How to Photograph Surfers at Nazaré, Portugal
by Dan Wagner
The Giant Waves of Nazaré, Portugal — All Photos © Dan Wagner 2023
Every winter from late October through early March, photographers flock to Portugal to capture the courageous men and women surfing the legendary giant waves of Nazaré. These monster waves are formed by underwater canyons up to 5,000 meters deep and 227 kilometers long that channel and amplify the force of ocean swells when the canyons abruptly end close to shore. Gentle offshore winds, strong storm swells originating from a West by Northwest direction, and long time periods between waves create ideal conditions for surfers and photographers alike.
Despite excellent surf forecasting sites such as Magicseaweed, it is very difficult to know more than a few days in advance if a trip to Nazaré is worth the effort and expense. The best ways to overcome these obstacles are to book flights at the last second, plan longer stays, or do what the professional surfers do and move to Nazaré for the winter. Thanks to Portugal’s beauty, hospitality, lifestyle, and low cost of living, wintering in Nazaré is an enticing option.
Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM S Lens - Superior to the 150-600mm lens from others.
Humorously, the most critical factor in learning how to photograph the giant waves of Nazaré, is figuring out when to visit. Almost as important is deciding which vantage points to shoot from. During my first visit to Nazaré, I hit upon the idea of asking a local photographer for advice on this topic. He replied, “See where other people are shooting, and shoot there, too.”
The problems with this advice are many. For starters, the prime shooting spots such as the Nazaré lighthouse roof, and surrounding area, cliffs, paths to the beach, the beach itself, and the hills overlooking the lighthouse are spread far apart. Therefore, spending time hiking from spot to spot may result in missing the best waves of the day. Scouting the shooting spots in advance in person, or with the aid of Google Maps, and Google Images is time well spent.
Critical to deciding where to shoot from, is knowing the pros and cons of each location in terms of how it affects the distance, angle, perspective, lighting, and obstructions to photographing the waves. While the roof of the lighthouse is great for viewing waves forming from all directions, the downward shooting angle, and crowds of onlookers are major detractions. Plus there’s the lighthouse entry fee, lack of restrooms, wind and temperature extremes, and the difficulty of moving from the rooftop to another spot.
The paved areas, steep slopes, and dirt paths on the north side of the lighthouse offer a variety of shooting positions, and accessibility to your car to retrieve gear and clothing (if you were lucky enough to find nearby parking). The major downside of this area is that the view of the waves is partially blocked by the topography, cliff promontory, and the wave direction. Other negative factors can include mud, and the possibility of physical injury on the steep, rocky, uneven terrain.
Intrepid photographers often opt to explore the winding paths leading down from the lighthouse toward the beach below. Along the way, there are many worthwhile photo opportunities. However, choosing this method of reaching the beach instead of driving to parking areas at beach level entail hiking long distances, and the possibility of injury and equipment damage from the heavy spray of waves striking the shoreline. The best approach is to take your time and proceed with caution.
Shooting from the beach, which is something I wish I’d tried more often, is great for capturing the overwhelming power of the waves. Looking up instead of down at the waves from the beach can only be rivaled by viewing them from a jet ski – or by surfing them. Another benefit of shooting from the beach is the chance to photograph surfers as they are being picked up and dropped off by jet skis. It’s important to note, that venturing too close to the waterline has resulted in damage to gear, injury, and even death.
The last and perhaps most famous place to shoot from are the hills overlooking the lighthouse. Shooting with a 600mm or longer telephoto lens results in optical compression that can make giant waves appear taller than the lighthouse, which in reality looms above them. In fact, it was seeing photographs of giant waves taken from this spot that first inspired me to visit Nazaré. Successful shooting from the hill area is best accomplished on clear, sunny days.
Whichever area you select, it is important to understand that shooting later in the day can result in a lack of separation between the wave and the surfer. The reason for this is that the size of the wave combined with the position of the sun will put the surfer in shadow. Your results can be improved by shooting in raw, and adjusting your shots in Photoshop. Other ways to improve your results are to shoot with the highest shutter speed possible, to use a tripod outfitted with a gimbal, and, if conditions permit, to try to shoot earlier in the day.
I shot most of the photographs shot for this article with a Nikon D850, Nikon D800 converted to standard 720nm infrared, and a Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM S Lens. (This lens is far superior to the 150-600mm lens from other manufacturers!) I found this Sigma lens to be sharp, fast-to-focus, and a pleasure to shoot with. To transport your gear over the challenging Nazaré terrain, I recommend using a Think Tank Photo Airport Advantage Roller. The nice thing about the Airport Advantage is that it’s lightweight, rolls well, fits in plane overheads, protects your gear, is very durable, and doesn’t look like a camera bag full of expensive gear.
I hope this article has inspired you visit Nazaré. Thanks for visiting The Cranky Camera!