From the working jetties of Olhão and Fuseta to the wooden piers stretching across the tidal channels of the Ria Formosa, these structures mark the places where the Algarve meets the water on its own terms. They are at once practical infrastructure, gathering places, and quiet vantage points. This challenge invited members explore the lines, textures, light, and stories found along these crossings.
Avery Holt is a curator and visual culture critic whose work explores the intersection of narrative, place, and perception went to work once again performing her Judging duties. With a background in documentary photography and environmental design, Holt has served on juries for international exhibitions and competitions celebrating creative reinterpretations of culture and tradition. Their curatorial philosophy centers on the quiet power of the unexpected — moments where familiar symbols are reframed through light, geography, or imagination.
Well done to everyone who took part, and congratulations to those who were selected and are featured in the current October edition of the Algarve Plus Magazine.
The next theme for Algarve Plus for November will be: “Mountains, Hills & Plains“.
Selected & Published Images
Words of Wisdom
1st Place: 06 The Crossing by Ligia Glover
The strongest, most confident pier photograph in the set. A vertical, perfectly symmetrical shot straight down a suspension footbridge toward its tower, set against a big, dramatic, textured cloudscape — the structure itself is unambiguously the subject, and the composition gives it real monumentality. Sharp throughout, with excellent tonal control between the white ironwork and the moody sky.
2nd Place: 13 Between Shadow and Light by Jan Chapman
One of the most complete pier studies in the set — a view from directly beneath an old wooden pier, its pillars receding in a strong perspective tunnel and raking bars of golden-hour shadow across the sand toward a lone distant figure. The structure is examined from an unusual, genuinely interesting vantage point, and the underlying architecture — piles, cross-bracing, decking — is on full display
3rd Place: 08 Pier Santa Maria by Sharon Johnson
The best light in the whole set, and a genuinely elegant piece of pier photography — a small ladder-pier is silhouetted in the foreground against a sunset perfectly mirrored on still water, boats resting quietly at anchor beyond. Simple, symmetrical, confident, with excellent dynamic range for a sun-in-frame shot and no blown highlights around the disc.
4th Place: 01 Man On Jetty by Sergio Pereira
A lone figure in silhouette walks the crest of a weathered concrete breakwater — as pure jetty photography this is one of the most confident compositions in the set. The diagonal line of the wall carries the eye straight across the frame, and the warm ochre wall against a rich, saturated blue sky is a genuinely striking colour pairing.
5th Place: 11 Landing the Sardines by Roger Fuller
The strongest graphic composition in the whole set, and a genuinely evocative piece of pier storytelling — a black-and-white, perfectly symmetrical shot looking straight down a pier, woven wicker fish baskets (used to land the catch) hanging either side as foreground frame elements. The symmetry and converging lines give the structure real monumentality.
Main Gallery
