OriginalCyn Loc: Connecticut

I’ll be traveling to the Azores in a couple months and wondered if there is anything I 100% need to photograph. If you have any images please post them!

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Wow, that is a bit of an open-ended question and request. It’s a bit like asking, “How heavy is a rock.”

When on a travel assignment I typically shoot 200-300 images a day, so a 10 day visit results in a few more pictures than I can post for you to look at. Recommendations for subject matter depend on your specific interests: landscapes, beaches, mountains, architecture, churches, museums, people, culture, etc, etc.

It might help to say which island(s) you will be visiting, how long, time of year, your favorite photo subjects, your camera equipment (as in P&S vs DSLR), your skill level (as in beginner vs serious amateur vs pro).

I am not trying to be snarky here, but you should be a bit more specific in posing your question.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Last time I went to the Azores I hired a car for a day so I could reach the areas I wanted to visit. I used Google for recommended places to see and a day was ample.

Shakey Loc: Traveling again to Norway and other places.

Your comment reads as if you are going to the Azores in May. April and May are an excellent time for flowers. May is the time for the largest religious festival of the year in Sao Miguel, which is held in Ponta Delgada. The streets decorated with flowers; plus residents will decorate their homes to celebrate the festival. It is a wonderful time for photographers to be in Ponta Delgada. Whale watching popular during April and May; dolphins and sperm whales can usually be seen anytime. Boat trips available to get close. Google Images has plenty of photographs of the Azores to whet your enthusiasm. Have fun. Always carry a plastic raincoat or poncho (something lightweight you can fold away real small) as rain is possible at any time.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

John....I suppose if someone were going to O'ahu and asking that question, one obvious highlight, ofc, would be Diamondhead. Perhaps, if you've been to the Azores you might list some "Diamondhead" like attractions or attractions that one might kick oneself for missing if, once they left, they'd learned that they'd missed. As it is, you're about as helpful as a lead weight.

Cyn...I do look forward to your photos. Janet and I are looking for a great vacation spot, perhaps for 2019, and the Azores might be a great place. I'm interested to find out about accomodations, beaches, etc., as well as photographic ops.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Hey, Steve, a lead weight can be really helpful if you are looking for an anchor.

But here are some suggestions... for you. Yes, they have accommodations. Yes, they have beaches... and even some volcanic mountains (hmm, let me see... islands in the ocean...). And yes, there are MANY photo ops.

Seriously now, some guidance from the OP would be helpful. There is no point recommending not-to-be-missed opportunities on 8 of the 9 islands if Cyn is only going to the 9th. And as far as the recommendation of renting a car for 1 day being enough, I beg to differ. Really??? One day??? A comment like that proves unequivocally that there are different strokes for different folks. Hence my suggestion for a bit more specificity in the question.

Here is a link to a travel article by my wife and me from our visit some 2 years ago. Regrettably the weather was not overly cooperative for many of the photos. And while I submit about 50 photos that complement the text (that’s filter #1) the magazine publisher/editor chooses the final few images that will be included (filter #2).

http://issuu.com/diplomaticconnections3/docs/issurev?e=18128973/33245454 Use the slider on the bottom to get page 64-65.

Cyn and Steve, the Azores are GRRRREAT!!! Enjoy... but take more than 1 day... and try to get to several islands... and check out hiking, biking, kayaking, whale watching... etc, etc.

BetterPHpro Loc: NC

I was stationed at Lajes Field on Terceira Island in 1978 while in the Navy. The Azores had just won their independence from Portugal. One thing you might check out is a bull fight. They are held in the streets and the bulls are not killed. If you happen to get to Terceira on a clear day, climb the mountain and look across the ocean at at least three other islands.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

John....I always appreciate a person with a sense of humor. I can be somewhat ascerbic at times.

Nice layout on the Azores. I'll have to try to figure out a way to enlarge the print so these old eyes can read the article that your wife wrote. Very nice.

LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY

We hiked around the Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Green Blue Twin lakes). It was in a Volcano creator. We had a cab drop us (and got his card) for at the trail head, then hike around the creator and down to a small town. Eat at a cafe by the lake and had them call the cab from info on his card. We had the cab stop for photo shots several times on way back to Ponta Delgada. It was in the fall and there were no ships in the harbor, so it was a slow day for the cab.

lrm Loc: Sarasota, FL

Last May we spent 14 days in the Azores, headquartering in Sao Miguel with side trips to other islands. When we return, we will stay in the same town --- Mosterios, a fishing port with gorgeous scenery, three really great restaurants ( with others nearby in other towns). We traveled extensively on the island where everything is a day trip. Tip to tip takes about one and one half hours (non-stop) by car. Tea plantations, fishing ports, volcanic craters, interesting towns, etc. Took over 5,000 photos in my spare time --- still culling them to get to a reasonable number. My non-professional (i.e. personal, family, etc.) website has some photos of Sao Miguel, and the island of Graciosa (where my wife's Grandparents were born). If interested, my web site is larrymcintire.smugmug.com.

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Thanks, Steve. I can send you a pdf by PM if you like.

Larry & Larry, all good suggestions with which I concur. The view of the twin lakes from the rim road is spectacular, and we biked around the lakes and kayaked on them as well.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

I lived on Terceira, Azores for 2 years. The city of Angra on the south side of the island has a very nice peninsula with a high mountain top and a fort. Very pretty. The "Bunkers" on the east end of the island overlooking Praia De Vitoria still had the WWII Gun emplacements in place. On the North shore is Biscoitos where a volcanic eruption sent lava flowing into the Atlantic and is quite a photo op with the surf crashing high. Off the north coast from Lajes Field (Joint service base) is a formation called Split Rock where a German U-Boat was sunk during WWII. The who;e isl;and is 12 miles x 18 miles and just gorgeous and green year round. Never saw it freeze once but during the winter the wind (OH the WIND!) blows a lot. In fact the name "Azores" or Acores (Ah-Soar-esh) means Hawk which is a slang term for WIND. There are thousands of native birds (Hawks among them) all over the place not to mention hundreds of Lava Tubes from all of the volcanic eruptions to tour. There is also a black sand beach in the town of Praia De Vitoria. Terrific little island that is no where near as crowded as Santa Maria (The big island). A very peaceful and pastoral landscape with rolling farm land and friendly people. I will try to post some of my old pictures.
Oh and the island of Faial didn't exist before 1958. The Navy took films of the birth of that island as the volcanic eruption was "birthing" it. Should still be available on You Tube somewhere ... everything else is.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

I was at Lajes Field from 1979 through 1981 with the Air Force. At the time I was an Ammo Troop working in Supply right out the AF Terminal door. Used to go to George The Crooks cafe downtown ... got hooked on Espresso. LOL

SteveR Loc: Michigan

John....that would be great. I'd enjoy reading the article. Thanks.

OriginalCyn Loc: Connecticut

SORRY!!!! We lost power for 24 hours because of the nor easter. Yes, I should’ve been more specific...the islands we remgojng to are Terceira and San Miguel. I will read through all your suggestions tonight. Thank you!!!