Skip to content

Photographing Lello & Irmão

Also called the “Harry Potter”-Bookstore, for JK Rowling supposedly being here and taking inspiration, Lello & Irmão is a magnificent piece of architecture in Porto, Portugal. It was built in 1906 by Xavier Esteves, a well-known Iberian architect of the prewar period. Usually, the style is described as Neogothic-Jugendstil, and while that is true, it definitely has a fantastic or mystic touch. Indeed, the bookshop would fit very well in any wizardry story, and it is the perfect place to dive into your fantasy book. The store and the books seem to mix here in an engaging, almost magic way. I very much recommend a visit.

test

IMG_5090 Kopie

IMG_5084

IMG_5096

IMG_5137

IMG_5145

IMG_5106

IMG_5196 Kopie

IMG_5199

IMG_5149 Kopie

IMG_5103 Kopie

IMG_5138 Kopie

1

IMG_5188

Lisbon in Focus

When people ask me about the craft of photography – and by no means do I want to claim to be an expert – they usually first ask about my gear. I get it; the gear is essential. Of course you want to have a DSLR to get a good quality shot and have a lens with a wide spectrum to catch it all. Post-processing is part of it, too, as are some lighting improvements and tone adjustments. But that’s not what it is really about. You can get good equipment nowadays for less and less money, and that’s cool because it allows more and more people to express themselves creatively. But what I like about photography is getting to look closely, finding interesting subjects, and uncovering the hidden things in daily street life. Basically, photography – or the kind of photography I like – is focusing, finding beauty in common things, and following their geometry. The gear helps, but the work is done by the eyes. The result is joy and maybe some exciting shots (among many many hundreds).

test

IMG_1630 KopieIMG_3963jIMG_1756 (1)IMG_2753 KopieIMG_2436 IMG_1910IMG_1861 Kopie IMG_2792

Discovering Lisboa

I have been living in Lisbon since November, there are a couple more months to come. But inevitably, I will have to take my flight back as my stay here is limited. What will I miss? A beautiful city, that’s for sure. And the Portuguese winter. Of course, there are rainy days, but when the sun is out, the city shines, and the people smile (the last one is a cliche ;)). So, what I like to do is seize the day (off), focus on certain parts of the city, and take my time. The beautiful thing about staying in a city for a longer period of time is precisely the luxury of being able to do this kind of “salami tourism.” It allows me to discover hidden streets and uncover interesting artifacts of urbanity (like street art) of the well-traveled routes. Tough a post titled “Discovering Lisboa” has to start with a known and beloved view, I guess, so here we go:

test

IMG_0473 Kopie IMG_3865 Kopie (1)     IMG_1051 KopieIMG_10514IMG_2372 Kopie (1)sunsetlisboa
IMG_0834

Lisbon in Color

The last series of photographs I published on the website were dark-toned or held entirely in black and white. Though I very much like the use of monochrome in photography, especially in street photography (check out the fantastic work of Viviane Maier; I also recommend the beautiful documentary about her life I saw recently), many photographers actually seem to forget their lenses are capable of capturing some beautiful light and colors. So, my little goal for this one was to highlight the fantastic range of shades you encounter walking on a sunny day through the old town of Lisbon.

test

IMG_1511_Fotor (1)Processed with VSCOcam with c7 preset IMG_3819_Fotor IMG_2217_Fotor IMG_3876_FotorIMG_0752_Fotorlisboa1_fotorIMG_3658_Fotor (1)IMG_0935_fotor