Murders

Photographs of the two funerals of young boys killed in sequence of a fight between rival gangs in the suburbs of Lisbon.
It's not something I like to photograph...

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

"Quinta do Cabrinha" neighborhood in Lisbon

Some photographs from "Quinta do Cabrinha" neighborhood in Lisbon, the photos were taken in July last year but I had them waiting in my archive to be revised and published. I often want to take off to another country in the search of stories in neighborhoods and going today trough my archive I realize that Portugal also have this places to go and search for stories. This particular one is not one of the most problematic and it is very colorful.
I will for sure during this year visit some of the problematic neighborhoods and search for photojournalism stories.

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

Archive

During these days I have been going through all my archive of 2007, organizing, cleaning and recovering some photographs and in July last year during a meeting of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union in Guimaraes, there was a major protest, that gather more than ten thousand protesters from all over the country, against the politic decisions on implementing the Flexi-Security working system in Portugal.
I was shooting the meeting and I was not schedule to shoot this event but because I didn’t have anything to shoot until late, I went outside of the facilities and took my camera and voice recorder.
I remember that it was one of the hottest days of this summer, people were making a lot of noise but with order, the police mount a security perimeter around the facilities and no disorders were register. I melt in to the crowd and start shooting and at the same time recording the sounds with my voice recorder hanged on my neck.
I mount this sound slides at that time but I didn’t know how to put it online, so it was waiting in my archive “collecting some dust”. I just learn it last week!!!
I know it is not an hot or fresh news but I want to show it. Enjoy it HERE

©Miguel A.Lopes

Gypsy Kids

Last week I went through my archive and recover this photographs from Gypsy Kids. I made this portraits during a reportage about the Nomadic gypsies living in Portugal. These kids live in very poor conditions, they live in tents made with just some wood sticks and some plastic covers and with no floor, no water, or electricity. They also didn't have any conditions in terms of hygienic. They don't go to school due to their constant mobility. Usually these kids and the families don't stay in the same place for more than 3 days because of national laws and to local people that normally don't like to have them as neighbors.
They stay all day playing around the camping, helping the family with all kind of duties and playing with the horses that apparently are the only source of money of these family.
They stayed all day, making lots of noise and wanting me to photograph them but soon as I point the camera to them something strange happen, they become silent, something deep come from inside of these kids. It was the first time I felt I was steeling a soul, maybe the soul of these kids....

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

Explosion of Colors / Happy New Year

I started the New Year 2008 by photographing the fireworks in Madeira Island.
The fireworks started at midnight, with the sound of the horns from the 13 Cruise ships stopped in the pear.
It was 15 minutes of fireworks, with thousands of explosions of colors. I was positioned in the top of a building with a fantastic view over Funchal bay. The fireworks came from all over the city and hills creating an amazing show of light, color and sound.
I wish everyone a Happy New Year with success, happiness and health.
Enjoy the images, you can view more of this collection of photos here

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

Front Page

Yesterday was the day of the Signature of the New European Treaty in Lisbon “The Lisbon Treaty”
During all the Portuguese Presidency of European Union I was one of the four official photographers covering all of the meetings of this six months, and me in particular did all of them!!!
It was a lot of hard work, travelling, fun, experiences, stress, etc
During these six months of Presidency I photograph most of the important politicians from the world like Nicolas Sarkozy, Jose Barroso, Condolisa Rice, Gordon Brown, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Kofi Annan, Robert Mogabe, Lula da Silva, Javier Solana, among many others.
Of course one of the most important politicians during this presidency was the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union also Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose Socrates. I photograph him in most of all the meetings he attended during these months and to close my work with a gold key my photograph of him yesterday wile he was waiting for the arrival of the European Ministers to “The Lisbon Treaty” ceremony and among thousands of photos from this event my photograpf was the Front Page on Jornal de Noticias, one of the biggest News Papers in Portugal.
A great end for me of these six months of hard work.
Now Vacations!!!!!


©Miguel A. Lopes

Tirana and Sarajevo

Last week I went again with the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Amado, covering his meetings in Tirana - Albania and in Sarajevo - Bosnia.
I will not show you here photos from the meetings because those are boring photos.
Most of this photos made thru the window of the cars I was driven, always speeding in this two towns following the police rushing to the meetings, yes rushing, the minister had seven meetings in one and half day.
Even going in a speed car I used a slow shutter speed, I know that they are out of focus but that was part of the intention, I like unfinished photos , that can transmit something, that makes you think. In this ones you can see people, moving, running from the rain, rushing to the jobs, well maybe you can think also what were they doing, were where they going....
Enjoy.

©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

Pictorial

Just one pictorial photo, in the balls is me, was taken in a science exhibition in Lisbon

©Miguel A. Lopes

Portuguese Parliament

Today I had to cover the Debate of the Portuguese State Budget for 2008 held in the Parliament. It was a lot of work but very fun and it is nice to ear the discussions and the speeches of the politicians and their irony.
The highest moment was when the leader of a politic party PSD, Mr Santana Lopes, spoke. He was really hungry and very expressive, I caught some of those moments and for me the picture of the day was when he open his arms and "bang" I got it on camera!!! Let's see the papers tomorrow and see if they are published.

©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

Israel Press Conference

This two days, yesterday and today I've been covering the 9th Euro-Mediterranean Meeting of Foreign Affairs held in Lisbon.
This photos are from the Vice Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel, Miss Tzipi Livni.

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