Through the amazing participants’ eyes and lenses, we showed it to you.

But we used no other words than our own… and as impartial as we try to be, we know we’re always going to be biased. It’s our baby, after all.

Today we swap places: we bring you some of our own imagery, in behind the scenes moving form, and we leave the talking to the participants.

Okay, and a few more of their images, because they were just too good.

So without further ado, here’s what they had to say about the first Porto Photography Experience.

[youtube width=”640″ height=”360″ video_id=”QHdSYZzZYT4″]

Suffice to say, we’re really proud of this one – and the reason why we refer to it as “the first PPE” is – yes you guessed it – the second edition is now open for pre-registration. Places are limited, so sign up now to guarantee your spot and we’ll keep in touch.

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A change of views

Day 3 started just like the previous two days: the hotel breakfast, the models arriving for hair and makeup… but suddenly it dawned on us that this would be the last guided tour day of the Porto Photography Experience. And while the previous two days had been packed full, it was also sad that it seemed to be over so quickly!

Anyway – before we got all nostalgic, we still had the full day in front of us, so we went down to meet our guides for the day, the wonderful Andreana and Guilherme from Tupan Tours.
A short Tupan-mobile ride later and we arrived in Guimarães, the city known as the cradle of Portugal – it was from this place in the North of Portugal that D. Afonso Henriques, first King of Portugal, started a campaign to establish his country back in the 12th century.

The day was once again going to be jam packed with model shooting and places to discover, but first things first: coffee and cakes, together with the daily ritual of sharing social media names with the models. As had become a habit, no table was complete without cameras and mobile phones!

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your cameras…

First shooting location was inside the Plataforma das Artes e Criatividade – and our huge “thank you” to the lovely people at the Guimarães town hall for allowing us access to this amazing building. The architecture inside is clean, with beautiful natural lighting, and simple straight lines throughout – it made for the most amazing setting as a huge contrast to the other backdrops we had been shooting in.

Photo: Tomas Jansson

Our models for the day, Filipa and Iana were dressed in casual clothing to match the set, and with so many fantastic places to shoot inside and out of this building, it wasn’t long before the now familiar shutter soundtrack made itself heard again.

Photo: Thomas Poehler

There were gorgeous little spaces and pockets of natural light to play with throughout the morning, and one group even managed to find some polystyrene boards behind the building, which were rescued from an early recycling fate and repurposed as reflectors for use during the rest of the day!

Photo: Tammy Bogestrand

Lunch time – already?

And because once again time flies when you’re having fun, suddenly it was lunch time, and the game of chasing the light through the building gave way to having lunch in one of the old squares in the centre of of Guimarães. Sunday is church going day in Portugal, with many people still dressing in their finest to go out and dine after mass. It was a lovely witnessing this family ritual whilst sitting back, relaxing and having a traditional “bacalhau” (codfish) lunch.

Photo: Tomas Jansson

The old town streets

The afternoon started with a short walk to help the copious amounts of food settle down, and we found our next location in the old leather tanning ruins of the city. Old streets intermingled at that area, allowing the groups to once again split and share their photography knowledge with different people. The groups explored the streets, old gates, doorways, sun spots and even used other tourists in the area as impromptu models.

Photo: Ole Overgaard

Another quick styling change, and once more Iana and Filipa were just killing it as they walked, sassed, and worked with each photographer as if they had been shooting with them for their entire lives.

Photo: Carmen Blike

As the day’s shooting came to a close and we walked back to the bus, it was obvious that everyone had a ton of images – and a huge part of them were just stunning. The streets of Guimarães had been kind and provided the inspiration, and in return everyone’s images portrayed the story the streets had told them.

Photo: Rasmus Hald

The last supper… or is it?

The Tupan bus dropped us off at the hotel for a quick freshen up, and away we went for the last dinner at a traditional “Fado” restaurant. Fado is the Portuguese urban popular song, and since 2011 it is also part of the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Being such a traditional portuguese event, we wanted to include it in the Porto Photography Experience itinerary. But just as with the previous day’s photowalk, we quickly realised this might need rethinking: Fado is something you’re expected to attend in complete silence… which perhaps would have been easier if this wasn’t a group of photographers who had shared these wonderful four days together.
Still it didn’t stop us talking and sharing – respectfully, between songs – or prevent a competition for getting the best expression from the guitar player get underway. A competition we think John won hands down.

Photo: John McAllister

And once again, after dinner, a quick transfer to the hotel, a final glass of Port with the whole group, and the first goodbyes as John, Susanne and Alex would be leaving soon…

Day 4

Day 4, the “free” day, came too quick. By then it was very clear that there would have to be a next time – and indeed we are planning it already. It was amazing to meet everyone, learn from them – learn with them – and in general share this amazing experience.

Up until this experience I hadn’t realised how much time we spend on our own in the world of photography – and how far you can grow when you have like minded people with you on your journey. Some of the lessons here will stay with me through my journey – and the friendships made certainly will. – Anna Gunn

It was a true pleasure to host this event. To be able to get so many wonderful people to come and share it was mindblowing – definitely the biggest highlight of our year so far.

And now that the shutters have gone quiet and their soundtrack is just a memory, we thank you all for taking us up on our challenge. Thank you for making the first Porto Photography Experience a truly special event:

Alex Baker

Carina Lind

Carmen Blike

John McAllister

Ole Overgaard

Rasmus Hald

Tammy Bögestrand

Thomas Pöhler

Tomas Jansson

, and a very special thanks to Susanne McAllister for being a wonderful assistant to everyone!

So what’s next for the PPE?

Watch this space…

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A very special tour

Day 2 of the Porto Photography Experience started with the hearty hotel breakfast that had shown itself to be so useful the previous day.
Once everybody had refuelled their bodies and got ready for another day of shooting, we were greeted by Pedro, from The Worst Tours. Pedro is an architect that runs unique tours in Porto, revealing the true heart of the city – the one that you can only see once you turn your back to the “tourist traps” and shiny buildings in clean faced avenues, and dare to tread into the back streets and alleys that you will not find in the tourist guide books – the ones that reveal the real character of a place. And so we did.

Photo: Ole Overgaard

But very quickly we came to a slightly disconcerting realisation: having models with us on this tour created a bit of a conundrum for the group – on the one hand, they wanted to follow Pedro’s brilliant tour and explanations, but on the other hand, they also wanted more time to shoot the models in each location we walked past – because Porto!
Shooting while trying to catch up with Pedro became difficult, so a swift plan adaptation was in order: we slowed everything down and create some unplanned stops along the way to give everybody their shot at the models in each location (no pun intended, honest!).

Photo: Carmen Blike

(This is by no means a reflection of Pedro’s work – his immense knowledge of the city shines through at every step, and the tour was exactly what we had asked for in the first place: a “character” tour. We just forgot to factor the “shooting time” thing in… oops. In hindsight, we should have seen this coming: gorgeous models, great locations and eager photographers aren’t exactly compatible with tourist-paced city tours – but this is the main reason for test runs: to find out what works and what needs adjustments, and this segment clearly falls in the latter category.)

Tweaking the plan

The Sé do Porto provided one of the unplanned stops, allowing our group to take their time shooting against the backdrop of the town’s main cathedral and the charming streets surrounding it. Our models for the day, Iana and Geraldine, were styled in relaxed casual clothing for the first part of the day, matching the feel of the streets. It didn’t take long for the group to find out about Geraldine’s dance background. You can guess what happened next…

Photo: Tammy Bogestrand

Photo: Alex Baker

It was really interesting to see Tammy and Carina, who, by their own admission are not “people shooters”, come into their own. Watching them direct models and translating their vision into their images was really inspiring. You could feel their confidence in directing growing by the minute, and being able to review the back of their camera straight after their shoots just confirmed their progress.

Photo: Tammy Bogestrand

After the sound of clicking shutters subsided and everybody was done (or at least they said there were, because photographers are never quite done…), a quick stop into a traditionally small coffee shop provided a short break for coffee and icecream.
The weather was certainly on our side and brought with it the wonderful light that only the streets of Porto will give you – the kind of light that bounces around from walls and floors in dark, shadowed alleyways, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and allows you to keep shooting in full natural light. This was the perfect way to develop each and everybody’s light searching skills, to capture the light bouncing off the natural features, without having to take out a single flash unit.

Photo: John McAllister

A short but intense walk was next, and up, up, up was the name of the game – taking the route through the oldest staircases in Porto to get to our lunch stop. The walk up provided the quintessential views across Porto’s orange rooftops, scattered with sky lights that are fitted into the oldest of buildings.

Photo: Tammy Bogestrand

Lunch at Cooperativa Árvore

Saying goodbye to Pedro, we arrived at Cooperativa Árvore for a much needed lunch break.
The Cooperativa Árvore was founded in 1963 for a group of artists, so it seemed a fitting place for this particular group of modern, starving artists to have lunch. Add to this fact that the food is really good and the staff are great, and this place is simply a no-brainer. Overlooking the restaurant is the Horto das Virtudes garden, with its magnificent trees all out in their lovely spring coats (have we mentioned the weather was simply perfect?… yeah, it really was).
As we entered and walked down the beautiful building outdoor staircase to the restaurant, it was clear that the group was already headlong in love with Porto and its charms.
This was also a very special day for Iana, our lovely model, as it was her birthday! And because no birthday would ever be complete without cake and singing Happy Birthday, we did so in style: starting in Portuguese, we then moved on to English, Ukrainian, then around the table to sing a verse in everyone’s native language, finishing with a delicious cake in yet another demonstration of Portugal’s mouthwatering patisseries.

Afternoon session

A quick model style change and we were off to the next shooting location, at the Palacete dos Viscondes de Balsemão. This wonderful building dates back from the mid-eighteenth century and is very famous for housing the exiled King of Sardinia. Very understated on the outside, but as soon as you enter the amazing staircase you appreciate that this is indeed a building fit for a king.
Once again we split the group in two, so that they were able to work in two areas of the building at the same time with a model each.
To see Geraldine dance in the windows of the piano room under the photographer’s direction was wonderful – as if there was silent music coming out of the old piano, music that only the people in the room could feel.

Photo: Tomas Jansson

Photo: Alex Baker

Meanwhile the second group took to the staircase with Iana, as she walked up and down the steps with all the grace and poise of the real lady of the house. Shooting indoors meant that the beeps and pops of lighting equipment were now responding to the shutter clicks, and once again the two groups were able to work separately without interference.

Photo: Carmen Blike

And because time really flies when you’re having fun, suddenly it was time for another quick model change – this time into ball gowns and big dresses. Resuming the sessions, all you could hear in those great halls were the instructions being softly whispered to the models, followed by more sounds of shutters and flashes…
…and then a lot of laughter in the hallways, as Thomas discovered that he looked really good in the pair of wings that we had brought for the models.

Photo: Carmen Blike

Wrapping up the shoot, we headed out for the coffee shop around the corner, another quick model styling change, and to get ready for the last part of the day.
Another brief walk with the models around Porto during golden hour allowed us to capture the essence of this beautiful place bathed in gorgeous light – just the perfect recipe before dinner.

Photo: Tomas Jansson

A different kind of restaurant

We had dinner at a traditional Portuguese type of restaurant known as “tascas”. Better known for the quality of their food rather than the decoration, the tascas are pretty bare to look at, and worlds apart from the fancy restaurants we had visited the previous two evenings. But the Porto Photography Experience is all about experiencing different things, and with all of us sat at one long table at the Petiscaria de Sto António, filling the whole place with laughter, it became obvious that it was the perfect place to wrap up the day at.

As the amazing food and wine appeared on the table, everyone was in high spirits reflecting on such a great, packed day. We were even treated to a firework display right outside the Tasca, in front of the old Clérigos church, as the students in their traditional capes celebrated the end of their school year.
Cake and coffees to finish the meal, and soon we all got back into the vans for the transfer back to the hotel and a quick port before bed to top off yet another fantastic day with great people!

More to come …

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Day 1

Following a lovely hotel breakfast, the first day of the Porto Photography Experience kicked off with a leisurely walk through one of Porto’s oldest and most charismatic parks, “Jardim de São Lázaro”. This location is a treasure ground for street photography, as Rasmus, a keen street photographer himself, promptly demonstrated.
In typical Porto character, groups of old men come to the park in search of a cool breeze to while away the days, play cards and take a little flutter on their winnings. They’ll always have some news to discuss, usually involving football, politics or the weather – or all three at the same time!, and thus the stage is set for endless hours of street theatre.

Photo by Rasmus Hald

Our first models, Josanni and Serhii, were already with us by this point, and Rasmus took the first turn by creating some beautiful portraiture work against the oldest camellia trees in the city, fully out in bloom.

Josanni and Serhii relentlessly walked and twirled through the park, and sat for each photographer, unphased as reflectors and bounce cards were placed and tweaked around them to the now constant background sound of shutters clicking. It was thrilling to see how each photographer handled the same location and models in such different ways, each imparting their own approach. Even more thrilling was to see how quickly the groups were interacting in a manner that seemed as if they had all been working together for years!

Photo by Rasmus Hald

The first of many walks…

Leaving the park behind, we started on the first photowalk of the weekend. Staying off the tourist beaten path and delving into the true, unpolished heart of Porto, meant we had the locations to ourselves – and that opportunity was promptly grabbed by everybody in the group, who took turns between shooting our models, or architecture, street, human interactions… anything and everything provided the spark that ignited their creative fuel.

Photo by Tammy Bogestrand

Walking through the picturesque backstreets of Porto’s UNESCO World Heritage site supplied the group with endless backdrops for naturally lit lifestyle and environmental portraiture.

Photo by Tammy Bogestrand

Lunch time

The impressive Mercado Ferreira Borges, an old market building constructed in 1885 and now the home of the Hard Club café, restaurant and music venue, would not only be our lunch stop, but also provide the next photo shoot location. The effects of a full morning of walking around and shooting were making themselves felt, and the wonderful “Hard Club” restaurant staff took excellent care of us.
On the menu was the traditional “Francesinha” (or “San Francisco” if you’re like Ole and can’t pronounce it properly! ) – a meal that you really need to try at least once when visiting Porto. The “Francesinha”, which means “small French female”, is a derivation of the French “Croque Monsieur”: a plate of meat, bread, more meat, sausages, cheese, all covered in tomato and beer sauce – soooooo good! It can also be served with chips (french fries, if you don’t live in the UK), for the complete vein-clogging, heart-attack inducing all-in-one meal.

(Editor’s note: At this point we should really show you a photo of a Francesinha – so sorry, we were waaaaaaay too hungry and they just smelled too good to be playing around, so we just ate them instead!)

After coffee and a quick model wardrobe change to fit the styling, the afternoon session was ready to begin.
The vintage interior of the Hard Café, with its brown sofas, traditional wooden tables, a fire stove and matching decorations became the perfect setting for our models in their vintage clothing.

Photo by Tammy Bogestrand

The Hard Club, now empty of lunchtime customers, provided plenty of space and different settings for two groups to be working in separate locations at all times – from the industrial feeling of the downstairs tall ceilings and concrete walls to the warm vintage ambiance of the Café – that gave them enough space to move around and avoid interference between lighting equipment, triggers, etc.

Photo by John McAllister

Carmen, who had started the day with a migraine and spent the morning at the hotel being looked after by the staff, joined the group at this point. And join the group she did: we watched as she took to the set, feeling how the window light fell on one of the tables and then placing Serhii in that shaft of light, working with him until she had captured his energy in that moment. It was simply a magical experience to see it unfold in front of your eyes.

Photo by Carmen Blike

Ole, who often runs workshops, took the time to discuss how and why he uses the lighting equipment, and show some of the less experienced portrait photographers how he places the model into his light. It was wonderful to get the opportunity to see this in practice.
Each photographer in the group had their own working personality – and it was such a privilege to be there and watch all of them work the images to suit their individual aesthetic.

Photo by John McAllister

Leaving the Hard Club behind, we made our way to the river banks to embark on a traditional boat tour up and down the Douro – an opportunity to sit back and relax while soaking in the sights (or just continue shooting, as the models were still with us!).

An unexpected moment

As we were waiting to board the boat, a typical Porto “Tuna Académica” approached us. “Tunas” are groups of university students dressed in their traditional black suit and cape (now known as the “Harry Potter” capes), who play traditional instruments and sing serenades – a tradition dating back to the 13th Century and which continues to this day! A group of people with pro-looking cameras in a tourist location is always an attraction in itself, and we were presented with our very own private serenade under the shade of the trees.

Photo by Tammy Bogestrand

Never ones to waste time, the pause before boarding the boat provided the perfect opportunity to get Serhii and Josanni sitting together, and demonstrate different modelling poses for males and females. These pockets of time to reflect gave everyone the opportunity to get what they most needed to advance their own work.

Photo by John McAllister

The short boat trip took everyone under each one of Porto’s 6 bridges. This is a very touristy thing to do in Porto – but it does provide a unique vantage point of Porto, Gaia and the bridges as seen from the river.

Photo by Tammy Bogestrand

… and finally…

To finish this wonderful day of camaraderie and experience sharing, nothing better than to do it with drinks and dinner at the Porto Cruz, DeCastro Gaia restaurant, right next to the river’s south bank. Viewing Porto from the south bank at sunset can only be described as stunningly beautiful – and we had front row seats: watching the orange glow bathe the layers of buildings across the river, its cool breeze caressing our skin, while sipping the perfect G&T’s… magic!

Photo by Ole Overgaard

As for dinner itself – there are no words. Just the most amazing menu… and the raspberry sorbet can only be described as a hug on a plate.
After dinner, and just like the day before, we got our transfer back to the Hotel, followed by a Port nightcap before heading to bed, all the conversations reminiscings of everything that had been seen, done, shot, felt that day – a truly EPIC day.

More to come…

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After months of excited preparations (which you’ve probably read about in our monthly “Behind the Scenes”), we asked a group of sensational photographers whose work we have admired for years if they would like to join us to test our idea – much to our delight, they said yes!

And so the first Porto Photography Experience came to life: running through the last weekend of April 2016, it included a blend of sightseeing, food, and most importantly, photography sessions in a few venues with very restricted access – all of this with great models and matching styling thrown in.

Photo by Anna Gunn / McGunnMedia; Model: Iana Fingert

Porto Photography Experience

Working and living in Porto gives us the ability to see the heart of Porto, the side most tourists never get to see; and as photographers, we understand what drives our creativity – the locations, the sights, the sounds…

The Porto Photography Experience was a result of joining these dots: an opportunity for us to show other photographers why Porto consistently gets awarded the title of “Europe’s Best Travel Destination”, in a way that allows photographers to reap the most benefit from their time here.

Putting it all together

So after months of careful planning, including getting permissions to shoot in some of the most amazing venues in Porto, casting a great, diverse group of models, selecting and making clothes, hair and make-up testing, and most importantly, scouting some of the local eateries for those perfect places to recharge batteries (a few kgs may have been gained in the process…), we were ready to go.

Having guests from all over the world means dealing with air travel, and Murphy’s Law dictates something will go wrong – and in this case, the biggest ground crew strike of the year in Germany meant some of our guests had their flights cancelled at the last minute with nary an explanation from the airlines…

But all’s well that ends well: in the end they all got their travelling sorted out one way or another, and arrived at the Porto Airport to our prearranged transfer services that would drop them at the appropriately named “The Artist” hotel.

Located within the old premises of the most renowned Art School in Porto, “The Artist” became our base station for the weekend.

By Thursday afternoon everyone had arrived, the weather Gods smiled upon us, and the Porto Photography Experience got underway.

Day 0

The evening welcome drinks and dinner were hosted at the “PortoBello Restaurant & Bar”. It all began in the rooftop patio with a Port wine tasting, accompanied by chocolate, a glorious orange, pink and purple sunset… and the most spectacular 360º views over Porto. At this point, tripods and cameras started coming out of the bags, and the clicking of shutters that was to follow us for the next three days started to make itself heard.

Photo by Thomas Poehler

As the sky colours finally reached the deep blue that marks the end of golden hour, the group – already boisterous, having a wonderful time, and taking in Porto – moved to the comfort of the indoors restaurant, where cameras took their rightful place at the dinner table, ready to photography the dinner that was about to be served.

The day ended with a transfer back to the Hotel, where the excitement of the days to come could be seen in everybody’s eyes.

More to come…

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