The photo spots on Curaçao, and when the light is right

Almost everyone goes home with the same four photographs of Curaçao, and that is not a criticism: they are good places. The difference is in the timing.

The Handelskade

The row of coloured facades on the water, shot from the Queen Emma Bridge or from the Otrobanda side. In the morning the sun is on them and the colours are at their strongest. By late afternoon the row falls into its own shadow and becomes a silhouette.

The CURAÇAO letters

Large yellow letters by the water in Willemstad. Early or late in the day it is quiet enough to be photographed without strangers in the frame; between eleven and three you queue.

The painted staircase

A flight of steps painted entirely in blocks of colour, in Otrobanda. Best shot from below with the treads running diagonally through the frame. This is the one where overhead sun is an advantage, because nothing throws shadows across the colour.

The murals

Scattered through Otrobanda and Punda. Early morning or late afternoon; in the middle of the day half of each facade sits in shadow.

The beach

For water the colour you are hoping for, the sun has to be high: between ten and two the turquoise is at its strongest. That is the exact opposite of what the city wants, which makes for a convenient way to plan a day: beach in the middle, town at either end.