There are sunsets you stumble upon… and then there are sunsets you plan down to the exact meter. On April 26th, 2025, I joined photographers worldwide for the PhotoPills World Meetup in Lisbon and for me, the mission was clear: capture the sun perfectly aligned with the Farol do Bugio lighthouse with sunset off the coast of Costa da Caparica.
The Plan
Weeks before this evening, I had my PhotoPills plan dialed in:
📍 Location: 38.646179N, 9.242710W
📅 Date & Time: April 26th 2025, 8:21pm
📏 Distance to lighthouse: 5.1 km
☀ Apparent Sun size: 47 meters across — just enough to engulf the lighthouse in silhouette.
The Farol do Bugio Lighthouse stands where the Tagus River kisses the Atlantic Ocean, and from this spot, the sun would set right behind its 14-meter tower. The plan looked perfect — now nature just had to cooperate.
The Farol do Bugio Lighthouse Shoot
We arrived early. The wind was already cutting across the coastline, the kind that can turn a 560mm lens into a shaky mess if you’re not careful. But that same wind brought something magical: huge, textured waves that layered the foreground with movement and drama.
From 5.1 km away, every shake mattered — so my tripod, patience, and timing had to work overtime. And yet, as the sun began to sink, it all lined up exactly as planned. Behind the lighthouse, the glowing disc burned through a sky streaked with layered clouds, while the waves crashed in the foreground.
(Here, you will find in soon future the sequence of other shots.)
What you don’t see in the photo is the 90 seconds of chaos between each frame. The sun moves fast at this scale, so to keep the Farol do Bugio lighthouse perfectly centered, I had to pick up the tripod, shift about 10 meters, set up again, refocus, and shoot — three times in a row.
It was equal parts adrenaline and meditation, the kind of shoot where planning meets instinct.
The People
Photography may often feel solitary, but this night was about community. The PhotoPills World Meetup had five of us out here, tripods lined up, gear ready, each with our own version of “the shot” in mind. This group photo captures just part of the crew — proof that sometimes chasing light is best done together.
Check out another blog post and meetup with PhotoPills when we captured Castell de Sant Nicolau in Ciutadella, Menorca.
Photographer’s Tip for Farol do Bugio Sunset
If you’re chasing a precise sun alignment shot, bring a telephoto lens (200–600mm) and lock in your position exactly where your plan tells you. Even a few meters off can throw the alignment — and you might only get one chance.
You can see the official PhotoPills World Meetup plan for Costa da Caparica here but also feel free to sign up to keep an eye on future meetups.
