For the last weeks and months Portugal was the main recurring theme of this project. With this final post the series is coming to an end. In this one I want to show you some impressions of the country by night. Most of the pictures were taken in Lisbon. Night photography is a special challenge, it takes much more work and endurance if there is no natural light at disposal. Patience, a steady hand and a good tripod are a must.
The capital of Azulejos is without any doubt Lisbon. Just to remind you, Azulejos are thin-glazed ceramic tiles covering many historic buildings in Portugal. Last time I presented them to you I featured Azulejos from all of Portugal. This time though I want to lay my focus on the capital of the country. Azulejos come in all sorts of forms and colors, the variety is really remarkable. Though if you look closely there are differences within the country (I have no scientific proof for my bold hypothesis). The patterns in Northern Portugal tend to my more flowery and very often they are composed of earthy and grounded colors while in Lisboa there are definitely more bright colors and the style is more geometric.
Coimbra is a city situated in the centre of Portugal halfway between Porto and Lisboa. For many centuries it was the sole University town of the country and hence renowned as cultural and scientific centre of Portugal. Being home to 140k inhabitants Coimbra today is certainly larger than the college campus it once was. While wandering the narrow streets and discovering the beautiful architecture Coimbra never feels like a big city though preserving the urban image like it was seen by the many generations of students which lived and studied here. Take a look for yourself.
Michael Hoffman Photography 