In this blog i will share portraits i’ve taken of women and their favorite book. They will write a few words about their choice, original text will be in Portuguese, translated into English by Miguel Botelho.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand - Being A Photographer

I just bought this book, and i recommend it for anyone who thinks that photographers have a easy life. It’s hard to do excellent work, it takes a lot of energy, determination and team work.

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in any form of art, it’s millions times better than a “how to be like anybody else…” manual.

For some time now that i try to organize the bulk of my photo activity around projects, i still photograph on a loose base when i’m in that mood, but i find it more fulfilling to structure my work this way. For 2010, these are the photo related project i wish to work on.

1. Chiado Project

The Chiado Project is already in motion and is to be completed until the end of February. It is the object of a series of posts that will detail it very thourogly.

2. Prazeres Graveyard

This project was started at the end of 2009a, i hope in the end to put toghether an exibition and self-publish a book trought Blurb. It will be completely in B/W, something i haven’t done in a very long time. The plan for this project is a self-published book and a show if i find a venue for it.

3. MobileOne

This project is about photos taken with mobile phone cameras. Raw unprocessed ones and also some of them processed with applications developed for the iPhone mobile platform. Mobile photos are no different from photos taken with other image capturing devices, when you see them, they must convey a feeling, be somehow worthy of showing to other people. So i take them as seriously as any one i create. Adding effects for me only makes sense when they bring added value, and extra meaning to an already interesting photo.
I don’t focus on the hardware (not really important to me as i don’t care that much about the resolution of the photo), only on the unprocessed photos and also on the mobile applications (at the moment only present on the iPhone platform) that allow us to edit them on mobile devices, avoiding the computer and giving us the ability to capture, edit and share form everywhere there is a net connection.
One thing i dislike a bit about the community that formed around the iPhone photo processing applications, is their focus on the hardware and the unwillingness to accept mobile photos from other platforms. Yes, the applications only run on iPhones and iPods, but i use them to process photos taken on Nokia phones, so if it’s possible to do it why not ?. When i mention this fact i am told that i can not post my work. I know that the rules are made by the people who builded the community and they have every right to do so, but i find much more interesting to build communities “platform free” and focus only what can be achieved regardless of the hardware or software that made i possible. It is the idea and the ability to “see” that really is important.
At the moment i only plan to do a video with some of them, but this is a on-going project so only time will tell what comes out of it

4. “T” Project

Just had the idea and the team to get it up and running. It envolves Lisbon, dance and music. Final outcome is still unknown.

5. 4 Cars…

The last one, is a project i started last week after reading about color and serialization. It’s my “conceptual art” project. Involves cars and color, it’s going to be performed with my Panasonic Lumix TZ6.
It’s not one 356 type photo projects, the concept around it is also time based, but different. There is nothing wrong with those kind of projects, they allow you to train discipline, awareness and can focus you one simple task, it can make you grow as a photographer. But this project does not involve a predetermined time frame, at this point i can find it satisfactory after 3 months, or i can decide to make it last 5 years. The final outcome will be a show and self published book.

This last weeks have been very book filled ones. After the purchase of “Lisboa, Cidade Triste e Alegre”, i also could not resist purchasing some more books, both locally and on-line.

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I specially recommend the book by David Hockney, his reflections about his own work are very intelligent and made think about the validity of photography as an art form.