This is a story that started 6 years ago...
We are in April 2023, but in fact, this story started 6 years ago. October 2017. Scott Kelby visits Lisbon for the first time after I insisted with him too many times. We visited Lisbon, Sintra, Mafra, and then Scott asks me this question:
Nando, I heard about this other city up in the north called Porto? Can we go there now?
"Are you kidding me?! There is no time... It is more than three hours driving each way. We can't make it in a day" - of course I didn't know at the time that Scott would be ok to drive more than that for a single photo. I learned that after traveling with Scott and Team Epic a few times. Anyway, time went by, and visiting Porto became a joke between me, Scott and Erik Kuna.
Scott, next time you visit Portugal, I will drive you myself to Porto, and we will spend one or two days there. that's a promise!
Fast forward to 2023! Scott texts me one day: "Nando, are you available mid April? I'm planning a workshop in Lisbon around that time, and I want to make sure you're available." - Absolutely! Not only I am available, but I will take a week off so that you can have my full attention. And guess what? I will drive you to Porto!
After many more messages, phone calls, zoom meetings, Scott's workshop is up! Not only will I get to welcome Scott, but also my friend and KelbyOne instructor Mimo Meidany, as well as Jason Stevens, KelbyOne video wizard and awesome photographer too! And as always, times flies and before we knew it, the four of us were stuck in my car, on our way to beautiful Porto!
Porto, a beautiful city...
So, here we are, the four of us, in beautiful Porto! Too much to see, too much to photograph, and not too much time available. Of course, Jason being awesome as he is, grabbed his phone and made this selfie of the magnificent four!
We walked around the Ribeira neighborhood, we went up to the Clérigos tower, São Bento train station and back to the hotel to find out that our room reservation was wrong, and we had just two rooms with king size beds... We are good friends, but not that good! LOL! The people at the hotel front desk were kind enough to give us four separate rooms instead of just two and not charging extra for that. That was great because Jason had cheese and he was not feeling great - "explosive" - that was how he described it!
Lello Bookstore
It seems every time Scott visits Portugal, something goes wrong. Back in 2017, I was able to get Scott permission to shot the beautiful library at Palacio Nacional de Mafra, on the day the library was closed to the public. Scott had gone to a quick trip to Morocco, his plane got delayed several hours and by the time he arrived back in Portugal, the library was already closed... Bummer!
This time, it was the famous Lello bookstore in Porto. It was my understanding that we would arrive to Porto on Good Friday, April 7, and I had arranged a visit to the bookstore so that Scott could photograph before the opening time, on April 8. Damn! I was wrong and we arrived in Porto on the 8th and the only option was to do it before opening on April 9, but guess what? April 9 was Easter Sunday: bookstore was not opening on that day!
The bookstore is closed tomorrow! We have to go today. Period! We don't have another chance.."
Scott has many tricks up his sleeve and he may even use the example to show you how you can handle this situations. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just tell you that we were able to visit the bookstore. It was packed with people, but I was happy because Scott was able to get the shot he wanted. Scott himself will probably tell the story and how he did it.
Before we knew it, it was sunset time and we rushed to Serra do Pilar! Unfortunately it was not as spectacular as we wanted. We grabbed a shot and went for dinner: "chouriço assado e francesinhas"!
PORTO - DAY 2
We were too tired from the previous day, particularly Scott and Jason, who flew all the way from Tampa to Lisbon, plus a 3+ hour drive to Porto, and the whole day moving from one place to the next. We met for breakfast well before sunrise. The weather was not spectacular anyway, so I slept in a couple more hours. I was planning we could stop in Aveiro, Coimbra, and Óbidos on our drive back to Lisbon, but Porto still had too much to offer...
Scott recorded a class on Timelessness. This is such an important concept that I learned from Scott back in 2017 when he explained it to me during is stay in Lisbon. Since you're reading this, I'm guessing you are a KelbyOne member and that class should be available soon. This was not my first time helping out during a KelbyOne class recording, but it is always fun to be part of it and to help somehow. When you are out on location, you can always have a few extra hands to hold a 2nd or 3rd camera, to take care of other details, or simply to keep people away from stepping into your frame.
There was a lot more to visit, and we were running out of time... my plan was to leave Porto mid morning, so that we could visit the other cities, but Porto was still calling our name, and we had to be tourists for a few more hours.
Nando, where is this place? do you know?
Porto is not my city. I've been to Porto several times, and I know my way around, but there are lots of places that I've never been to. The good thing is that if you pay attention to details, and if you have Google Maps (and who doesn't?!), with some patience you can find any place!
There are many places you can easily get lost and you may be able to find good photo opportunities. However, just like in any place where people actually live, you don't want to disturb the residents. We have to respect the locals.
We ended up into some streets where we could feel our presence was not welcome . So we kept our cameras away and moved on... respecting others is always a good thing to do. The clock was running and it was getting late...
guys, we need to go get the car! we have a long drive ahead and it is getting late!
And that was our small adventure in Porto. On our way back to Lisbon, the boys tried "croquetes de carne" at a service station on the highway, and it was an instant hit! Welcome to the wonderful world of Portuguese cuisine!
Easter Sunday! 11:00PM. I'm finally back in Lisbon. Home! Tomorrow is another (long) day!
LISBON - DAY 3
This is two days before the workshop actually starts! Team meeting to confirm all the previously picked locations, to double check no construction is going on, and also to make sure every participant in the workshop would actually be able to participate. Scott does pay attention to all the details. I will give you some examples.
This is the popular Vasco da Gama bridge. I know what you're thinking! "Why is that even popular?! I don't see anything special about it". Well, that's part of the job. We visit the places in crappy light, at the wrong time of the day, because we can't visit all the places at dawn or sunset. We have to check the weather forecast, we have to check the tides, and we even timed how long the walk would be from the parking place to the shooting spot! Yes! It was that detailed!
You have to pre visualise your shot! you have to be there at the right time of the day under the right conditions. our job was to help you make great photos!
The next morning, the same place was looking different. This is just a quick shot I did. I was not shooting for myself, I was not doing long exposures, or even using a tripod. I was there to help and to get some BTS (behind the scenes) images.
Moving from place to place in Lisbon is not an easy task. There's traffic everywhere. It can be difficult to park. While the city is not huge, compared to US standards, it is not a small town, as we had a lot to cover. One of the other stops was the famous MAAT museum (Museu Arte Arquitectura e Tecnologia). This is a gorgeous modern building right by the Tagus river. While it can be a architecture photographer's paradise, it is not only very photographer's friendly - more about that later.
While working on some architectural shots we had more places in mind. Lisbon is not just yellow trams, charming narrow streets, and delicious "pasteis de nata". Mimo shows me a photo and asks me about it.
I know where that is! it is called "Pavilhão de portugal" and it is located in the "nations park" on the newer side of the city. Let's go!
Shooting architecture is not my thing but both Scott Kelby and Mimo Meidany are very good at it. Again, these are just scouting shots, and just me pretending I know what I'm doing.
I know what you are thinking: "this doesn't sound like hard work!" Trust me. It is! When you want to make sure everything is perfect and you will be able to deliver an awesome experience to the workshop participants, no stone is left unturned. Scott and Mimo really pushed it to the limits.
even the hardest working ones need a break and a burger, right?
And if you heard Scott Kelby on one of his classes on travel photography, you know you need to shot the food! That's what we did! We shot the food (yummy burgers at Honorato!)! We shot the food and then we eat the food. It is a win-win situation, right?!
Even though we had lunch almost at dinner time (to American standards), the day was not over yet. We were going to have a "tram morning" and Lisbon has many places to shot trams... in fact too many places to shot trams. Now, the questions is: are all those locations good when you have a group of 12 people with you and they all want to get the shot?
while some locations can create nice shots, they may be too risky, and security is a must! no shot is worth risking someone's life!
I know what you're thinking: what's wrong with that location? To get this shot, you can easily be hit by the other tram coming on the opposite direction, and when you're shooting, you totally miss what's happening around you, right? So, we took the scouting shot and moved to other safer but also very interesting places!
And the day was not over before we scouted one last place: the charming little restaurant named "Restaurante Cervejaria Sto André". Remember: you go there, take the shot, but at least go get something inside, spend some money and help to keep them in business.
Still more places, still more scouting, still checking the weather forecast... we kept moving from one place to the next until it was already dark, way after the sunset... The day was over. It was long and productive.
SINTRA - DAY 4
During one of the meetings we had, Scott showed me a photo of the famous Palácio da Pena, in Sintra, and asked me:
nando, do you know how we can get this shot?
"Absolutely! That's a drone shot! There is a place that you're supposed to be able to get that shot, but the last time I was there, the trees were too tall and you could not see the palace anymore."
However, if you know me, you know that I don't like to give the simple answer. What if the trees have been cut off? What if for some reason I was there on a bad day and I didn't pay enough attention. Using Google Maps, I went to search for the location (called Cruz Alta) and I checked recent photos and much to my surprise, some people where taking the shot without a drone! So it was indeed possible! And this is the beginning of a great story - that you may have hear already on The Grid, Episode 555 - if not, you can go check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4z10e2YyCM. I suggest you keep reading because I'm going to tell you the story anyway.
Well, here we are on a mission: we need to scout some locations in Sintra. Palácio da Pena is a must see, but the recent changes to the way people can visit it, as well as the large crowds there, could take it off our short list.
We arrived early in the morning. I know Scott wanted to check that shooting location at Cruz Alta. I knew it was quite a hike and to be honest, I was not expecting that Scott would make it there. I was not sure I would make it myself. With such a difficult hike, we were probably not going to be able to take the whole group there. Well we got our tickets to Palácio da Pena, and our slot to get in was around lunch time - yes, we arrive early but the slots sell out fast! - so off we went trying to reach Cruz Alta. It is about half a mile from the Palace, but you are going up and up and up, all the time! By the time you are almost there, you need to go up once again. At this point we were already tired. Scott legs are shaking because he doesn't like heights, but to my surprise he was hanging in there. Finally we reach the top of Cruz Alta.
The place is packed with people, and here we are, the four of us. There is no way we can bring the workshop participants to this location. It is dangerous, it is too hard, and to get the shot, you need to be a little crazy. But hey, we were there, right? What could possibly go wrong?
So we all got the shot, we all climbed on the cross and got the shot. Wait! We all?! No! Scott was right there but he simply couldn't make it up there. Again, Scott can't climb on a small ladder before his legs start shaking, so Mimo comes up with a great idea!
scott, let me be your human tripod - says mimo. i will go there, i will hold your camera, and with the canon app, you see what the camera is seeing, you tell me how to compose, the zoom you want, you set the camera settings on the app, and you press the shutter. It is your shot. I'm just holding the camera as a human tripod!
That was indeed a great idea that Mimo had! Scott gets happy about it. However, the app is not working. Scott can't see on his phone whatever the camera is seeing. The two were not communicating! Damn! Only if we had an IT guy with us! Someone that could setup a wireless network so that the app and the camera would talk to each other!
wait! i'm an it guy! i am a canon shooter too! let me try to fix that!
The problem was easy to solve. Scott's app was trying to pair with some other camera EOS R6 and as soon as that was fixed, Scott could control the camera. All he had to do was to yell at Mimo his instructions. Mimo, the human tripod! I prefer to call him VAT (nope, not Value Added Tax!) - the Voice Activated Tripod!
This was certainly a success story of teamwork! Scott got his shot! A shot he took himself! What a great use case for the Canon app! Of course while we were there we were getting a lot of attention from everyone else. Who are these 4 guys?! They look like professionals! What are they doing? But simply because we are all nice people and very handsome (well, maybe we are just nice, let's put it that way), no one actually complained! When we were done, some families we asking if we could take some photos of them using their phones - which we happily did.
One beautiful family of four asked me to take their photo, which I happily did - I took probably more photos than they wanted. Never ask a photographer to take your photo! Anyway, I look at the gorgeous blue sky at the moment, and the lady had this strong orange jacket, blue jeans, long dark hair... and here I am, trying to get out of my comfort zone and trying to get some interaction with strangers and ask permission to take their portrait.
What the heck! i'm going to ask anyway - so i though! "would it be ok if i take a photo of you by the cross against the blue sky?" - and she said yes...
Time to go back to the Palace. Our slot was approaching and we were there on a mission. We were not there to shot for ourselves - even though we had to take this opportunity, don't you agree? How often would you be willing to do that hike again?!
After some waiting time in a long queue, we finally made it into the Palace. This is a gorgeous place worth visiting! It would be an awesome place to photograph if there was no one there. Unfortunately, it is too crowded, waiting time is too long, and Scott was clear: it simply was not appropriate for the workshop. The workshop was not a tourist tour, and this one had to be off the list.
We had another possible location in Sintra. There is this new attraction called Biester Palace. Gorgeous "little" house with impressive furniture, artworks, architecture... Really beautiful. But unfortunately we had to take it of the list too. Still, if you are in Sintra, don't miss it. Like everything in Sintra, it will be worth your time. And go there and spend maybe two or three days in Sintra because there are plenty of places to visit. For our workshop, we had to go for Scott's plan A - which was in fact on the list since the beginning. More about it later.
I will leave here just two photos of the Biester Palace. They were very kind with us! If you visit Sintra, make sure you go there and visit the place. This is a huge property, not just a beautiful house. I will have to go back and visit again. Here is a link for you: https://www.biester.pt
Scouting was done. Final plans were made. We were all set! In a few hours, we would be back in Lisbon for our Welcome Dinner!
Scott told me "we need an informal place, with good food, where we can be relaxed and have a good time, and start the workshop in a great way - also, make it within a short walking distance from the hotel". Well, I know a place that ticks all those marks: Honorato Chiado! One of the best burgers in Lisbon, if not the best, and also a chocolate mouse out of this world!
That's how we ended another day. The whole group met for dinner, which by the way, was delicious, just like I was expecting. What I was not expecting was hearing from so many Americans that "this was one of the best burgers I ever had!" Wow! That's quite a statement!
I know Mimo has a shot of the whole group at the restaurant. Mimo, if you are reading this, why don't I have that shot? :)
WORKSHOP - DAY 1
4:00AM. My alarm clock rings! Ouch! Is this time to wake up already? I barely had time to sleep... Well, that's what happens when you are a photographer, when you don't want to rush as soon as you wake up, and you need to drive for 20 to 30 minutes, and be in Lisbon at the hotel, ready to go out by 5:45am!
I have my backpack ready. I'm not going to shot, so I can pack light. I'm out with my Canon R6, and my RF 28-70mm F2 lens. I'm sure I had something else in my backpack, but that was the lens that I picked for doing my BTS's.
I was the first at the hotel lobby. It was too early for breakfast. Again, this is 5:45am! No hotel in the world serves breakfast that early. But Scott had arranged with the hotel staff so that participants could have some coffee or tea and some cookies before departing for our first spot. I see a lot of smiling faces, camera bags, tripods, everyone is excited!
Where are we going? - SOMEONE ASKED ME. - WE ARE GOING SOMEPLACE!
Scott told me in advance that people would ask - and he was right! I was not telling anything! Sometimes I was not even sure myself because we were checking the weather and Scott and Mimo were discussing which one would be the best place to go.
We arrived early at the parking lot near Ponte Vasco da Gama. We walked the 4 minutes towards the shooting spot and it was now official: the workshop had started! And what a great way to start. We had plans to go to a different location but the forecast pointed to a great sunrise and since the tide was right, Scott made the right decision.
I've been to this exact location before and one of my shots from there got me into the Top 10 shots for the Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk in 2020 (the pandemic year, that we had to be by ourselves). I remember later in the classroom, I was looking at the shots the participants got and damn they were good! And I mean really good!
let's go! back to the hotel. time to go get some breakfast!
As soon as the sun was out, the light wasn't good anymore and it was time to go back to the hotel, have some food and get in class. Of course while participants relax and have breakfast, Scott when to check the classroom because it is never laid out the way he asks for. Guess what? Scott was right! It was all wrong and we had to fix it fast, get everything ready on time. When the participants arrived, everything was good.
Class time, lunch time, siesta time... I know it sounds relaxing... it is not. It is called a WORKshop for a reason. Everyone wanted to edit the photos and use their spare time to do it. Charge batteries. Backup cards... you know the drill... And where is Scott? This man seems to never take a rest! I wish I knew his secret! Scott is at the hotel lobby recording yet another class for KelbyOne about backup strategies when traveling. Jason, being awesome not just at selfies and iphone photography, but also awesome with video (that's his thing, in case you didn't know), Jason sets up the whole thing in the hotel lobby and it was great to be part of another KelbyOne class - even though I didn't have to do much at all! I believe they just wanted me for my good looks! :D
But the day was far from being over. We were getting out at 5:30pm for another shoot and then finally a sunset shoot. And the next stop was the MAAT Museum. This is a place known to be unfriendly to photographers and particularly to photographers with tripods. When we got there the first thing I noticed it a security person looking at his phone: it must be one of two things, either he is playing games or watching Tik Tok's, or he is texting someone about all these photographers with tripods. I was a little worried about this - even though the shots there could be done handheld. I talk to Mimo about this and Mimo being the best version of himself just says:
don't worry nando! I have it covered. already talked to security and they are ok with us.
Damn Mimo! How do you do that?! We need a class on how to approach people and make them do what you want them to do. Mimo is just like that. He smiles, he is kind, and that's it: done!
In the meantime, this is Wednesday, between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. It is time for The Grid! And Scott went live from Lisbon, and I have the BTS shot to prove it.
Everyone is having a blast on this location and I saw great shots, not just shot of the MAAT itself but also shots of the nice views from the roof of the building. Yes, you can go up on the roof!
While many people enjoyed taking shots of the San Francisco Bridge - wait... it is the 25th April Bridge but it does look like the San Francisco Bridge, personally I was happing doing my part: answer any questions people may have, but mostly getting some behind-the-scenes shots, and in the meantime, why not practicing my portraiture?
As the sun was getting low, it was time to move on to the last shooting spot of the day. It was not too far from the MAAT. Belém Tower! Here we go! This is one of Lisbon most known monuments. Everyone visiting Lisbon will go to Belém for the Tower, for the Monastery, and for Pastéis de Nata. We were there to make great photographs, not to be tourists, so we went to the best one to get a great image: the tower!
The first day was over! Great shots were made at Belém Tower. In fact, the winning shot of all the shots taken during the workshop was made at this place on this day... but you will have to wait to know more about it.
Everyone was happy with the first day! Awesome shots. Loads of fun! This was just the first of the four days!
WORKSHOP - DAY 2
Here we are again: 4:00am. Alarm clock ringing! Time to get up! Ouch! This is getting harder by the day. I mean, I'm having load of fun. The group is awesome. Scott.. well you know Scott... his sense of humor is always present and we are always laughing at what Scott is saying. At the same time, even though this is the 2nd day on the workshop, we have been working non-stop for 5 days, this being the 6th one... But hey, today we have another good day ahead with a special surprise!
this is tram morning! - scott announces when we get into the bus. it is 6:00am and we are already out, riding our bus to our first location.
Scott doesn't keep his best spots for himself. Just like he shares his best photo editing techniques, Scott wants the workshop participants to take home great shots, to have an awesome experience and to learn as much as they possibly can. This morning we are going to shoot trams, and the first spot is that road where back in 2017 Scott made a great tram shot that was his most liked Instagram shot for a long while. And Scott is sharing that exact location with the group, and explaining why that place is so awesome. Keyword: timelessness!
This was tram morning and as the sun was out, the lights were off, and cars were coming, the scene was not there anymore and we moved to spot #1: Elevador da Bica. This is a famous funicular. It is packed with tourists all day long, but not when you arrive there at 7:00am.
Knowing this was going to be "tram morning", I picked my Photopills t-shirt. Maybe this was my opportunity to become a famous model... Well, at least I posed for Scott Kelby...
Of course I planned the t-shirt trick and posed not just for Scott Kelby, but for everyone else in the workshop!
The tram was there... why no go on a ride? Everyone jumped in. Scott took care of the tickets and everyone went for an early morning tram ride. Remember this is just the funicular. It goes down and comes back up some minutes later.
nando? where can we go get some nice freshly made pastries? - mimo asks me
Everyone was riding the tram, but not me and Mimo. While everyone was there, Mimo was taking care of the group. It is now around 7:30am or so. We were up for a few hours already. We could have some food and Mimo thought about that.
come with me mimo! I know a good place not too far from here. let's go! run!
There we go the two of us. We were on a mission to get something good and tasty that the group could have as soon as their tram ride was over. However, this is Lisbon, not NYC. Many places are not open to the public before 8:00am - at least not where tourists hang out, because there are no tourists outside that early in the morning.
The first place we tried was closed. They were already baking awesome custard tarts (we call them "pasteis de nata"), but the store was closed and we couldn't wait that long. It pays to be a local and know the places. We kept going down the street to "Padaria Portuguesa". (Portuguese Bakery). This is a great place to have good food, not just pastries, but sandwiches, light meals and many more. They serve tourists and locals and they were already open - Yes! So we got two big boxes full of freshly baked strawberry croissants and run back to the tram. As everyone was getting out of the tram, guess who was greeting them with freshly baked croissants?!
tram morning is not over yet! we still have another great location to go!
Time to jump on the bus again for a 3rd tram shot! I told you: this was tram morning! And boy (or girl, or whatever gender, non-gender, etc you want to use, as I don't discriminate people in any way), as I was saying, people were getting great shots and having fun... and still thinking about those delicious croissants!
The third spot is in a different part of town, and we had to walk a couple of minutes because the bus could not drop us there. The reason is simple: this is a very narrow street. The tram barely fits there. There was no way we could have the bus stopped there for us. So we walked. We happily walked.
I don't have good BTS's from this place because it was not easy, and we had to be alert all the time. There is not much space on the sidewalks and you don't want anyone to be hit by a tram, right?
And with this 3rd spot, the "tram morning" was over. Time to walk back to the bus, and back to the hotel. Breakfast is waiting. Class is waiting. And a surprise is coming... soon... really soon!
A BIG SURPRISE IS COMING...
During one of the meetings I had with Scott, he asked me for some "crazy stuff". I will call it that way for a lack of better words. Those who know me, know that English is not my native language, right?! One of the crazy ideas was this:
nando, can you get me a painter, a real painter, maybe we could shoot his portrait at his studio...
What?! Say again! A painter?! How am I going to pull that one out? Strangely before I even had the time to think, I was finding a possible way out. I called a good friend because if someone knew a painter and could help me out, she was the one. She was just as graceful as she always his and decided to help me out. To cut a long story short, before I could ever imagine, we had been in contact with the painter, he was super sweet and kind and friendly and said yes! I was still worried because I thought Scott wanted a messy studio, like a painter would have, paint all over the place, paintings, the typical mess you would expect from most artists. This painter was going to receive us at his home. Who would be so kind to welcome a group of 15 people, speaking a language he doesn't speak, people he never met before, and allowing these people to make his portrait?
That person as a name, and his name is Raul Peréz. Not only he is a stellar human being, kind as you don't find people like that anymore, but he is one of the last living painters of the Portuguese surrealists! This is a well know painter with an amazing career, and he is allowing our group into his home.
We wanted to be extremely respectful of his space, his generosity and his time. Both me and Scott were there with Raul Peréz, and we brought two participants at a time, allowing them a few minutes to shoot a natural light portrait. I was doing introductions and translating between Portuguese and English and Raul Peréz was just outstanding. Really! I don't think you can find anyone like him anymore! What a generous and humble human being! What a lesson to every single one of us!
This was a very stressful situation as I wanted everyone to have a chance to do a great portrait. Scott was helping participants, I am holding a diffuser because I knew the place had a south facing window and the light was going to be harsh, but we were able to keep it under the time frame we promised and everything went really well. Every single person loved it! This was certainly one of the highlights of the workshop!
Unfortunately I don't have BTS to share. Not only I was busy assisting everyone and keeping up the the conversation, but also, it was just not right to be at someone else's home and do BTS's as if we were out on the street. This was a moment we will all keep inside our hearts!
I did have one minute at the end, and I asked Raul if it was ok that I could also take one shot. I took a few, but I wanted to respect his generosity and his time and this was the one I got:
While we were having the time of our lives, our bus driver calls me and says that two cars were parked incorrectly and the bus was stuck not too far from us, but he wouldn't be able to pick us up. No problem... we were still above the clouds with the experience we had and we simply got some Uber's and went back to the hotel, because the day was not over, yet!
After not too much time at the hotel, we were on the road again. Three stops planned! First one "the Microsoft factory"... in reality that was the codename we gave it. It was the Portugal Pavillion (or Pavilhão de Portugal) at Nation's Park (Parque das Nações). I've mentioned this before. Modern architecture at his best. Perfect location for minimalist shots, probably most in black and white.
When we got there some people were asking "what can we shot here?", but as the location started to sink in, and as Mimo and Scott were showing participants the compositions they could create, everyone started to become creative and get very interesting shots. Unfortunately, my BTS's were not that interesting! I'll share just one.
As we were done at "the Microsoft factory", we moved to spot number two: Portas do Sol. This is a very touristic location, usually packed with people all day long. We were approaching sunset and many people had already left for the day.
Portas do Sol has a popular shot there: an overview with the red rooftoops going down towards the river. It is a classic shot with a few churches here and there. I didn't go for that shot. I went for the group shooting that shot.
However, we stopped at Portas do Sol not just because of the overlook view. Portas do Sol was the gateway to the last spot of the day! It was just a short walk from Portas do Sol, and again, on a busy street where the bus could not park, so we happily walked the short walk.
Can you guess what is on the other side of the street? What are so many photographers doing here? Wait... these are all workshop participants. There is no one else there but us!
You know what's on the other side! It is that cute little restaurant I mentioned before. Here is my scouting photo again:
And with this charming little restaurant, the 2nd day was done! Remember it started with the 3 tram locations, then we had the painter portrait, and 3 other locations at the end of the day. Rewarding but exhausting day!!! That's why it is called a WORKshop, right?!
WORKSHOP - DAY 3
This is Friday! I have been with Scott and the team for almost a week. Last night I was so exhausted that I arrived home around 10:00pm and I went straight to bed. I didn't even had dinner. I was done! But hey, the good news is that today we sleep late! Yay!!! No sunrise shot! Scott knows that the workshop is demanding and everyone needs a rest. For me, instead of waking up at 4:00am, I was able to wake up at 6:30am. I know it doesn't look that much, but those two and a half hours extra were a blessing! We have to leave the hotel at 9:00am, and today we are going out of Lisbon! It will be about 45 minutes to 1h drive and we are going to Mafra!
Mafra is a little town northwest of Lisbon, about 1h drive away. This is going to be our only stop for the morning. Mafra is known for its famous bread ("Pão de Mafra") but also for the Mafra National Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and of course the famous library, considered one of the most beautiful in the world. And that's exactly where we are going!
However, Mafra National Palace is not just the amazing Library. There are many other interesting things to explore, many other interesting photographs to make. I could see that those extra hours of sleep were already giving me more energy and I was able to shoot a lot more and get better BTS's
Of course our participants were all having a great time at the palace. Here are a few shots to prove it!
It was time to go back on the bus and drive back to Lisbon! This is Friday and today, the little restaurant across the street from our hotel, is doing a special lunch! During the week some of us, mostly me, Scott and Mimo went there for a quick bite between classes or any other tasks we had. The waiter was already becoming friends with us and she tells me the day before:
diga lá aos seus amigos que amanhã temos cozido à portuguesa ao almoço!
Let me translate that for you: "please tell your friends that tomorrow we will have Portuguese stew for lunch!". What the heck is a Portuguese stew, Scott asked me. - Well, it is a stew made by a Portuguese cook!
I tried to explain the best I could what is a Portuguese stew. I will try to explain my way, and then you will hear Scott Kelby explains his way. A Portuguese stew is what I would call "comfort food". It is a rich meal, families usually would have it on a Sunday when the family is together. It includes different cuts of meat, different sausages ("chouriço", "morcela", "farinheira", etc), rice, beans, potatoes, cabbage, carrots... so it has a little bit of everything.
Now, you have to hear Scott Kelby's description of that the Portuguese stew is. Press play on the YouTube video below and it will take you exactly to where Scott talks about it. It will take you 34 seconds, and then you can return here!
If the video doesn't start at the right place, make sure you fast forward to 17m:21s
The best way to describe it is this: if you take a grenade, you put it inside a pig and it exploded, and you added rice, that's this dish [...] I don't know what was in there. It was like the contents of a lava lamp and something they hit with a car..."
This is the best description I ever heard of any dish! Only Scott could describe a Portuguese stew that way. I still laugh out loud every time I head that description. Anyway, Scott and Mimo were kind enough to bite the bullet and had parts of it. We had another Scott with us, and he really couldn't have it: he ordered a cheeseburger and life was good again!
Then we had to rush back into the classroom! There was work to be done before we go out again. And this time we were going to a placed called "Casa do Alentejo". This is mostly a restaurant and a place where you can host an event, but their main goal is to promote the culture and traditions of the Portuguese region called "Alentejo" which is south of Lisbon, and north of the famous Algarve region.
After the short stop at Casa do Alentejo, we were out again to the Belém neighborhood. This time our destination shot is the "Padrão dos Descobrimentos", a monument that celebrates the Portuguese navigators and their achievements. However, everyone was up for a surprise. Mimo asked me for my help.
nando, can you please help me out? Please go to the store across the street and get me 12 bottles of water, those large ones, and put them in the bus. We are going to need those!"
I knew what was coming. Mimo was about to share is "portable puddle" technique. We were going to shot the monument and its reflection on a little puddle.
we have one more location. this is going to be optional. we are trying something risky! we may not be able to do it... so please don't come in hot! who's coming?
This was the very last stop for the day. We were going to try and make some photos at Gare do Oriente, the famous train station at Parque das Nações. We drove by the station a few times and it was getting everyone's attention. The place is not "photographer's friendly" as you can't use tripods, you are not supposed to use cameras on the platforms, and in fact you are not even supposed to be on the platform unless you have a train ticket.
We split apart and we knew there was no way we could setup a tripod there. I've heard many stories of security coming quick to you if you try do so so. Sometimes, just having a camera bag and looking a serious photographer is enough to put security people on alert.
Again, I was not there to photograph the station and I kept my profile as low as possible, and just grabbed a cell phone shot of some of our group members on the platform.
And that was it for workshop day 3! One last morning and the workshop would be over...
WORKSHOP - DAY 4 - THE LAST DAY
I can't believe a week has gone by! Damn that was fast! Since the day I picked the boys at the Lisbon airport and drove to Porto, time flew really fast. We didn't stop for a moment! We were always on the move. We did a ton of things, and here we are, on the last day of the workshop. One last sunrise shot!
We had a simple goal on the last day: Arco da Rua Augusta. We arrived there really early before sunrise. Saturday morning. There is no on on the streets but us, too many of us. I was just blocking everyone's shot, but that's the life of a BTS shooter, right?
After shooting the arch we moved to the Praça do Comércio square. There are some interesting shots there. I'm still doing my BTS. Belive it or not, this has been a long week to everybody, but again, just look at Erin's smile! Erin was like that the whole week! It really didn't matter if it was 6:00am or 8:00pm. Erin was clearly having an awesome experience with a smile to prove it.
As we were almost done, I was starting to feel a little more relaxed. It was a long week, but everything went great and according to Scott's plan. The team worked great together, every one did their very best. We were almost done, and so I was able to grab a couple of shots for myself, just to relax... That's what I do when I need to relax: I go out and shot! I mean, photos, not weapons!
And we were done for the sunrise shoot! Time to go back in class for one last time. Time also for each member to submit his/her favorite shot of the week.
and the winner is...
Each participant submitted his best shot and every one voted for their favorite. It was anonymous voting and we used all techology available to make sure no harm was going to be made to any animals, and we worked hard to make sure voter fraud was not even possible. So, after all the work preparing the election for the shot of the workshop, we found the winner: Jen!!!
And with the award, the class was over, the workshop was finally over. No more work to be done! It was time to celebrate a very successful workshop for everyone. The team was happy! Participants were very happy! It was time to celebrate everyone's achievements! Congratulations everyone!
For me, it was time to put my camera to the rest and join everyone else for lunch! Scott invited everyone for a last meal together! Lisbon Workshop 2023 was officially over! It was a great success, For me it was a dream come true to be part of Scott's team, and welcome every body in my home city, my own country, and sharing all of it with everyone! Thank you Scott Kelby for having me on the team! Thank you everyone for being so nice and kind with me the whole week. I hope I can see you soon, either in Portugal or some place else in the world!
One last shot, the very last one, taken right after lunch, when Mimo tells Susan where the next Scott Kelby workshop will be! OMG!!!
WRAP UP
Thank you so much for staying with me all the way to the very end. I hope it was not too boring and I hope you were able to get a good sense of how much fun, how hard work it is, and how great it is to attend a workshop with Scott Kelby.
I'm sure at this time you are wondering where in the world is the next one to take place? Well, that's an easy answer. Whenever you want to know where Scott is going, just go to the website, sign up to be on the mailing list, and you will be the first to know.
Last but not least - and I'm writing this a few days later - Scott Kelby himself just put up his own Adobe Express page about our trip. Stories, great photos, and even some Photoshop tips, or it would not be Scott Kelby, right?! Go check yourself! You will love it! https://express.adobe.com/page/RQMHRYogOyNm8/
Thank you so much once again! Love, from Portugal!
Your friend, Fernando (aka Chicky Nando)
Lisbon, April 8th to 15th, 2023
Credits:
Fernando Santos