Madeira - A truly magical experience and a photographer’s playground… but what kit to take?

It was a place I had never visited and was definitely on my bucket list. I had read blogs, viewed videos and researched all I could about the location for photography and trekking and was truly excited to see what it had to offer.

Picking what photography equipment to take was my greatest dilemma and I considered just taking my Leica M6 with both 50mm and 35mm lenses and purely going for the 35mm film option, or take my Fujifilm XT5 with a couple of lenses. In the end I opted for both and on reflection this was great for ringing the changes, but did cause me decision making anxiety on a number of occasions!

Once we had settled into our hotel and organised a hire car, it was time to get out and about and explore and I used every single day to make the most of the 6 days I had; Fanal Forrest, Pico Ruivo, Ribera Da Janelle, Funchal streets and trekking the Levadas…. So much to see and do and never enough time to do it.

My plan to travel as much as I could was good, and it really helped me get a feel for the Island, but too be honest I was pretty overwhelmed with the opportunities and left Madeira with a wish to get straight back there and concentrate on a number of particular areas again.

I love the need to research, plan and travel out to new locations, it’s part of the craft. It’s even better if you can fit in a trek at each location and take some time out to enjoy and view some local culture. Maderia allows you to do all of these.

Maderia, you did not fail me… absolutely gorgeous and I will return.

I hope you like some of my photographs.. a mixture of 35mm film and digital.