This shot was actually the reason for my trip to the Algarve, Portugals southern region. As alluded to in my previous post, the coast line is a rugged 20–50 m high cliff from yellow limestone and reddish-brown sandstone with amazing formations such as arches and caves as well as beaches and bays. Today I want to focus on the arches: The mystical mood in this picture of Ponta da Piedade is created through the long exposure of six seconds at the right moment giving the waves that hazey touch.
I chose the time around noon for this shot. Earlier the day the sun would have been over the sea and the backlight would create long shadows and turned the cliffs facing the land into black. Later the day the sun would stand over land and the cliffs would create shadows on the bay. At least these were my assumptions for chosing noon. Of note: it was summer. Sunrise in winter could be an interesting time too …
It is quite fascinating how the picture changes when the location changes. The below shot was taken from sea level. Although there is full backlight, the reflection of the cliffs provides sufficient light to avoid the formation to turn black. The color is now driven by the ocean bed (green) and not by the sand- and limestone (yellow-orange) anymore.
Here two more formations:
There is more about the region in my previous post.
structures & shapes 
One response to “Ponta da Piedade – Iconic rock formations”
[…] nature redefines the land with every tide. In my two previous posts I focused on the caves and arches. Today I’m focusing on bays and beaches, featuring a few coastal highlights from Lagos, […]
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