Photo Sessions on Madeira When the Weather Looks Bad

People write to me with the same worry. They open a weather app, see rain over Madeira for the day of their session, and ask whether we should move it.

Almost always the answer is no. That forecast is describing a different part of the island than the one we will be standing in.

Weather on the north and south coasts of Madeira

Madeira is 57 kilometres long and rises to 1,862 metres in the middle. That ridge splits the weather in two. Cloud comes in from the north, hits the mountains and sits there. The south coast, where Funchal is, often stays dry under the same sky that is dumping rain on the north.

The reverse happens too. I have driven out of a grey Funchal morning, come through the tunnel to the north coast and found open sun over Seixal.

Photos in overcast weather

No hard shadows on faces, no squinting, no blown highlights on a white dress.

Jason’s family came to Seixal at seven on an overcast August evening. Dark water, soft cliffs, two girls in pale dresses.

Sam and Katerina had flat grey sky for their proposal at Miradouro do Guindaste in April. I would take that sky over hard sun at four in the afternoon on any day of the year.

One May evening at Praia Formosa I photographed a proposal that had sun, drizzle and cloud in it.

Fog at Fanal Forest and Pico do Arieiro

Fanal Forest works because of fog. It rolls in off the north coast and fills the gaps between the laurel trees.

Slava and Anastasia got the full version in May: thick fog, wet hair, moss dripping.

Pico do Arieiro sits above the cloud layer on most mornings, so the rain you see from your hotel window is often the thing you would be standing on top of. It is not guaranteed. Some mornings you drive up and arrive inside the cloud rather than above it.

What actually stops a session

Wind with rain in it. That combination is unworkable: nobody can stand still, hair goes everywhere, and I am wiping the front element every thirty seconds instead of watching your faces.

Steady rain alone I can work with for short spells if you are willing to get wet. Wind alone is fine in the right spot. The volcanic outcrops at Praia Formosa break the wind well enough for close portraits.

If the weather isn’t right, we’ll move the session to another day, free of charge.

What to bring when the sky looks uncertain

Shoes you can walk on wet rock in. Most good spots are volcanic and they are slick after rain.

A layer for the north coast. It runs cooler and windier than the Funchal forecast suggests, and people underdress for it constantly.

Something to tie hair back with, then decide with me on the spot whether to use it. Wind in hair reads well in photographs more often than people expect.

If you are willing to get wet, say so before we start. It changes what I offer you.

Booking around the weather

Book the date you want.

Message me on WhatsApp with your dates and I will tell you what the season usually does. More on how a session works, on couples and proposal sessions and family sessions, or read what each month actually looks like in the best time of year for photos on Madeira.