About

Our curiosity propels us into life, slowly leading us towards the responsibilities we will play within the community.

As ascertain of my necessity to know my-self, it makes me live in this endeavour by giving me through the uncertain of life the fuel for my interests and desire to leave for the unknown.

Photography was always part of my life. It was a consequence of having a grandfather as a prominent photographer from Lisbon, it made me grow up watching him and fell in love for the art.

I started by assist him with 14 years old, loading materials in the studio, work in the field and cleaning. By the time I was taking more responsibility, and with 17 years old, I achieve the film process development with large and medium format cameras films, besides the 35mm.

Not always the testimonial that we have near our lives become evident to follow

Not always the testimonial that we have near our lives become evident to follow, especially when we have other great influences around. To avoid to embark on a career that later could not be for me, at the age of 19 I went to Africa as a volunteer in a mission where most of my work dedicated himself to social intervention, repeating this in the following three years.

I assisted in prisons, hospitals, colonies with lepers and tuberculosis, orphanages, street children, beggars, assist with public maintenance works and gave lessons in isolated villages. The photography approach was revealed to me as component of my observation and contemplation of things that I was living. And it did changed my perception on how Photography was really in-depth in me.

With a strong sure that photography were ingrained in me. I enrolled in the Portuguese Institute of Photography (IPF) which I graduate with the professional Course of Photography gaining access for training-ship. By choice, I choose to stage in the area of photojournalism, dealing in the criminal investigation since it is an area where photography ends up being true, with no clichés. This choice, in part, was decided to find me in the most appropriate age plus the added motivation of the challenge due to the difficulties of reportage and the precarious conditions for doing so.

Putting myself in proof in some situations at work made me go through different experiences truly rewarding, giving me some notions of human fragility, complexity of everyday life as well as the responsibility and ethics adjacent to the work of a photographer.

As a seeker in photography I did not stopped to specialise in other areas, and in parallel to my Intern-ships, I was able to experience fashion-photography production and photo-event report in Portugal. These challenges have led me not only to work among the best national and international publishers, such as dealing with the responsibility to work with rated photographers and demanding rated customers.

By taking into account the situation of the international market these last decades, and their related issues, I also turned my photography skills towards social-voluntary work, in order to be able to contribute with my best to causes that deserve awareness and support.

Despite the unique opportunities of my career, I felt driven to achieve limits in order to become more as a person and as a photographer

Despite the unique opportunities of my career, I felt driven to become more as a person and as a photographer as I faced the first changes in the international market and the trends in world journalism, with the Internet becoming the reality beyond print media. This was, in a way, a consequence of the previous shift from analogue to digital photography. And once again, it was devastating to witness the slow and continuous list of newspapers closing down and the diminishing job opportunities.

Therefore, at the end of 2008, I applied and ended-up to be selected to enroll, along with internationally recognized classmates, in one of the world’s top Master of Arts on Photography degrees in International Photo-journalism, Travel and Documentary Photography, placed in China through an international exchange program between the University of Bolton (UK) with Dalian Medical University (CHN). Where, through the year 2009, I was able to develop, during the MA pioneer program, an understanding of the World’s media Economy comprehension, Imagined Geographies, Cultural and Social Responsibility trends combined with Multimedia Journalism introduction on reporting and producing development. (A fusion of different techniques such as Web design, Video, Sound and Photography, applied for the audiences interest on a better engagement with the subjects, while reading news on their PC’s, Mobile-phones and other high-tech-platforms).

This incredible experience made me the chance to work with Canon, by testing their 2009 new equipment with the revolutionary Canon 5D Mark II.  To work and collaborate with the Chinese Press by developing documentary works in Shanghai, Beijing, Manila (Philippines) and, through my 2009 main Masters project, “Macau, ten years into the change of sovereignty” a documentary project focused on its progress comparing its past, its present and its possible future with the great collaborating of the “Beijing News” newspaper.

With this Master’s program I was also able to meet, work and learn with an international elite of teachers, professionals, classmates (some of them World Press Photo prizes or references) and Agencies from the United Kingdom, China, Unite States of America (Alexia Foundation; Media Storm), Germany (Stern Magazine), Brazil (ANDI agency) and Australia.

Through all these opportunities, I have retained a wide range of pioneering skills in dealing with a demanding international workflow, new ways of publishing and news production adapted to different digital platforms by meeting the demands of the international market at the time.

In addition to, as by consequence of all of these experiences and quality demand, less than a month after completing my Master of Arts, I started to develop between Europe and Africa several projects due to Space: A human Adventure by NASA, fashion, photo-journalism, travel and commercial photography for different network of hotels and producing documentary multimedia projects related to Children Rights Protection and some social motivation subjects also from sports movements like the MODJO bodyboards.

The sense of great responsibility and commitment to relocate and establish a photography department for a local news media group, in Angola (Africa)

It was with a sense of great responsibility and commitment that in 2012 I was indicated, with the creation of a big media group in Angola (Africa), to relocate and become responsible to structure and establish a photography department adapted to meet the requirements of corresponding the journalism traits and serve all photography and image requirements to three different newspapers and two distinctive magazines. As a coordinator and senior photographer I had the duty to cover risk assignments, delicate social-intervention issues inside the several human depression-areas around the city of Luanda (Angola) and other surrounding countries, cover its cosmopolitan agendas and follow closely all economic and social affairs. My aim was to build strong and coherent photo-reportage productions, stories to improve the image of breaking-news content, interviews, fashion, politics, economy and cultural affairs on a fast-paced rhythm, within a country that only knew peace in 2002 after forty years of war. At this time it was experiencing a very strong economic growth fuelled by the oil industry but still remained a slow social progress with severe contrasts between its strata. The repercussions of the war were felt in social behaviour, especially in some of the habits and customs regarding the way journalism was dealt with and the publication of content on issues that could damage the reputation of the party that had been in power since independence.

Despite some visible divergences inside and outside of the work environment, my task was to teach, implement, and improve the department’s workflow and methodology. I then built a visual language for each platform, along with the Design department, ensuring that every element was familiar with all publishing platform styles to save resources and share the workload fairly, adjusted to the stringent daily assignment lineup. Meanwhile, and as a consequence of my previous tasks, I also worked on developing the image and information banking archive based on the EPA and IPA style books, as well as the Portuguese thesaurus model, to optimize all content to improve and satisfy our editorial needs. Additionally, this provided another service to allow multiple sources of revenue for the company. However, the task that I was not expecting to have was to become an ambassador for our journals, to bridge the gap between private sector companies and projects that would invest by advertising in our pages. Since I had to deal directly with administrative staff from different companies inside different branches, I was able to assist and promote an empowerment cross-connection between our commercial, marketing, or sales departments.

Nevertheless, I am someone that is always available to enrich on surpassing any difficulty: By working hard, be a plus with Whom I am working with. In order to become better and better in what I like to do and be able to follow my dreams and goals, no matter where I have to go.

Duarte Lima Villas  杜瓦特

Duarte Lima Villas – CV
Duarte Lima Villas – Portfolio