Mallorca in the Off-Season: From Palma Bay to Valldemossa (and the Cats I Couldn’t Stop Photographing)

Palma Bay after the crowds - big skies, layered light, and room to breathe.

Mallorca in October and November is a different island. The pace drops, the streets feel quieter, and the light becomes softer and more forgiving, the kind of conditions that make you slow down and actually see what’s in front of you. I stayed around Palma Bay and S’Arenal, then escaped into the Tramuntana to wander Valldemossa, photographing anything that held a mood: weather, textures, corners of colour… and, inevitably, the stray cats (I love cats, and Mallorca has some absolute characters).

Shadows do half the composition work for you.

This isn’t a “ten best spots” list. It’s a photographer’s travel diary with practical pointers, the small choices that help you come home with images that feel like the place, not just proof you visited.

Palma Bay / S’Arenal: clean horizons, big weather, small stories

A single subject turns a wide scene into a story.

S’Arenal is known for its summer energy, but off-season it becomes a wide-open canvas. The beach empties out, the backgrounds simplify, and a single person can turn a big scene into a story. If you’re photographing the coastline here, treat the horizon like a design line: keep it clean, keep it straight, and let your subject sit with space around them.

One thing I look for on quieter beaches is the “one strong element” moment, a person, a dog, a kite, a single streak of colour, anything that gives scale and a sense of life. Minimal scenes work best when there’s one clear anchor.

Windy days = movement, energy, and instant scale.

When the wind picks up, Palma Bay changes personality. The sea gets textured, the sky turns dramatic, and suddenly the frame has energy. It’s also when you’ll see kite surfers and movement out on the water, perfect for adding an action beat into a travel story without forcing it.

If you’re shooting movement, decide what you want the water to do. Faster shutter speeds freeze spray and give you crisp detail. Slightly slower shutter speeds keep the subject sharp but let the waves feel alive. Either works, just commit to one look.

Shoot low, embrace spray, and let the sea be loud.

Photography tip: A quick tip that always pays off: get low. Shooting closer to the waterline exaggerates foreground texture and makes the waves feel bigger, even on an average day. And if the weather is doing something interesting, let it dominate the frame, Mallorca can handle a moody sky.

Details in Palma: Texture, Food, and Small Frames Between Locations

Markets and doorways are where colour lives.

.Travel photography isn’t only landmarks, it’s the details that stitch the story together. I always try to come back with a mix: wide establishing shots, mid-distance street scenes, and a handful of close-up frames that feel tactile. Markets, doorways, signage, food, and textures are where the island’s character lives.

When you’re shooting details, simplify. Look for repetition, strong colour, or a clean split between light and shadow. These images work beautifully as “breathers” between bigger scenes on a blog page.

Even the palms have texture when you actually look.

Tight crops turn “scene” into “design.”

Even something as familiar as a palm tree becomes more interesting when you move closer and pay attention to the shapes. A tight crop turns a scene into design, and those “design” images are gold in a travel series because they make the whole set feel more intentional.

Valldemossa & the Tramuntana: timeless stone and quiet streets

Valldemossa: layered rooftops and mountain edges.

Valldemossa is the kind of place that rewards patience. The streets are made for slow wandering: textured stone, layered rooftops, little pockets of greenery, and light that changes by the minute as clouds move over the mountains. In the quieter months you can actually stop, compose, and wait, which is half the craft.

Shutters, stone, and colour accents — simple and classic.

I like photographing villages like this by building a sequence. Start wide to establish the place, then move closer: shutters, doorways, walls, plants, small bits of colour. You don’t need to chase “big moments”, the atmosphere is the moment.

Natural framing: let the greenery do the leading lines.

A simple trick that always elevates street frames: use natural frames. Leaves, arches, doorways, walls, anything that gives depth and pulls the viewer into the scene. It’s an easy way to make a quiet subject feel intentional.

A pop of red does wonders against warm stone.

Travel photography isn’t always landmarks — it’s the in-between.

And then there are the little travel still-lifes: a car squeezed into a narrow lane, a scooter parked like it’s part of the set dressing. These are the kinds of images that make a location feel lived-in.

Citrus light and the “slow photo” mindset

When the light’s gentle, details feel cinematic.

One of the things I love about Mallorca in autumn is how gentle the light can be. It’s still bright, but less harsh than peak summer, and it flatters texture, stone, leaves, fruit, weathered paint. When the light is doing that, I stop trying to “cover ground” and start letting scenes come to me.

The cats of Mallorca (yes, I’m that photographer)

The look you get when you’ve earned the cat’s trust.

Proof that the best street portraits don’t always speak human.

I can’t pretend I’m neutral here: I love cats, and stray cats are always going to get photographed if I see them. The best cat portraits happen when you slow down and let them settle. Don’t loom over them, don’t rush, don’t chase, just get to their eye level, watch the background, and wait for that one look that feels like a proper “character” moment.

For me, those portraits become emotional anchors in a travel set. They add warmth and personality, the kind of image people remember.

Closing: assignments, availability, and licensing

Mallorca is in the details, light, paint, texture, time.

Alongside personal travel work like this, this series was also created while I was in Mallorca on a paid assignment, with time either side to shoot for myself. I photograph commissioned assignments and editorial stories, including work for the Canal & River Trust, plus imagery that’s been featured with Condé Nast Traveler. When I’m not travelling on assignment as a travel photographer, I spend a lot of my time as an event photographer, capturing corporate events, private functions, weddings, and more.

If you’d like to license images from this series (or browse my wider stock collection), you can view my Alamy portfolio here: https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/aaron-scott-richards-photography

For commissions, availability, or event enquiries, you can find more of my work here: https://www.aaronscottrichards.co.uk