Island Men Photography

  For a long time, I searched for the right lens to match my vision of photography — something wide enough for street shots, yet intimate enough to feel personal. Many go for the modern Sigma 23mm f/1.4 DC DN or the Viltrox Pro 27mm f/1.2. But I had my eyes set on something older, rarer, and full of character: the Zeiss Sonnar 24mm f/1.8. A Golden Find After months of scanning used listings across Europe, I finally found one in excellent condition — boxed, with all accessories — for 399€. For a lens this well-built and optically unique, I couldn't be happier. The Zeiss doesn't have optical stabilization (OSS), but that was never a dealbreaker for me. What it does have is soul.   First Light The first test shot I took wasn't glamorous — just a fire hydrant near my work place. But the light was soft and filtered through leaves, falling perfectly on the subject. I shot it wide open at f/2.5 , ISO 100 , shutter 1/2500 on my Sony A6400 , and the result stunned me. Ev...

     February 20, 2010. A storm like no other.      Fifteen years ago , on a Saturday under a yellow weather warning, Madeira was hit by torrential rain — as much in a single day as during an entire winter season. The result was devastating: 47 people lost their lives, 4 went missing, hundreds were displaced, and the island suffered millions of euros in damages.      The physical rebuilding happened surprisingly fast, but emotionally, the scars remain.      The day after the storm, I took my Nikon D80 and a Nikon F 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens and made my way into the city centre. It wasn’t easy — many roads were blocked, and heavy machinery and police were already working through the wreckage. But I felt the need to document what had happened. I had to see it with my own eyes and record it with my camera.      These 30 photos are just a small portion of what I witnessed. They reflect not only the physical d...

“ Don't shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.” — David A. Harvey Island Men Photography – A Fresh Start Over the years, I lost count of all the websites, domains, and projects I’ve created to share my passion for photography. This is yet another blog — this time, in English. I had one back in 2010 written in Portuguese, but it never really took off and didn’t have much content. I've been into digital photography since 1998/ 99, starting with an HP Photosmart C618, which had just 2.1 megapixels. Back then, I had a friend whose father had a deep passion for optics, telescopes, and photography. He owned an impressive collection of both analog and digital cameras — some of which I had the chance to try. Today, that same man runs the Madeira Optics Museum in Funchal. It was through that friend and those early cameras that I truly got bitten by the photography bug. A few years later — I can’t recall exactly when — that same friend got a Sony DSC- F717 , and soon a...