Bernardo
Bernardo came to me in need of an updated profile picture for his social media and a few other things. I’ve known Bernardo for over a decade and he’s one of my dearest friends - so I couldn’t be happier to photograph him.
He is a photographer and the man behind the Exodus Aveiro photography Fest, Trilhos da Terra and so many other projects that I can’t even keep track.
My favorite background is a simple white wall, so we looked for one in the city (it’s hard, so many tiles and graffitied walls!). No lights or light modifiers were used to shoot the portraits, other than that ball of fire in the sky diffused by a giant blanket of clouds.
Isabel
I first met Isabel years ago when she was working with Trilhos da Terra, right here in Aveiro. She is one of the people behind Nat Geo’s Exodus Aveiro fest and a powerhouse. An incredible hard working woman, who makes anything happen.
I’ve wanted to photograph her for a long time and we finally made it happen - we met up in Aveiro and photographed in a couple locations for a few different looks.
Shooting in Aveiro with minimal gear meant I could carry it on my bike and be mobile (game changer - more on that in another post). Tools: Nikon D750 + 50mm lens for natural light // Fujifilm X100F paired with a Profoto B10 in a shoot-thru umbrella on a Manfrotto Nano stand for lit portraits.
Crossfit Aveiro
Crossfit Aveiro has once again commissioned me to document a full day of classes for their social media channels and overall online channels, so I got there at 6:30 one morning and spent that day with my favorite camera photographing the space, the coaches and the members while they worked out.
The box (that’s what they call a Crossfit gym) is split into two main areas: one facing East and another facing West. Both have huge doors, letting beautiful natural light in, that ranges from direct, harsh sunlight to a reflected, soft and diffused glow; the OSB panels covering the walls add to the warmth of the light.
I chose to edit all the photos in black and white to remove all distractions. That way, the viewer can focus on expressions and body language rather than kettlebell, bumper plates or even garment colors.
Tools: Fujifilm X100F and natural light.
Hailey
Hailey wanted to celebrate her upcoming birthday with a photoshoot - what a great idea, to be honest - so we met and walked around Costa Nova to find the best locations.
The thing about photographing at sunset, albeit gorgeous light, is that light quickly fades away. To move around swiftly, I left the Profoto B10 at home and only brought the 35 1.4 and 50 1.4 on my D750s. This kit allows me to:
shoot without an assistant
be nimble and shoot available light for a longer period
explore more locations without having to fiddle with flash, lightstands and modifiers.
save the client’s time (and mine) with a shorter photoshoot.
Stephanie
Stephanie and I go way back, to when I was studying mechanical engineering right here in Aveiro.
She needed an update to her CV, so she contacted me to shoot a new series of portraits: “I want to show how I feel now, in this time in my life”.
Sometimes I tend to overthink things and come up with exotic locations and complicated lighting setups. So this time I wanted to do something different, simpler. Two focal lengths (35 and 50mm) and available light only. To make it even more simple, we shot all of these portraits literally within 50 meters of my house.
It’s good to shoot out of your comfort zone. It’s when you learn the most.
