About

 

Hey! I’m Luís — a photographer and blogger living on the beautiful island of Madeira.
That’s where the name Island Men Photography comes from.

If you’d like to work together, just drop me a message here.

Want to see what I’m most proud of? Head over to my Portfolio.

Wondering what gear I use? You’ll find all the details on the My Gear page.

At the heart of it all is the blog. I write a few posts every month — from camera setup tips and photography tutorials to gear reviews, travel ideas, and more.
Some posts will be about my adventures around Madeira and stories from past travels too.
A lot of people know me from Instagram, but writing is really my favourite way to share what I learn and experience along the way.

You can also find me on:

  • Instagram — where I post most of my photos. It’s kind of my online scrapbook. I share short videos there too.

  • Other places like Threads and Facebook — just to keep in touch and share bits and pieces.

Popular posts from this blog

Why APS-C is the Choice for Hobbyists and Professional Starters

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  Over the past few years, I started feeling the limitations of my old Nikon D80 — even the smartphones I got eventually outperformed it in several areas. Mainly in portability, dynamic range, and ISO performance. Taking photos in low light was always a challenge. In fact, I had trouble getting good results in less favorable conditions because I stubbornly kept using low ISOs to avoid noise, and also due to the limited aperture of my Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G kit lens. The simplicity of use of smartphones in the last 5 or 6 years clearly surpassed my camera. The Full-Frame Temptation Full-frame was always a dream ever since Nikon released the D600. But I never took the leap within the brand because even back then, a full-frame body was expensive — and I still had to invest in lenses. Years passed, I was out of the market for a while, and when I started looking again in 2024 with a typical hobbyist budget, reality hit me: jumping to full-frame had become even more prohib...
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When Glass Has Soul - First Impressions with the Zeiss Sonnar 24mm f/1.8

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  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...
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Between Mistakes, Photos, & Algorithms

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  A down-to-earth look at the ups and downs of chasing a passion.  Photography, technology, and a long digital journey I've been photographing as a hobbyist for over 20 years, but I make a living from my 9-to-5 job in tech and IT. With my background in this field, I’ve ventured into the digital world in many ways over the years. I once had my own photography website and domain, with dynamic Flash content I created myself. I started blogs, participated in photography forums (where I learned a lot), and explored various platforms — always without much success or recognition. From motorbikes to Instagram I had a YouTube channel where I posted motovlogs, driven by my love of motorcycles, but eventually abandoned it due to low engagement. I shifted my focus to Instagram, where I’m more active today. My small account @luismsaguiar (with about 1100 followers) features photos and short videos — captured with my Insta360 — about life as a biker on the island. At the moment, i...
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