What a weekend in Porto taught me

Written By Mattia Compagnucci

I came to Porto for a weekend with two goals in mind: (1) to have my first solo trip fully focused on photography, and (2) to allow some space for my mind to wander and reflect.

I need space for reflection. I often make the mistake of obsessing over a question, continuously ruminating and searching for an answer—but that’s not how the mind works best. What works best is to prompt your mind with a question and then do something else, allowing the mind the space to come up with an answer on its own. There’s a reason why the best ideas come in the shower or, less discussed, while sitting on the toilet.

The question I prompted myself with for this trip wasn’t an easy one: Why do I make photographs?

The answer came on the second day of photographing.

I’ve always framed what was visually appealing—perhaps because I’m a designer—but after the first day, I felt quite unfulfilled. Something was missing.

That changed on the second day. I walked out early in the morning to catch the best light, only to find the sky resembling the worst winter day in Berlin. As a night owl, waking up early doesn’t come naturally to me. Despite that, I was out with a different attitude, more open to what would unfold in front of me and more curious about life happening instead of just beauty happening. That’s when I engaged with a warm human being who was living on the street, taking care of his partner and a neighborhood cat. Spending some time speaking with him and taking portraits of that heartfelt moment was a unique experience. I also walked in a barber shop and met a man from southern Portugal visiting Porto after a long time, who could speak seven languages. It was nice to listen his travel adventures and the why behind so many languages.

These were just a few of the people I encountered and briefly connected with during those days in Porto.

And finally, I recognized the toll that tourism has on the city of Porto—a toll that became the silver lining that set the intention behind my camera: documenting a city heavily molded by tourism.

I will leave this topic for another time, as I might develop it further and deeper.

Going back to what I learned during those days, to answer my initial question: I photograph to tell stories and to connect with the people I cross paths with during my wanderings.

I’m grateful that this answer came from listening to my feelings rather than obsessing over finding an answer. In this way, I’m sure it resonates with me more than any fancy answer I could have thought up.

 

✽

 
Mattia Compagnucci
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