Scouting a destination shoot always looks straightforward until you're actually there. Our trip to the Algarve taught us that lesson properly and it's one of the reasons we now build a backup plan into every location shoot we book abroad.
The location that got away
Our original plan was Benagil Cave, the sea cave famous for the natural hole in its roof, where sunlight beams straight down onto the rock below. It's an incredible, almost otherworldly shot if you can get it. The problem was access, Benagil can only be reached by boat and we were shooting off season. When we arrived, the water had turned too choppy and the boat operators wouldn't risk the crossing. No boat meant no cave, full stop and no amount of persuading changes a decision like that when safety is the reason behind it.
If you're scouting sea caves anywhere, build in exactly this contingency. Off season shooting often means better light and fewer crowds, but it also means fewer guarantees, tour operators, weather windows and water conditions all become far less predictable.
The backup that saved the shoot
With Benagil off the table, we pivoted to Palace of Estoi, which had been our backup option. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we made on that trip. The palace grounds gave us a completely different look, ornate, romantic, ceremonial almost, a world away from the raw drama of the sea cave we'd planned for. We still love the images from that session today, proof that a solid backup location isn't a consolation prize, it can genuinely outshine the original plan.
The lesson here isn't just "have a backup," it's have a backup that offers something different enough in style that if you do end up using it, the session doesn't feel like a compromise. A second beach or a second cliff as your backup to a cave shoot might not give you that same insurance. A completely different type of location can.
A second cave, a different kind of access
On a separate session, we shot at Grutas do Algar Seco, a short distance along the coast. Unlike Benagil, this cave is accessed by an opening at the back rather than by boat, leading into a small chamber within the cliff itself. Two enormous openings in the cliff face look out to sea from high up, almost like windows. This location worked in a way Benagil couldn't have, accessible on foot, no weather dependent boat crossing required but with just as much visual drama once you were inside.
If you're scouting caves in this region, access method matters as much as how the location looks in photos. A boat only cave with the perfect beam of light is only usable if the conditions cooperate on the day. A cave with solid land access, like Algar Seco, gives you a location you can actually rely on.
Faro Old Town
For something completely different in tone, we also shot in Faro Old Town, a quaint seaside part of the Algarve with genuinely beautiful architecture. Where the caves gave us drama and scale, Faro Old Town gave us intimacy and texture, narrow streets, interesting architecture, a different kind of visual story entirely. Worth including in any Algarve scouting trip if you want range within a single location, coastal drama and old town charm are a short drive apart here.
What we'd tell you before you go
If you're planning a destination shoot in the Algarve, or anywhere with boat dependent locations, always have a genuinely different backup, not just a second version of the same idea. Check access requirements and weather dependency for any sea cave or cove before you build a shoot around it, Benagil in particular is notorious for being weather and tide dependent. And don't discount the "backup" location in your planning, sometimes it becomes the one you talk about years later.
If you're thinking through your own destination location scouting and want a second opinion on logistics, permissions or backup planning, drop a question in our Facebook Photography Community, we're always happy to talk it through.