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Operated by Nomadict

Madeira

31 Oct – 7 Nov 2026 · Portugal
Group — 8 people · 3 guides Level — Ambitious beginner to professional Price — €4,700 early bird Languages — EN · DE · ES
Dates31 Oct – 7 Nov 2026
Group8 people · 3 guides
LevelAmbitious beginner to professional
BaseFunchal and the north coast

Madeira packs four landscapes into one island: a volcanic spine that sits above the clouds, a north coast of black basalt and white water, laurel forest that holds fog like a sponge, and terraced villages clinging to slopes nobody should be able to farm.

We work all four, in the order the weather allows rather than the order a brochure would print. Photo and video, stills and motion, with drone work wherever it is permitted.

Together with Bruno Ázera, who knows the coast the way you know your own street, and Alejandro from Nomadict for the business side of the evenings.

I've produced timelapse and aerials on Madeira for television — the locations here are worked, not googled

How a day runs

A typical day — the real order follows the weather
  1. Before lightOut before sunrise most days. The plan is made the evening before from the forecast and changed on the spot when the sky says otherwise.
  2. In the fieldReading the place first, then working it: exposure, filters, long exposure, drone where it is permitted — on your camera, over your shoulder. Everyone shoots from a different position.
  3. Middle of the dayThe hours the light is useless are the hours we work on files: culling, Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve, my grade taken apart step by step.
  4. One to oneTime alone with me on your own images, including the honest version of what isn't working yet.
  5. Out againSecond location for the evening, everything from the morning applied while it is still fresh.
  6. After darkClear nights are used for astro and long exposure. Nothing is forced — sleep happens, it just isn't the priority.

What you take home

Craft, not souvenirs
  1. Reading an islandHow the trade winds put fog on one side and sun on the other, and how to plan a day around that instead of hoping.
  2. Long exposure on the coastFilters, water rhythm, and how to keep a tripod steady on wet basalt.
  3. Aerials with intentComposition from above, legal flying, and the workflow that gets drone footage to look like the rest of your work.
  4. Motion and stills togetherShooting a location so that it yields both, without doing either badly.
  5. GradingLightroom and Resolve, from raw to a look that stays yours.
  6. Your own eyeOne-to-one time on your work, including the honest version of what isn't working yet.

Frames from Madeira

Shot on location
Seixal at sunset
Faial and the Eagle Rock at first light
Ponta de São Lourenço
Coast road at São Vicente
Pico do Arieiro, cloud sea
Laurel forest in cloud
Levada bridge, Ribeira da Janela
Seixal beach and waterfall

What's included

Booked and provided by Nomadict

Included

  • Seven nights in a 4-star hotel, single room with private bathroom
  • Breakfast every day
  • Airport transfers on Madeira
  • Field sessions with Ronald and Bruno in a small group
  • Editing sessions: Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve
  • One-to-one feedback on your work
  • Business and portfolio session with Nomadict
  • Group accident and liability cover

Not included

  • Flights to Funchal
  • Lunch and dinner
  • Travel insurance — strongly recommended
  • Drone registration, licence and insurance
  • Anything personal: bar, laundry, extra activities

Reserve a place

Booking runs through Nomadict

Booking, payment terms and cancellation conditions are Nomadict's — you'll find them on their page. Travel insurance is worth having either way.

View on the operator's site →

Booking, contract and payment: Nomadict

Prices, dates and availability shown here are taken from Nomadict's own listing and are given for orientation only — they can change at any time. Whatever Nomadict states on their page applies. No booking is concluded on this website.

From
per person, single occupancy
€4,700

Questions

Gear, fitness, weather, money
Am I good enough for this?
Bring some ambition and you're in the right place. If you already shoot on manual, we start from there; if you don't yet, we get you there in the first two days. And if you work professionally and came for one specific thing — aerials, timelapse, night work, a faster edit — say so on day one and we build your week around it. The only real requirement is being up before sunrise several days in a row.
What should I bring?
A camera you know how to use — full frame is ideal, but any DSLR or mirrorless body works.
  • A wide zoom and a telephoto (24–70 and 70–200 cover almost everything)
  • A tripod that holds in wind, not the lightest one you own
  • Spare batteries and a fast charger — cold eats batteries
  • Head torch with a red mode, so you don't blind the person next to you
  • Laptop or tablet, card reader, and DaVinci Resolve (the free version is enough)
  • Filters if you have them; a drone if you fly one — you are responsible for registration, insurance and licence
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate walking and short hikes on uneven ground, some of it before dawn with a head torch. Nothing technical, no scrambling.
Can I fly my drone?
In permitted areas, yes, and I'll help you get more out of it. EU registration, licence and insurance are your responsibility — we check that on site.
Can my partner come along?
Only if you already take them on long photo trips and it works — meaning they don't hold the group up on a single day. This is not a holiday with photography in it. We are out before sunrise, we wait, we stay when it gets uncomfortable, and the middle of the day goes on files rather than sightseeing. Anyone who is fine with that is welcome; anyone who isn't will have a miserable week and will make it harder for everyone else. Talk to the operator about the price for a non-shooting place.
Who do I actually book with?
Nomadict. They take the payment, hold the contract and organise hotel, transfers and insurance. The button above leads to their site.

This tour runs with me. Nomadict pays me for that, organises and sells the trip, holds the contract with you, takes the booking and payment and is responsible for travel, accommodation and insurance. What exactly I contribute is arranged with the operator and differs from trip to trip. I am not a tour operator or a travel agent, I do not take bookings or payments, and no contract comes into being through this website. All statements about dates, prices, places and services are drawn from the operator's published information and are given without warranty — please check the operator's page before booking.

Operator: Nomadict — Alejandro Blanco Canelos, Calle Ministro Luis Mayans 53, d. 9, 46009 Valencia, Spain · nomadictig@gmail.com · nomadict.org