A day with Gypsies

Last week me and a colleague went to do a reportage with nomadic gypsies, they were camping in some Portuguese land near the frontier with Spain.
They use to live in a house in a poor neighbourhood and the kids used to go to school but one day the authorities came with a bulldozer and destroyed the houses and everything they had. In that day they were forced to become nomad.
Now they never stay more than tree days in the same place due to the law´s that obligate the authorities to expel them.
They take less than one hour to pack everything and leave the land, travelling true back roads in a old waggon pulled by a horse where they take all they´re belongings and they only have what they can take in the wagon.
When we get there it was raining a lot and it was like this all day, this family of 21 live in tents and they sleep right on the floor that they cover with straw, they say it make´s the ground softer.
In this family no one knows how to read or write because of they´re constantly mobility.
"I went to school but I didn't learn anything, it was one day here and one day there, I know some letters and I know how to write my name, my identity card is sign but I would like to study just to know how to read and write" says Mário the oldest brother of the tree.
Mother of eight Sicinha the widow strives every day to give food to her children living just from the minimal wage of 250 Eur that need to be enough to feed five of them, the other tree married and already leave.
Because the kids don't go to school they spend the days playing with each other and helping the parents with every day duties like collecting food to the horses, cleaning the dishes and the older ones taking care of the youngest.
They were camping near a fountain but even so the kids were clearly showing signs of bad hygiene.
At night they made a bonfire and Mário played the guitar and the family gather around it singing gypsy songs and drinking beer.

©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes

Lisbon traditional weddings

Today in the afternoon I had to go photograph the Lisbon Traditional Weddings. Every year couples from Lisbon who have some difficulties with money are sponsor by the Lisbon City Hall to marry in a traditional ceremony.

Miguel A. Lopes
Miguel A. Lopes
Miguel A. Lopes

What I have been doing this week

Yesterday I went to the Official House of the Portuguese President Cavaco Silva to photograph a meeting between him and Francisco Van Zeller. The photographers can go to the room were they are having the meeting but we only have one minute to make the photo.
Today in the morning I went to photograph a meeting between the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Amado and the Bosnian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Alkalaj

Miguel A. Lopes
Miguel A. Lopes

Weekend photos

This weekend I went to a kid party and made same photos. I´m testing a new lens the 17-40mm 4L from Canon, and so far I like it, it looks sharp and the wide angle is great, now I have to test it on the job.

©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes
©Miguel A. Lopes

No wind

Yesterday I went to do same photos in the World Championship of Windsurf but there were no wind so the competition was stoped. I made a photo of the world champion Kevin Pritchard and to Josh Angulo the actual number one on this year.
© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes

© Miguel A. Lopes

Great way of showing a portfolio

©George Lange
I just saw today the portfolio of the photographer George Lange and it is a very good way and a nice idea of showing photographs. You can check it cliking here

Portuguese Campaign to Presidency of Lisbon City Hall

Photos from some of the candidates running to the presidency of Lisbon City Hall. They are still one and half month from the elections but all of them started already the pre campaign.

Helena Roseta in a good pose

Boat ride on Tagus River with the independent candidate Helena Roseta talking about Lisbon

Funny moment between candidate Ruben de Carvalho and the actor Canto e Castro

First unofficial meeting between two rival candidates Ruben Carvalho from CDU and Fernando Negrão from PSD

Ruben de Carvalho at Parque Mayer abandon theaters

Fontão de Carvalho, Carmona Rodrigues e Ruy de Carvalho after delivering the campaign lists

Carmona Rodrigues Independent candidate and the actor Ruy de Carvalho speaking to the reporters

Pedro Quartim from MPT after delivering the campaign lists

First Day at News Agency LUSA

Well, yesterday I started working in the news Agency LUSA in Lisbon. It is a dream that come true, now I have to adapt to they're system of working and learn a bunch of new stuff.
The day was calm I just had to do some photos of a Seminar of information about European Union. The speaker was Joao Vale Almeida the head of Cabinet of new European Commission President.
Here are a few of my first photos for LUSA.

© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes

My hunt Maria "mamazita"

Well, I'm back to Portugal, ready to start my new job at Lusa News Agency that is part of EPA European Press Agency.
This few days before starting the job I haven't been shooting anything, I'm a bit busy solving things and visiting family and friends.
Yesterday I went to see my hunt Maria, her husband just died a few days ago, they were married for 60 years. She is very sad but still she manage to pull out her nice smile when saying good bye to me.

© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes

Danish Carnival

Photos form the Danish Street Carnival, it was a rainy and a bit cold day but even so the danish girls were dressed like the girls do it in the Brazilian Carnival. It was nice to see they're happiness and energy, and most of them were good dancing samba.
My camera and lens is sealed but I prefer not taking risks with rain so I improvised a rain cover for it. I had a plastic bag so I just wrap it around the camera and went to a store to ask for a bit of tape ( you should have always in your camera bag a roll of tape) to old the plastic bag to my camera. I was a bit wet but my Canon was perfect and made some good shoots.

© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes
© Miguel A. Lopes