Interview: Photographer Miguel Barbosa (Portugal)

Tell us something about yourself

My name is Miguel, I’m 44 years old and I’m from Porto, Portugal. I work in an office from 8 to 5, but I’m also a fashion photographer and recently I’ve created a modeling agency, called Allure Model Management.

How and when did you get into photography?

Although photography has been in my life forever, and I have always taken thousands of pictures on different occasions, even when there was still only analog photography, the truth is that it was only a few years ago that I dedicated myself, so to speak, to a more professional way, trying to figure out what style of photography I was in.

What does photography mean to you?

Photography means everything to me. It is to eternalize a moment, to send a message, to convey feelings. Each photo is a world of emotions to discover, a fusion of ideas. In photography there are no language barriers. Each image is a unique moment that stays forever, a unique vision of the photographer in relation to that moment, in which he reflects his soul.

Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.

Without any doubt that the type of photography that fills me most is fashion photography. I have tried landscape photography, portrait, boudoir, events, children and newborns, but the fashion is undoubtedly the one with which I feel more connected. Maybe because I've been on fashion industry since I was 18 and it's already ingrained in me. Being a fashion photographer is entering a world of beauty, trends and glamour with countless options. Fashion and photography are two arts that together can be an explosion of creativity and a true visual delirium.

Where do you get inspiration from?

It is not an easy answer to give. Of course I do research, I see innumerable fashion editorials, catalogs, fashion magazines, etc. and of course this also becomes a source of inspiration for my work as a photographer, but that is what everyone does. Everything that surrounds us and everything that shaped us to be what we are today is a source of inspiration. The same person with a different education, another family, living in another city, would have a totally different inspiration. That's why I think my source of inspiration is everything around me the moment I shoot. The people, the environment, the clothes, the team, the weather is all I absorb to inspire myself.

Studio, on location or both?

Without any doubt on location. It is where I feel most comfortable and where I can give wings to creativity, working with the light and the colors that surround me, together with the clothes, accessories and models.

Think you in advance what you want in the picture?

I do not think too much in advance. I can have a general idea of what I want from the set, but I am a person who lives the moment very much. I like to analyze the conditions in the place, what ir has to give me and what I can get out of it. We live in a culture that values rationality, thought, order, to the detriment of emotion, intuition, and has difficulty dealing with the chaotic nature of things. I am the opposite; I live the emotion of the moment with all that it gives me. That's what I try to show in every picture.

Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?

At this moment I feel neither one nor the other. I feel like I'm between them. It is not a hobby because I already have some responsibility in productions for some national designers, but I cannot consider myself a paid professional, because I do not feel like a professional yet. I'm still walking there, and I have a lot to learn until I get there. But no doubt that is my wish, and every day I try to learn something new to get me closer to the goal.

What has been your most memorable session and why?

That's when I photographed the fashion editorial Morphogenesis for Beatriz Bettencourt, a Portuguese designer, a regular presence in one of the biggest national fashion events, Portugal Fashion. That was when I felt I could go further in fashion photography, that with the right people next to me, my work could be better and more valued. That was when I realized that fashion photography was what I wanted to do and that was what defined me as a photographer.

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?

Never give up their dreams. It’s not easy. You will find many obstacles along the way and people with bad intentions. But you should never give up what you love. You should look for what satisfies you most in the picture and follow the heart. That's the most important.

Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?

Canon for sure and my 70-200, f2.8 lens.

What has been the biggest source of inspiration in your work?

The family, without doubt, in the first place. My wife and daughter are my support in everything I do. If I am able to do what I do, I undoubtedly owe them, who support me and who, often, also guide me and help me deal with difficulties on a day to day basis. Another source of important inspiration is undoubtedly the friends, the true ones, who are always present. I am a person in love with the human being and I am lucky because I live surrounded by wonderful human beings in the day to day. And they are the ones who count and inspire me every day.

What do you think of our new magazine?

I have been following Modellenland for a long time now and it is undoubtedly a source of inspiration. I like it very much because it allows us to have very different visions of photographic works that at first sight could even be similar. This allows me to broaden horizons and have other perspectives of things. Sometimes a very small detail makes all the difference in a photo. That inspires me.

About the agency.

Allure Model Management is an agency created with the aim of dignifying the activities of the models in Portugal, preparing them for the job market in the world of Fashion and Advertising.

It is a dynamic project, created by professionals in the areas of fashion, and it aims above all to become a reference of excellence in this environment. Its modern concept is based on a philosophy of investing in the potential of its models, through appropriate training, so that they can also reach the highest levels of competence, not only for the satisfaction of our clients, but also in their own careers.

Our commitment is to manage their careers with competence, professionalism and above all a lot of responsibility, helping them to realize their dreams and achieve their goals in the world of fashion.

Miguel Barbosa Photography – www.facebook.com/mbarbosaphotography

Allure Model Management – www.alluremodelmanagement.pt

Designer: Luciana Almeida Stylist: Emanuel Ramos MakeUp: Ines Almeida Model: Andreia Tavares Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Luciana Almeida Stylist: Emanuel Ramos MakeUp: Ines Almeida Model: Jessica Rodrigues Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Luciana Almeida Stylist: Emanuel Ramos MakeUp: Ines Almeida Model: Adriana Pacheco Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Beatriz Bettencourt MakeUp: Rita Silva Models: Ana Catarina and Carolina Araujo Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Beatriz Bettencourt MakeUp: Rita Silva Models: Ana Alves and Carolina Araujo Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Veronica Cristovao

MakeUp: Veronica Cristovao

Model: Yuliya Novosyadla

Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Beatriz Bettencourt MakeUp: Rita Silva Models: Ana Alves and Melinda Vieira Agency: Allure Model Management

Brand: Kapulana Stylist: Emanuel Ramos MakeUp: Lia Santos Hair Stylist: Bruno Vieira Model: Maria Ines Poceiro Agency: Allure Model Management

Brand: Kapulana Stylist: Emanuel Ramos MakeUp: Lia Santos Hair Stylist: Bruno Vieira Model: Maria Belen Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Beatriz Bettencourt MakeUp: Rita Silva Models: Ana Alves and Melinda Vieira Agency: Allure Model Management

Designer: Veronica Cristovao

MakeUp: Veronica Cristovao

Model: Yuliya Novosyadla

Agency: Allure Model Management