1990's
In the early ’90s, I started taking pictures with a Cosina camera and three prime lenses, a gift from my lovely father. I began using the expensive roll films available at the time, shooting the most obvious theme: sunsets. Sagres is widely known for its sunsets, especially at the Cape S. Vincent lighthouse. And soon, I realized that what our eyes see is not what the camera actually records. More often than I would have liked, the pictures I picked up from the lab were proof of that: burned skies, dark foregrounds.
The learning curve was painful and difficult, because my resources were scarce.
2000
In 2000, I bought a Nikon F90x and a brand new 18-125mm F/3.5-5.6 lens from Sigma.
Wow! What a huge leap in versatility and image quality. A whole new spectrum of possibilities was in front of me. I started to explore the wild west coast of the Algarve, descending its huge and steep cliffs, some as high as 150 meters, by the little tracks made by fishermen, most of them with the help of ropes.
Down there, at the very bottom, Mother Nature creates truly amazing scenarios of rich and bold colors, textures, shapes, and forms.
And suddenly, I found myself alone again in those wild places. Just being there to witness the environmental changes, sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic, caused by the shifting light throughout the day, feeling and smelling the refreshing and salty breeze of the surf against the rocks, is an overwhelming experience. It’s spiritual. It’s like entering into a higher realm.
Ultimately, I succeeded in capturing these feelings and emotions through my photography.
2003
In 2003, I purchased two new lenses, a 70-200mm f/2.8 and a 17-35mm f/2.8-4 from Sigma, along with a Nikon F5 body. What a great camera it was – big, heavy, very simple to use, reliable, and tough.
2008
Finally, in 2008, I bought a digital camera, but I have to confess, the transition from analog to digital photography was not an easy or pain-free decision. However, it was the obvious choice.
Today
I rely on my Nikon D810 with a Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 SP DI VC USD, Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD, and a Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 DI VC USD to accurately capture what I see out there. Besides being expensive, I use only LEE Filters: a polarizer, 3-stop, 10-stop, and 16-stop ND filters, and 0.6 and 0.9 ND grads.
At the end of the day, despite the never-ending array of gear and products money can buy, the most precious ‘kit’ you’ll ever own are your eyes and your heart.
It’s through them that you see and feel what’s in front of you. It’s through them that you are able to perfectly position the tripod and accurately frame your shot.
