The Algarve in Winter

I hope you enjoy this travel video of The Algarve, Portugal, which I filmed in the winter season. I used the DJI Ronin-S for the majority of the shots in this video.

I decided to tour Portugal in winter, knowing that Portugal, particularly The Algarve, is known for it’s bustling beaches and festive summer night life, I thought to challenge myself and go “against the grain” and travel out of season.

There is just so much to do and see in The Algarve, and in the time I spent there, I still feel that there is so much more that I didn’t get to see and experience, which I am fine with, as I used this stage of my Portugal trip to get on with my digital nomadic life, and catch-up on post production for my clients back home in South Africa. The house which I was based in was somehow kept at freezing temperatures (not literally, but my body would disagree). However the house did possess the redemptive quality of a fire place, which ended up being my saving grace. The need of tending to the fire place’s relentless hunger, encouraged a healthy routine of collecting and chopping logs every morning before brewing coffee on the steamy stove, all while being interrupted by need to be petted by a large collection of resident Rottweilters.

Early on in the trip, I accepted the fact that there would be a lot of experiences, that I would have to forgo the documenting thereof. I am truly grateful to have captured all the moments of which I was afforded, but I am equally as grateful for just experiencing the places and the people with my own eyes - without looking at everything through an eye of “should I film this, or should I just enjoy the experience?”, enabling me to absorb moments, allowing my creative juices to be replenished.

One memory I will always cherish was when I was trying to keep up with my cousin, while both on bicycles, tearing through the more rural roads of The Algarve, by night. My cousin was wearing a hood and there was a moment when I was waiting for his wheels to leave the asphalt and begin to levitate in the moonlight, much like the scene in the classic movie, “E.T.”

As a filmmaker I have mixed emotions about not capturing a crucial part of a area, or of a endemic culture. On the one hand, it would feel amazing to be able to incorporate that element into my film, and in so doing, giving it that extra dimension. And on the other hand, it gives me even more reason to return to those lands. I also like the fact that I am not just showcasing the more touristy regions of an area, as all travel films start to look the same with their cliche shot lists. This is another massive plus to traveling to an area such as The Algarve, in winter, as you are officially traveling in their out-of-season period, which means less tourists in your shots, which is critical, given that my mandate is to document the land and it’s inhabitants.

Fights, travel and accommodation rates happen to be significantly lower in the out of season period, which is a massive plus!

The last advantage that I will share with you for me to travel in winter, is that I could film with heavy gear all day and night and not break a sweat! This allowed me to spend more time filming, as I didn’t have to worry about things like dehydration, which can be a real concern when arduously filming out in the sun all day.

I trust that this video description will make up for the lack of descriptions in my other videos in this series.

Thank you to all the locals that were happy to be in this short film. You guys rock!

Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my Portuguese family for accommodating me with housing, many car rides to breathtaking sights, and not to mention for being ever so patient with my need to film everything that moved. Muito obrigado!

As always, please hit the subscribe button if you enjoyed this video.

See you in the next one!