Image of the week… “So how come you’re moving to Lisbon?”

27th June 2023

“So how come you’re moving to Lisbon?”
I asked Elise as we cradled hot chocolates and strolled around Bushey Park.

“Um well it’s March and its 26 degrees there right now”.

A few moments later a flurry of hail diagonally pelted us in agreement.

4 am, I wake up and have a thought.

I think I need to go to Lisbon for some sunshine next week.

By 10 am I had fully committed to running a workshop in Lisbon in two weeks’ time. Accumulating the instinctual knowledge, I have on what might provide education, entertainment, and growth I post my idea out to the world. Although I have been running workshops for over a decade this seemed a little last minute.

A few days later I’m blown away by the kindness of strangers in Lisbon. People are happy to assist and connect and in no time at all I also have enough folk to join me and embark on this little adventure. All trusting, I will be delivering a weekend that will challenge their image making and inspire their practice; I’m nervous but excited.

I spend the next few weeks researching my participants and devising a plan. All I can think about is some vitamin D and popping on my shorts.

The weekend turned out to be a beautiful whirlwind of walks, talks, tasks, crits, and activities. We strolled and explored as much of Lisbon as we could, ate some great seafood, drank some fab wine, and conquered a few fears.

The trip across the lake on the second day was a highlight for me.
There’s something about crossing land that promises a shift in pace and mood.
As we hugged the coastline, I spotted a local family who were fishing and basking in the Sunday rays.
I called for some translating help and we all headed down to greet them. Spending time shooting was fun and the family were kind and relaxed despite 10 photographers gate-crashing their afternoon. They welcomed us with a quiet, warm demeanour and despite the language barrier we managed to enjoy a few jokes.

One of my laziest faults is not speaking other languages.
This is something I can change, it’s the biggest communication barrier yet still I seem to stick to a game of charades. This is something I can change, it’s the biggest communication barrier yet still I seem to stick to a game of charades. Having someone translate is like taking an interpreter on a date- it’s a recipe for a guaranteed limited connection. Maybe this year I’ll finally discipline myself to break this cycle.

A huge thank you to EVERYONE who made this weekend possible. It was incredibly special OAO X