Miradouro do Guindaste

A clifftop viewpoint on the north coast near Faial with a direct drop to the Atlantic. Rocky terrain and wind off the ocean. There is a glass platform here, and right next to it a rocky ledge where everyone goes to take photographs. The ledge is where I shoot.

The ledge is the reason I keep bringing people here. Most viewpoints on Madeira put a railing in every frame. At Guindaste you park on the road, walk three minutes down, and stand on bare rock with the ocean below. The place is small, so when other people are close there is little room to change the angle.

Proposals work unusually well from these rocks. I am there before anyone arrives, and it looks as though I am simply a tourist photographing the view. The couple walks to the edge, and nobody has to be told to act natural.

It works in the morning and later in the day, and the light is different. From the ledge the camera looks east over the ocean, and the couple faces west, towards the island. In the morning the sun is behind the couple and shines into the lens: backlight. The mountain to the west takes the sun off the ledge about an hour and twenty minutes to an hour and three quarters before sunset, all year round, and after that the ledge is in even shade. On a clear day the best light is about two to three hours before sunset. Overcast suits this place. Flat soft light keeps the sky from blowing out behind the cliff and stops the ocean going white.

About forty minutes from Funchal, on the north coast near Faial. The walk down is short but the ground is uneven volcanic rock, so wear something with grip. Wind comes straight off the Atlantic here and there is nothing to break it. Hair will move.

Sam and Catherina were photographed here in April, Lucas and Isabela in October. The story of that October proposal is on the proposal page, the mechanics are on the couples and proposal page.