Igreja do Carmo
Igreja do Carmo sits in the heart of old Porto, on a busy corner near the Clérigos Tower and the Lello bookshop. It is a Baroque church from the 1700s, but what stops people in the street is the enormous wall of blue and white tiles running down its side along Rua do Carmo. These painted ceramic tiles, a Portuguese craft called azulejo, were added in 1912 and cover the entire side of the building with one continuous scene telling the story of the Carmelite order that built it. Start by crossing Rua do Carmo to take the whole wall in from the far pavement, since it is tall and you need the distance to fit it all in. A slightly angled view down the wall often works well, giving the tiles some depth and helping you keep parked cars out of the frame. Glazed tiles like these bounce light, so soft, even light suits them best. An overcast day gives you the richest, most even blue with no glare, while hard midday sun throws hot spots and harsh shadows across the surface. You can explore the inside of the church for a small fee to see the historic architecture and the old catacombs. After you are done capturing the tile wall and church look for the strange gap between Igreja do Carmo and the church next door, Igreja dos Carmelitas. The two are split by an absurdly narrow house, barely a metre wide, that people actually lived in until the 1980s. It's now a tiny museum so sometimes you can explore its unique interior. (Porto, Portugal)
