The one simple decision that changed my life as a photographer!

The year was 2010. I was 18, a good student from a family of shoemakers and farmers. My life was simple, shaped by the steady rhythm of the countryside. For five years, I played football as a left defender. I was left-footed, and average at the game. Outside of sports, I sometimes liked to draw, though my older brother was always the artist in the family. He had a natural talent that I admired, and while I enjoyed sketching, it felt like his domain more than mine. I always excelled in my studies with little to no effort, and I received a study grant because of that to continue with my studies. I never had my own money, I was starting college and I never had invested in something for myself. Something I was interested in.

So I decided to invest in a digital camera, out of nowhere. Photography always peaked my interest, but I never had a camera to try and see if I would like it or not. It cost me around 1,000 euros, which at the time felt like an enormous investment. But it wasn’t just about the money. It was about doing something for myself, taking a chance on something I’d always been curious about. I’d never owned a camera before, but photography had always intrigued me. So I went for it, just before moving to Lisbon to study Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts. It would be the first time I would be living far away from home. 312km to be exact. And buying the camera was one of the most important things I did. Firstly, it meant I believed in myself, that I wanted to explore, that I was curious, and that I wanted to record everything I would be going through. That camera became my way of exploring this new chapter of my life.

I started taking pictures of everything: my daily life, the people around me, the city streets. Lisbon was so different from the countryside where I grew up. It was alive, chaotic, full of energy. I felt like a kid in a playground, trying to capture everything I saw. The camera gave me a way to make sense of it all, to hold onto this chapter in my life.

One day, I was browsing a local bookshop and came across Robert Frank’s The Americans. I remember standing there for what felt like hours, flipping through the pages. His photos weren’t just pictures—they were stories. They captured emotions, connections, everyday life in a way that felt so real and raw. That book lit something inside me. It made me want to document the Lisbon I was seeing, the people and moments that made it unique.

Frank gave me a purpose. He showed me that a photograph could be more than an image—it could be a testament, a fingerprint, a truth. I wanted to be like him. To document the Lisbon I saw, the Portuguese life I was living. I took my camera everywhere. Coming from the quiet, measured pace of the countryside, the city’s energy was completely new to me. Strangers became characters in the story of my everyday life.

Looking back at those pictures now, I’m amazed at how bold I was. I didn’t think twice about getting up close to people or capturing the chaos around me. I was just curious, eager to learn and explore. I don’t do much street photography anymore—over time, I’ve found other things I enjoy photographing more. But those early days with my camera taught me so much. They made me fall in love with capturing moments and stories.

Buying that Nikon D7000 was one of the best decisions I ever made. It wasn’t just about photography. It was about believing in myself, taking a chance, and saying, “This is something I want to try.” That camera helped me see the world differently, and it showed me that sometimes, the best thing you can do is just start.