Porto in Rain II
Shot on a weekend end of February while roaming through the rain soaked streets of Porto in Northern Portugal. You’ll find Part I here.
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.
Porto in Rain
Shot last weekend while roaming through the rain soaked streets of Porto in Northern Portugal.
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).
Portraits of Elisabeth
Photographing a dear friend in Cracow, Poland 2014.
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:
Michael Hoffman Photography 