top of page

Street, Travel & Documentary Photography Workshop

Lisbon

Lisbon is a city of layered histories, changing light and quiet, unfolding rhythms. It is a place where the Atlantic meets the hills, where the old and the modern overlap constantly, and where human life moves in subtle but rich patterns. This workshop is designed for photographers who want to deepen their ability to observe, interpret and build documentary narratives grounded in authenticity and intention.


Led by documentary photographer Daniel Rodrigues, this four-day intensive programme combines fieldwork, editing, close guidance, and critical discussion. The focus is not on photographing landmarks, but on reading the city as a living environment — understanding its light, its pace, and its human presence.


Maximum: 8 participants

Minimum: 5 participants

Duration: 4 intensive days

Fee: 650€ per participant


One edition available:  

Workshop taught entirely in English 


Why Lisbon?

Lisbon is one of Europe’s most rewarding cities for street and documentary photography. The light is constantly shifting — soft in the morning, sharp at noon, golden at the end of the day. The neighbourhoods each carry their own visual language: Alfama’s narrow alleys, Mouraria’s multicultural energy, Baixa’s geometric order, Cais do Sodré’s movement, and the riverfront’s open, reflective spaces.


Lisbon is not about spectacle. It is about atmosphere, gesture, routine and the quiet complexity of everyday life. Working here is an exercise in precision, patience and sensitivity.


This workshop is ideal for photographers who want to develop:


• a refined understanding of natural light  

• the ability to work in slow and fast visual environments  

• human approach skills grounded in respect and awareness  

• narrative sensibility in contemporary urban spaces  

• a documentary mindset applied to daily life


Lisbon teaches you to observe more deeply and to photograph with clarity and intention.


What You Will Learn

Upcoming Editions

• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place  

• Remaining 75% due up to 30 days before the workshop  

• Minimum of 5 confirmed participants  

• Maximum group size: 8


Lisbon workshops fill quickly due to the strong visual environment and limited number of places.



Registration

Fee per participant: 650€


Includes:  

• Four full days of guided work  

• Theory, field practice and editing sessions  

• Individual and group feedback  

• Pre-workshop support (equipment, preparation, recommended locations)


Does not include:  

• transport  

• accommodation  

• meals  

• insurance  

• local expenses

Price & Conditions

1) Light as a central element of storytelling


Lisbon is known for its unique light — reflective, directional and often dramatic.  


You will learn to:  

• use Lisbon’s changing light as a structural element  

• expose deliberately in high-contrast situations  

• recognise transitions between warm and cool atmospheres  

• use shadows, reflections and gradients to support narrative meaning


2) Composition in layered, slow-moving environments


Lisbon offers a different rhythm from Marrakech for example — slower, more observational, and more reliant on anticipation.  


You will work on:  

• identifying visual patterns  

• reading the city’s layers and spatial geometry  

• composing within movement that unfolds gradually  

• building frames with strong foreground-background relations

3) Human approach with cultural sensitivity


Lisbon’s diversity — from traditional neighbourhoods to contemporary areas — requires a thoughtful and respectful approach.  


You will learn how to:  

• approach people openly and ethically  

• work in multicultural contexts  

• recognise when a moment is appropriate to photograph  

• create trust through presence and awareness


4) Documentary storytelling in a European capital


The goal is not to photograph clichés or postcards.  

It is to build a personal documentary perspective on the city.  

You will explore:  

• daily routines and local rhythms  

• interactions shaped by contemporary Lisbon  

• contrasts between tradition and modernity  

• micro-stories and quiet transitions  

• the relationship between people, space and light

3) Human approach with cultural sensitivity


Lisbon’s diversity — from traditional neighbourhoods to contemporary areas — requires a thoughtful and respectful approach.  


You will learn how to:  

• approach people openly and ethically  

• work in multicultural contexts  

• recognise when a moment is appropriate to photograph  

• create trust through presence and awareness


4) Documentary storytelling in a European capital


The goal is not to photograph clichés or postcards.  

It is to build a personal documentary perspective on the city.  

You will explore:  

• daily routines and local rhythms  

• interactions shaped by contemporary Lisbon  

• contrasts between tradition and modernity  

• micro-stories and quiet transitions  

• the relationship between people, space and light

Four-day Programme

What You Will Learn

What You Will Learn

Four-Day Structure

Price & Conditions

Mornings


• Short theoretical sessions  

• Reference studies from classical and contemporary documentary work  

• Planning and preparation for fieldwork  

• Ethical and narrative orientation


Afternoons


• Fieldwork in Alfama, Mouraria, Baixa, Chiado, Cais do Sodré, Belém and other neighbourhoods  

• Close guidance during shooting  

• Observation exercises and individual challenges

Late afternoons / Evenings

• Editing sessions  

• Rigorous selection and sequencing  

• Group critique  

• Construction of each participant’s final narrative


Late afternoons / Evenings

• Editing sessions  

• Rigorous selection and sequencing  

• Group critique  

• Construction of each participant’s final narrative


Late afternoons / Evenings

• Editing sessions  

• Rigorous selection and sequencing  

• Group critique  

• Construction of each participant’s final narrative


Late afternoons / Evenings

• Editing sessions  

• Rigorous selection and sequencing  

• Group critique  

• Construction of each participant’s final narrative


Fee per participant: 650€


Includes:  

• Four full days of guided work  

• Theory, field practice and editing sessions  

• Individual and group feedback  

• Pre-workshop support (equipment, preparation, recommended locations)


Does not include:  

• transport  

• accommodation  

• meals  

• insurance  

• local expenses

• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place  

• Remaining 75% due up to 30 days before the workshop  

• Minimum of 5 confirmed participants  

• Maximum group size: 8


Lisbon workshops fill quickly due to the strong visual environment and limited number of places.



Price & Conditions

• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place  

• Remaining 75% due up to 30 days before the workshop  

• Minimum of 5 confirmed participants  

• Maximum group size: 8


Lisbon workshops fill quickly due to the strong visual environment and limited number of places.



Upcoming Editions
bottom of page