António Colaço from the blog Ânimo did a short interview about the “7 visões do Chiado” exhibition (in portuguese).

António Colaço do blog Ânimo entrevistou-me acerca da exposição “7 Visões no Chiado”. A ele o meu obrigado.

Visão 3 - Poeta Chiado

Texto de Apresentação da Exposição “7 Visões no Chiado“

O Chiado é uma das zonas mais emblemática de Lisboa. Há muito que está presente nas letras portuguesas e faz parte dos hábitos da capital. Muitos dos seus ex-libris são igualmente lugares comuns fotográficos.

Ao aceitar o desafio de fotografar o Chiado, apenas tinha a certeza de que não queria caminhar por trilhos já demasiado pisados. Não tendo pretensões a originalidade, escolhi tratar o tema de modo a reflectir sobre as dúvidas que sinto em relação ao papel da fotografia como “descritora” da realidade e às falhas desse modelo.

Porquê escolher um único ponto de vista quando podemos ter vários ? Acredito que um dos papéis da arte é o de mostrar que a realidade tem muitos sentidos, muitos mais do que aqueles que os sentidos nos revelam. Espero apenas contribuir para que possam descobrir maneiras diferentes de olhar o Chiado.

Página do Facebook

“7 Visões no Chiado” Presentation

Chiado is one of the most enjoyable places in Lisbon, it has been like that for centuries, and it’s most memorable spots are also the more photographed.

When i accepted the challenge of photographing the theme, i was sure that i did not want to travel the same roads as everybody else. I didn’t tried to be “original”, i just wanted to reflect the doubts i have about the role of photography as a rendering of reality.

Why choose just one point of view when we can have multiple ones ? I believe that one of the roles of art is to show us that reality has more to offer us than what the senses tell us.

Facebook Page

Visão 4 - O eléctrico vermelho

A exposição está oficialmente inaugurada!

The show is open!

After 3 photo sessions, i found myself with hundreds of photos and a short time to edit the whole thing into 7 photos that could satisfy my urge for achieving the absolute best photos i could create.
I had to organize each file with layers, and groups, so that editing could not turn into a nightmare. In terms of photoshop workflow it only involved moving, scaling and rotating the images on the different layers. Every move i made on each layer would affect the overall composition, so the final photos took a long time before it reached the form you can see on the walls.
The files where between 1,3GB and 3,5 GB, hopefully my iMac was able to cope with these files without failing. After the work was done, i resized to the final dimensions, flattened layers and send the files to the printer.

Esta sexta-feira vai decorrer a inauguração da minha exposição “7 Visões no Chiado” e quero aqui fazer o convite a todos os leitores deste blog a estarem presentes.

Local: LiberOffice Chiado, Largo Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, Nº 16 – Lisboa

Horário da inauguração: Sexta-feira, 26 de Fevereiro de 2010 às 18:30

Facebook: Página do evento

Deixo-vos com o texto de apresentação da exposição:

O Chiado é uma das zonas mais emblemática de Lisboa. Há muito que está presente nas letras portuguesas e faz parte dos hábitos da capital. Muitos dos seus ex-libris são igualmente lugares comuns fotográficos.

Ao aceitar o desafio de fotografar o Chiado, apenas tinha a certeza de que não queria caminhar por trilhos já demasiado pisados. Não tendo pretensões a originalidade, escolhi tratar o tema de modo a reflectir sobre as dúvidas que sinto em relação ao papel da fotografia como “descritora” da realidade e às falhas desse modelo.

Porquê escolher um único ponto de vista quando podemos ter vários ? Acredito que um dos papéis da arte é o de mostrar que a realidade tem muitos sentidos, muitos mais do que aqueles que os sentidos nos revelam. Espero apenas contribuir para que possam descobrir maneiras diferentes de olhar o Chiado.

Até sexta.

Now that the tools are chosen it was time to go out, decide on the subjects and start the actual shooting. On the day of the scouting with the mobile phone i had already chosen 9 possible ones, but i was unsure of the outcome of some, due to the fact that the pictures could only work if i could photograph it from several angles. While i was walking around i made some films to document the places and help me decide.
Next will come the actual photo sessions.

In the first post of the series i talked about the theme and the final output of the project. But what tools should i use to photograph it?

Should i use a DSLR like the Nikon D2x and a varied assortment of lenses ?

Nikon D2x

This is the set up that could give the more flexibility and image quality, what are the disadvantages?
Weight is surely one, carrying a bag and having to change lenses impairs the mobility and can prevent the concentration that i find necessary.

So on the opposite pole i could use a mobile phone with a 3 mpixel camera.

Nokia N73

I would have no weight problem and also no problem in deciding the focal range to use (i would use the lens without any digital zoom). But i was unsure about the quality of the sensor and it’s ability to resolve enough detail so that the final print would look the way i intended.
So i did a test shoot on location to evaluate the lens and sensor. The details were muddy and the color shift between photos taken just seconds apart convinced me to drop this option.

I also have a compact camera, a Nikon Coolpix 885, but it’s a 3 mpixel camera with 8 years that has a very limited zoom range, so it’s not really a option.
But i was not feeling comfortable with the first option, so i was in the market for a new compact camera, one with a good sensor, a generous zoom range and a budget not exceding 250 euros. Is there such a thing ?
Fortunately there is, the Panasonic Lumix TZ6.

Panasonic Lumix TZ6

So, after the tools are chosen it’s time to start photographing.

Lisboa, Cidade Triste e Alegre

This long awaited photobook, one i had been dreaming of owning for some years now, it’s finally here in my hands.

One of the best account’s of the meaning of this reprint can be found here (Portuguese only).

Great photobooks should never became out of print, photographers must always have the possibility of finding inspirations and bliss in them.

Lisboa, Cidade Alegre e Triste

Lisboa, Cidade Alegre e Triste

Lisboa, Cidade Alegre e Triste

After the first series i returned to the Prazeres graveyard. This graveyard is huge, and every visit can unlock a corner gone unnoticed in previous ones. I will continue to go there until i feel i have some 30 or 40 pictures that can be published as a coherent lot.

Some time ago i went to a photowalk that took part in Prazeres graveyard in Lisbon, me and Pedro Pinheiro, Luís Amaral, João Nogueira, Nuno Correia, Bruno Rodrigues,Sérgio Bernardino e João Almeida. The results that came out of it made me want to make a longer series.
Before this photowalk, i decided to just look for details to avoid dispersion, and as a way to get a more focused series. But when this one was over i had some photos i liked a lot, and the idea of returning started to emerge.
To be enthusiastic about a subject and feeling the need to develop it further it’s not usual these days. Most photowalks are a end to itself, fun occasions of sharing photography with like minded people. But from the results of this one i felt the need to develop a full series about this particular graveyard.
Ok, but to do what ?
It’s very important to know the possible outcomes of a series early on, so that we can use the means necessary to show it properly.
Will i make gigantic prints ? Or a very small book ? Will i only show it on-line ?
In my case i’m thinking about a POD book, and maybe a gallery showing if i can find one that is wiling to show an unknown photographer. But before that i need to gather a body of work that deserves to be shown, and that is the first thing i must do, starting now.