David Noton On Location
Viana do Costelo. Norte, Portugal. 6:43am. 3 May 2018. Surprise catches David off guard twice this month, as he explores Portugal
David shoots some of his favourite spots in Portugal for his column this issue
Okay, I’ll accept that maybe last night’s pit stop in a motel behind a Shell service station just off the Autopista outside Santander, was not the most evocative of starts… We’re trying to hide our dismay at the weather forecast Wendy’s got up on her phone, but just look at the snow-capped Picos de Europa off to our left now as we bowl along the Asturian coast. The temptation to stop is incredibly strong, but we'll have to wait for another time; we’re sticking to the plan and pushing on for the frontier with Portugal. We cross the border near Chaves, it’s snowing. This is not at all what we expected.
A few days later at Viana do Costello we have a room with a view, and what a view; below lies the city, the Lima river, the coast, the Atlantic Ocean and the iconic Templo de Santa Luzia.
In fact the view is why we’re staying here in this noble hotel. We’ll soon be in a tent, but before that we’ve booked in here for two nights just so I can shoot this view from the terrace; from our own balcony.
The wait for dusk ensues. I feel guilty as this is not exactly an arduous location search, or a shoot that tests the endurance. We’re supposed to suffer for our art, yet all I’m doing is sitting on our balcony by the tripod with a room service toastie and scotch in hand waiting for the light. Maybe I shouldn’t own up to this; it’s hardly treading boldly. The sun settles into the haze and fizzles out, but I wait on to do a night shot.
I awake as the light of dawn filters through the curtains and peek through a gap; mist! Wendy awakes to see me hopping about stark naked on the balcony, grappling with a polarizer and lens hood. After the first few frames I force myself to slow down, get dressed and approach the shoot in a somewhat more measured and professional way. A panorama is a must. So are some time-lapse sequences. This is a wonderful opportunity.
A week later we’re camped at Villa Real, with locations in the nearby Douro Valley scouted and a dawn shoot planned. But campsites with barriers are a constant headache, and this morning, despite having negotiated yesterday with the owner to let us out early, it seems he’s forgotten. Our plan is unravelling. We sit for ten minutes fuming, staring at the locked gate as the sky gets steadily lighter. I hate being locked in. Eventually he turns up, full of apologies, but now we’re running late.
As Wendy drives I’m tormented as the light entices, but I resolve to stick to the plan. In minutes, which seems like an hour, we arrive at an overview looking down on of São Cristovão do Douro and the steep terraced valley sides, just as the sun is reaching the village. The scene with the early light painting the terraces, the village nestled below and a peak rising above the distant haze beyond is working well; it’s the Douro in a nutshell. I work all the options, vertical and horizontal, wide and tight, shading the lens with my hand all the while from flare in the contre-jour light. I have to face facts though; this shoot was compromised by the late start. But sticking with the plan was the right call, faffing about never works. Photography is all about decisions. Sometimes I get it right, often I don’t, but no one ever said it was easy.
I’m sitting on our balcony by the tripod with a roomservice toastie and scotch waiting for the light