“First, light. Everything else follows, for light is the language of photography as well as it’s raw material. As a poet uses words, so a photographer uses light.”

Joe Cornish-First Light

I’m a Lisbon based landscape, travel, fine art photographer and wedding photographer
I’ve always loved nature and traveI, but a love of photography developed much later when I realised I wanted to take better pictures of the places I saw, rather than just snapshot records.
Now, in the various different places I visit, I always hope to really capture the feel and spirit of the places and the people who inhabit them.

I’ve come to realise that photography is a personal journey, and I’m still only at the beginning. There’s always going to be so much more to learn and it’s a journey that will take me to many parts of the globe and one that I’ll be travelling for the rest of my life….

The Photographs

I currently shoot with Nikon DSLRs and various different lenses.

I principally use Lee neutral density filters to control the light for landscape work, along with a Gitzo Mountaineer carbon fibre tripod and ball head.
I shoot in RAW format and post process in Nikon Capture NX2, a great piece of software.

I’m often asked about the techniques I use to achieve some of the effects I have in my images, people often ask if they’re “photoshopped”.

I actually use very little post-processing in my images, and the techniques I apply are limited to things like small adjustments of contrast, saturation and white balance – techniques that have been prevalent in film and analogue capture for 50 years.
I prefer to get as much of my photography right “in camera” as possible.
I often use very long exposures to create certain effects in the water or sky, and while I do use (like every landscape photographer) neutral density filters and graduated filters to hold back light, I never use coloured filters, preferring to shoot when the light and conditions are at their best.

While I don’t strive for complete reality in every shot I take, I don’t believe in photo-manipulation in post-processing either.

Weddings.

I know what it’s like getting married.

I remember from my own wedding that there are a million things to think about, to get done, and it seems like you’re going to be so busy organising the day, that you won’t have time to enjoy it yourself.

Well, I don’t want you to have to worry about the photography, just know that at the end of the day I’ll have documented the entire occasion, from the guests arriving, to the cutting of the cake. I can arrive early and photograph the bride getting ready, or stay late and capture the last dance of the night, it’s no problem. I have a documentary style of shooting, so I tend to hang back and keep out of your way letting you and your guests get on with what’s really important…enjoying the day.

I aim to capture the fleeting moments that add together to make the day special, the happy glances between the bride and groom, the cheers of your friends watching…even the cheeky nephew who’s sticking his tongue out at the camera and through this provide you with a story of your wedding, something that will remind you of the feelings of your day for the rest of your life.

I’m a member of the Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalist Association (AG|WPJA) an international group of professional photographers, who specialize in a fine art approach to wedding photography.