This collection is a personal one. These photographs are not just my favorites—they are markers of change. Through them, I trace my journey in photography, my approach to storytelling, and the path of my own self-discovery.
Venezia
This photograph marks the moment 'intentional' photography took form in my mind. It is the convergence of a certain place at a certain time—with equipment ready, and an awareness of the story waiting to be told. Some might call this luck; I call it deliberate intention.
And it was at this time that I found beauty in watching us, as human beings, in our daily existence. From the highest peaks of our accomplishments to the quiet grace of daily routines, I wish to have them all. Maybe it is the appreciation for life itself, however human-centric. Admittedly, I never take pride in capturing nature and landscape pictures.
Venezia
I’ve found my most resonant work emerges from a difficult, necessary solitude. While I enjoy the comfort of company when traveling, it's in being alone that the real dialogue begins—an honest reckoning with my own thoughts. This discomfort exposes the imperfect aspects and confronts the irrational self. Yet those raw emotions are the very fuel for a burning desire to communicate, to express, and to memorize.
Venezia
And finally, there is the honor of the subjects themselves. They move through the world, sharing moments of their existence, often unaware of the camera's gaze. I am a guest in that moment, and I have a profound gratitude for what they share. To me, every photograph represents a silent agreement: they offer a moment of truth, and in return, I have a duty to honor their privacy and dignity. Protecting their story is fundamental to protecting my own integrity and the sanctity of the viewer's experience.
Portimão
There is a great temptation to chase emotion through color, to alter subtle shades in the hope of manufacturing feeling. But this approach is a fallacy. Just as lavish clothes don't earn a director an Oscar and ostentatious words bring no joy to the ear, color alone cannot fabricate emotion. Its true power is revealing what is already present.
This is why color should never be the protagonist of a photograph. That role belongs to the fundamentals: the raw shape of an object, the truth in a human expression, and the strength of a composition. Color’s purpose is to be the indispensable sidekick—the one who directs our attention and gives deeper meaning to the main characters, without ever stealing the show.
Porto
We are all building a narrative. Every photograph we capture, every project we undertake, and every story we tell about ourselves is a sentence in that narrative. The crucial question, then, is one of origin: are we writing for an audience or for ourselves? Does joy spring from within our own hearts, or from the fleeting praise of strangers?
A meaningful narrative is always built on an honest cause, not just a hunt for personal glory or outward validation. We see the alternative in soulless photography taken only for likes, and in application essays that read like a shallow list of accomplishments. They are scenes without a plot.
The most powerful narratives, however, are fueled by an internal 'why.' They are born from genuine joy, a deep-seated curiosity, or a desire to connect. This is true whether you are behind a camera or writing about your life. To find that spark inside you is to truly own your story, and from there, to build a path with purpose.
Ghent
The fear of failure often produces mediocre work. It keeps an artist, whether photographer or writer, confined to their comfort zone—hesitant to attempt a bolder approach and unable to engage in honest self-critique. It robs the process of its inherent joy and tangles the creator in the safety net of their own reputation.
In photography and writing, failure is the raw material of growth. Each attempt to capture complex reality in a frame or on a page is a step on an imperfect path, and these trials are its cobblestones.
A distinction must be made, however: not all failures are equal. We should seek out 'intelligent failures'—the ones born from a bold hypothesis or a deliberate step into new territory. These are the well-chosen cobblestones, the risks that cost little but teach much, the stumbles that forge a more discerning eye.
This deliberate process of trial and learning is the direct antidote to mediocrity.
My materials are not to be reused without explicit approval.