Description

This photograph is part of a collection captured during a short family holiday at Pateira de Fermentelos, one of Portugal’s most peaceful and beautiful natural landscapes. Since opportunities to travel far beyond my local area are relatively rare, I always take advantage of family trips by bringing along my camera and lenses, hoping to discover new places and create meaningful images.

Over the course of three wonderful days, I explored several locations around the lake, each offering a different perspective of this remarkable landscape. Although the weather remained mostly overcast with occasional breaks in the clouds, the soft, diffused light proved ideal for landscape photography, producing natural colours and a calm, timeless atmosphere.

This trip also gave me the opportunity to thoroughly test my Canon R50 in real-world conditions. I was genuinely impressed by its performance. Despite being Canon’s entry-level mirrorless camera, it delivered outstanding image quality, excellent sharpness, pleasing colour reproduction and dynamic range that exceeded my expectations.

One of the most distinctive features of Pateira de Fermentelos is its traditional wooden boats, locally known as patachas. These flat-bottomed boats were historically used to transport people between the shores and to harvest moliço, an aquatic vegetation that once played an important role in the local economy. Their elegant shapes resting on the still waters became the main subjects of many of my compositions.

I also incorporated the trees lining the shores—most likely black poplars—to frame the boats and create balanced compositions that celebrate both the natural beauty and cultural heritage of this unique location.

This journey produced one of the photographic collections I am most proud of. Several of these images have earned a place in my portfolio and are now available as Fine Art prints. It is deeply rewarding when a family holiday becomes an opportunity to create photographs that preserve not only the beauty of a landscape but also the memories and emotions experienced while standing behind the camera.

I am delighted to share this collection with everyone who follows my work, hoping these images convey the same sense of peace, beauty and quiet inspiration that I experienced while capturing them.