My Photojournalism: setembro 2007

domingo, setembro 30, 2007

Another Press Conference

Today in Lisbon was signed the MAOC-N International Agreement Establishing the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center-Narcotics. I had to do photos for the News Agency Lusa/Epa and also for the Official website of the Portuguese Presidency of European Union. After the ceremony of signature, the Portuguese Minister of Justice , Alberto Costa spoke to those present. While he was speaking I made a few photos but I really enjoy this one because of the composition and the colors, since it is a matter related to European Union Presidency.
For this photo I used the lens 70-200mm with 3.2 of aperture, 800 iso and 1/40 of speed, it is not a fast speed so to assure that he stayed in focus I made several sequence shoots. I shoot in Raw so I wasn't to worry about the temperature of light because I can adjust it when processing the images.

©Miguel A. Lopes

quinta-feira, setembro 27, 2007

Fado Singer Joana Amendoeira

Yesterday night I was already with my pajama when my friend photographer Veludo called me asking me if I could go do some photographs in a Company dinner in Lisbon that was already going on because he couldn't go. So I called his client and we agreed in a price and in less than 30 minutes I was in Lisbon to shoot this company dinner.
When I got there everyone was already eating so it didn't gave me the chance to shoot them socializing before eating. Well I did my best and after the dinner I saved the job.
There was a nice surprise after the dinner, they hired the Fado Singer Joana Amendoeira, and in a service that was suppose to be boring it turn out to be very nice, listening to her and at the same time it gave me the possibility to make this wonderful photographs of her.

©Miguel A. Lopes

Light

Photography is ligth, and what light your camera captures. I went back in my archives and rescue this photographs. I made them a few years ago with my first digital camera, wille driving my car at nigth, they are just abstract but its photography! Because I'm working in the agency and I'm always busy, sometimes I forget to photograf just for me, and I miss that. Well seing my archive and the kind of photos I was doing back at that time like this ones remind me how nice it is to make photos without presure of an editor or pressure of the job.

©Miguel A. Lopes

terça-feira, setembro 25, 2007

Random Photos from Lisbon

Well this weekend I had to work on the agency, but there was not much to do.In one of the assignments I had to go downtown where I was suppose to go fly on an air balloon but because it was a bit windy the guys from the organization decided to cancel the flight. I am always with my camera with me and ready to shoot so I made some random shoot ones on the way and another ones from downtown Lisbon. Enjoy.

©Miguel A. Lopes

segunda-feira, setembro 24, 2007

My New Cell Phone Blog

I just made a new Blog, it's in Portuguese, and it is only with photos made with my cell phone. Check it out at Diário Movel.

©Miguel A. Lopes

segunda-feira, setembro 17, 2007

On the cockpit.

Today, I had the pleasure of flying in the Rolls Royce of the Helicopters the EH-101 "Merlin" from the Portuguese Air Force. The helicopter is very comfortable and very stable. I went with some ministers from Europe that are present at the EU Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers, during the Portuguese EU presidency in Oporto, northern of Portugal. We fly for about 50 minutes from Oporto to Régua, flying over an amazing scenery the Douro river.
This photo is from the cockpit, the pilot was seated on the right and the co-pilot, a young woman was on the left.

©Miguel A. Lopes

sexta-feira, setembro 14, 2007

Mr. Jean Claude Trichet

During 14 and 15 of September in Oporto takes place the Informal Meeting of Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN), with the presence of some of the powerful man of Europe. One of them is the President of the European Central Bank, Mr. Jean Claude Trichet, and today in the press conference I made some photos of him.

©Miguel A. Lopes

Hercules C-130 Transportation Squad

Just a few photos from the Hercules C-130 Transportation Squad "Os Bisontes" that celebrate this weekend their thirtieth year of activity.

©Miguel A. Lopes

quinta-feira, setembro 13, 2007

Traffic Jam? No stress!!!

Are you in a traffic Jam and Stressed? Well if you are there are two things that will light your mood. The iPod and a camera. Today going to the job, and I was already late, there was some constructions going on in the highway and the traffic was completely Jammed. I was already listening my music, but because I wasn't moving I grab my camera and toke some photos. A nice thing to see is the other people faces and moods and try to photograph them, I like to imagine where are those people going, what are they thinking, if they are thinking in a excuse to give to they're boss, if are they in stress, etc etc.
Two more things, don't forget to keep your attention to the road and try not to stress about the fact that you're trapped in the traffic because that won't help the cars move faster and is not good to your health so just enjoy the moment!!!

©Miguel A. Lopes

sábado, setembro 08, 2007

Special Police

Living in the era of terrorism, every security is not enough.
During this days in the City of Viana do Castelo in the north of Portugal where the Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs is happening with the presence of all the Ministers from the European Union, the Portuguese Special Police, heavy armed, kept the complex safe from the attempt of any terrorist attack, with snipers in every corner of the Municipal Library and in some surrounding buildings.

©Miguel A. Lopes

sexta-feira, setembro 07, 2007

A wonderfull photographic moment

It started today the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in the Portuguese city of Viana do Castelo, hosted by our Minister Luis Amado. In the morning when we first came and was waiting for all the E.U. ministers we journalists ask him to come near us and after insisting a bit he finally came but when we was walking to us he just made this funny expression captured by me and I'm sure by other photographers.

quinta-feira, setembro 06, 2007

Photographic Fever.

Ten years ago I worked in a hotel, back in those times not many people had cell phones and even less people had pocket cameras, except for all the tourists coming from Asia that in those days we looked at them thinking "What are those strangers taking photos of? and, Why are they always taking photos?"
Ten years later and now everyone as got cell phones some times more than one and digital pocket cameras ready to make snap shoots.
This week when I was taking photos to ministers of environment in a very touristic place I recall those times when I saw a group of Asiatic tourists also visiting this place and every single one of them were caring cameras and taking photos.

quarta-feira, setembro 05, 2007

My third soccer game but now as prime photographer!

Last Sunday my photo editor gave my the trust and send me to work as one of two photographers to a big soccer game in the Portuguese major league. The game was between the team Sporting against Beleneses. I used two Canon cameras again, the EOS 1D Mark II N with the lens 300L 2.8, and the Canon 20D with the lens 24-70L 2.8. I positioned myself in one corner and my colleague stayed in the opposite corner. In the first half I had the team Belenenses attacking in my direction. During the halftime break I start editing the photos on my laptop and I start sending the photos to my editor in the Agency. During the second period Sporting team was attacking in my direction and I had to be photographing the game, editing photos on photoshop with captions and keep sending photos to the Agency. Its a tough job but very exciting too. It's also very rewarding to see my photos published the next day in the newspapers, in this game I had a small photo in the front page of two different newspapers and today I had one big photograph of the players fighting for the ball in another newspaper.
This are some of the photos of the game and also the moment when Belenenses Coach Jorge Jesus was speaking with is player Gabriel.
Oh by the way Sporting won by 1-0.