I stay near Alvor most years for astronomy, but I also photograph the landscape and wildlife of the area. It's not easy to get good landscapes as the whole coastal area is dedicated to tourism, it seems at the expense of the landscape, so there's apartment development everywhere. Also of course in the summer you're pretty much guarenteed blue sky and sunshine every day, which means harsh light and the sunsets are non events. There are a few images on my Flickr but a few ideas - there's a boardwalk along the back of Alvor beach and along the lagoon which is well worth a walk. If you're at all interested in wildlife keep an eye out for the crabs and crested larks. On the other side of the lagoon is Quinta da Rocha, accessed by a dirt track off the N125 across the railway line, which is a marsh area good for wading birds, flamingoes, storks and spoonbills. The locals collect shellfish (I assume) in the lagoon at low tide. The breakwaters on the river channel at the west end of Alvor beach can be taken in during the tour of the boardwalk. Lagos is well worth a visit to walk down the river. Lots of boats and nicely scenic. Follow your nose through Lagos (we always get lost) to Ponte de Piedade where there's a lighthouse and you can get a boat trip round the stacks and grottoes in the cliffs (a bit like Ladram Bay in Devon but bigger and better, though with development close by). Henry the Navigator's place at Sagres is well worth a visit (small fee to go in) as is Cape St Vincent. Look out for the guys fishing off the cliffs - it's scary. The west coast if you can get up there is less developed, however it and the Sagres/Cape St Vincent peninsular does suffer from sea fog. The hills, mountains and reservoirs are not, to my mind, very photogenic as everywhere's just scrub vegatation and very arid in the summer, but there are Moorish castle ruins at Silves and Aljizeur, little hill towns if you like towns and big areas of cork oak. Most of the camera gear I take with me is for astronomy so for landscape I've usually just got the Canon 550D and 18-135mm lens with no filters and no tripod.
