’s most dramatic locations. Only completed in 2004 this network of tunnels is what makes traversing the island so quickly possible. Prior to this, roads were not only dangerous, but incredibly slow to navigate. 

Of course, even the best-laid plans must bow to nature. The same weather that brings such drama and light to Madeira also caused my EasyJet flight to be delayed by 24 hours — a reminder that patience and adaptability are essential virtues for any photographer working in such dynamic environments. 

Madeira rewards those who wait, watch, and return — and this workshop proved just that. From coastal cliffs to misty forests, from sunrise peaks to stormy seas, it was a week that captured the essence of why we photograph: to chase light, to embrace unpredictability, and to find beauty in every moment. Nature’s light will be returning to Madeira in the autumn (October) of 2027. If you are keen to join us, pop an email through to be added to the pre-workshop list.