A Hidden Gem for Architectural Photography in Portugal

Today, we’d like to share with you some of the treasures of architectural photography we found while strolling leisurely (but purposefully) through the small lanes and back alleys of sleepy Torreira in Portugal.

Vertical stripes are a common decorative element in this region of Portugal.

Our last 2 blog posts introduced you to the fascinating region around the lagoon of Aveiro and the many interesting photo ops in this area. We showed you images of the colorful tiles the locals use instead of paint on their house facades in Aveiro, the beautiful traditional fishing boats, and the sand dunes in Torreira, a small village in the Aveiro Lagoon.

Art Deco design elements live right next to the vertical stripes in Torreira.

This deserted home always attracts us with its faded color and distressed texture.

In Torreira we found quirky architectural details as well as beautiful old homes with peeling color and distressed texture. This town has an interesting hodgepodge of the old and the new, the perfect and the dilapidated and neglected, the over-the-top colorful and the monochromatic. If you love photography, you can relate to how we can easily entertain ourselves for several hours on this treasure hunt.

Another example of the vertical stripes on house facades in Torreira

Blue and yellow are popular color pallets even for modern buildings.

Symmetry and simplicity can work well for this kind of architectural photography and following the Open Shade around the village will reward you with the most saturated colors.

We were drawn to the different angles, planes, and shadows of this modern building.

An interesting architectural detail in Torreira.

This relatively small area south of Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, is off the beaten tourist path (not counting the hearty Europeans who vacation there and enjoy the beautiful beach in spite of wind and frigid water) but it has such an interesting variety of subject matters to offer to photographers.

Come and explore with us in 2022. Click here for more info. »