oct. twentytwenty, Lisboa|caparica, portugal.
THE ADVENTURE LET'S MAKE THIS FUN
THREE DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS AND THREE DIFFERENT TOPICS.
NO 1. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY, CULTURE, FOOD AND SURFING (MORE FOR MYSELF)
NO 2. DOCUMENTARY PIECE OF THE FRENCH DJ FLORENT HUGEL
NO 3. " A SURFERS LIFE" A FILM ABOUT THE LIFE OF JORGE ZAGALO
C U L T U R E A N D F O O D - CAPARICASTREET PHOTOGRAPHY, CULTURE, FOOD AND SURFING
WHEN WE DID THE BOOKING FOR THE TRIP, I WAS ASKED IF I WOULD PREFER THE BEACH OR CITY AREA. ME, BEING A PASSIONATE SURFER OF COURSE CHOOSE THE BEACH OPTION AND SO, AFTER PICKING UP MY RENTAL CAR I WAS ON MY WAY TO
COSTA DE CAPARICA
A SMALL COASTAL TOWN, RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF PORTUGAL'S CAPITAL, LISBOA.
THE VIBE IN CAPARICA IS, FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, REALLY NICE. MOSTLY EVERYONE HERE SPEAKS ENGLISH, THE GROCERY STORES ARE QUITE CHEAP AND ACCOMODATION WISE THERE'S A WIDE RANGE TO CHOOSE FROM.
I WAS BOOKED INTO THE Colibri Hotel which was really dope when it came to the staff and service. the breakfast and beds were an adventure.
I mean, personally I don't care anyways but I guess some of you have a wife/girlfriend/mother/kid/cat/cousin that values those things,
The beauty though, it's literally two min from the beach and some of the surf spots around and this is EXACTLY what I wanted :)
T H E S U R F I N G"It's like a gigantic washing machine"
WELCOME TO COSTA DE CAPARICA
THE LITTLE TOWN HAS ONE OF THE MOST LOVED BREAKS AROUND AND ALMOST EVERYONE SPENDS THEIR EVENING BY THE BEACH.
IT'S AMONG THE LONGEST BEACHES IN PORTUGAL AND HAS TO OFFER ALL KINDS OF ADVENTURES, FROM LOCAL FISHERMAN SELLING THEIR FRESH CATCH RIGHT OFF THE BOAT, TO LITTLE BEACH GYMS AND BARS.
"I GOT DRILLED, MATE"
FIRST DAY SURFING THE WAVES OF COSTA DE CAPARICA WAS NOT REALLY SUCCESSFUL. ALSO RESULTED IN ME LOSING MY BELOVED OLD GOPRO HERO 4 SESSION
I LITERALLY GOT CHEWED UP AND SPIT OUT.
AFTER I GRACEFULLY CATCHED MY FIRST AND LAST WAVE OF THE DAY I DECIDED TO CALL IT AND YEAH. . . UNFORTUNATELY NO SURF FOOTAGE THIS TIME. and here's a quick little tip. . . there is a reason that go pro produced special surf mounts. i can highly advise you to use them!
moving on,
the next days would get a lot better and after figuring out the beach break and the perfect time to surf it, it was super fun, mate!
Now keep in mind, we are talking about the beginning of october here and that's still the beginning of the season and the arctic swell in portugal.
this year it felt a little to early tbh, it was almost 30 degrees (that's celsius, my dear american friends) in the daytime and even the water felt "warm" for atlantic conditions.
S T R E E T P H O T O G R A P H Y | LISBON"A 15 - 100 min drive"
Yes, that's right. depending on the traffic situation, driving into downtown lisbon might take up almost two hours. at least that was my worst experience. It's really hard to say why those things happen but from what i have seen it's mostly because of the lack of driving skills. people in portugal are horrible drivers, and this is coming from someone that lived and worked in bangkok.
Which brings me to the next point. parking and one way streets.
"For fuck sake, I almost got a stroke."
First of all, wherever you want to go, wherever. . . the chances of finding a parking spot in that area, are close to freaking zero!
This, for one reason, is due to road works everywhere and streets simply being closed within the blink of an eye another reason is that there's simply not much space downtown, parking garages are usually full and if there's a free spot on the street.... there's a reason it's free :D !
"WECLOME TO THE TOURISTIC SIDE"
For the First day of street photography and also getting and impression for the city, i think this is the place to go.
I mean apart from the fact that everyone is trying to sell you drugs, it combines everything the city is famous for. mostly untouched architecture and designs from a different time, traditionell restaurants and bars, with modern pop up stores and the famous tramcar,
I don't know how much you are into street photography but this area will keep you busy. Grab a coffee to go and off you go, there's a new dope shot waiting in every corner.
I shot my session that day with a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 USM II L, mounted with metabones adapter on the sony a7 iii.
A R U N A N D G U N F I L M"COME IN". . . AND THEN HE STARTED MAKING A KEY.
I WAS SHOOTING B ROLL FOR THE DOCUMENTARIES AND CAME ACROSS THIS GUYS SHOP IN THE MIDDLE OF LIKE NOWHERE.
SO THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO THE STORY UNFORTUNATELY. HE INVITED ME IN AND STARTED MAKING A KEY, I STOOD THERE LIKE AN IDIOT FOR A SECOND AND THEN JUST STARTED RECORDING,
FORGOTTEN CRAFT
"MY FAVORITE SPOT IN LISBON, BY FAR!"
imagine a gigantic old factory turned into bars, restaurant's, stores, start ups, etc. . . it's just fascinating and beautiful at the same time. I actually shot all the interview and some b-roll for hugel there ;).
"just find your favorite"
While there's an gigantic outdoor area, there is also little doors kind of hidden everywhere around the buildings that work like a time machine.
It's always a surprise where you end up, sometimes it's an old camera store, sometimes a modern bar, This area is full of surprises.
No. 2 F L O R E N T H U G E L"I wanted to do something different"
a project we are currently still working on so i can't say too much more than, it's the story of a boy with a dream. Not your typical interview, but a little more personal version. Imagine meeting flo in a bar.
The whole video is not so much a new invention but a different perspective. You are not talking to a 40 year old journalist here, you are talking to a guy your age, a friend if you want. Because that's also something that we (him and his crew) became,
So cheers, boys ;) Thanks for the great time!
No. 3 A S U R F E R S L I F E "MY PROBABLY MOST EMOTIONAL PIECE"
- The story of jorge -
after surfing with a rental board for the first two days, i was given "siouxsie" my first very own surfboard. not many will understand, but that's a big deal.
No, I was given this board by jorge Zagalo, owner of the local surf shop|brand UNDERGROUND.
So as me and Jorge got to know each other, and shared some stories, I wanted to give him something in return.
Something personal as well. Why personal ? because surfing for me is a very personal thing. the reason why is a whole different story though.
long story short, we filmed a little piece on him that he didn't see till a day ago (Oct 25 2020) the premiere of the film is tonight :D! Unfortunately due to the corona situation I'm stuck in Germany and I can't be a part of it but I hope it's gonna be awesome!
"It's also the beginning of my upcoming film series: "A SURFERS LIFE". "
I hope you enjoyed
this little film and my portugal adventure
shoot me a message and tell me what you think
yo@romemichael.com
xx, Rome