About Joao Maia

I am a part-time freelance photographer that specializes in landscape, nature and travel photography. I am currently based in Lisbon, Portugal, although I am (to some extent, given my current professional occupation as a software architect) available for traveling.

When I travel, even if it is for leisure, my first and foremost concern is photography. I like to be at the right place at the right time, and will try to do so everywhere I go.

My commitment as a photographer is to show the world I love in the best way I can, and hope that my work will inspire people to care more about the world they live in and see it for how beautiful it is.

My Projects

As most travelers do, I have a never ending list of locations that I wish to visit and photograph. Some of these include places like Japan, Patagonia, Alaska, Hawaii, and many others.

I wish to show these places not as geographic locations delimited by political boundaries, but as the emotions and atmosphere that they evoke. My message is not that I've traveled to such and such country, but rather to a land where this or that is the more important feature or emotion. That is how I see the world.

Apart from the images you can see in this web site, I have a blog that you can follow where I muse about photography and travel, and another one where I post some iPod Touch photos and try to unmask that preconception that good photos only come out of good cameras.

My Approach

I am a planner. Whenever I travel somewhere, and since I travel with the purpose of photographing, I plan the trip well before it starts, taking into account the places I want to visit, the shots I want to take, the weather and lighting conditions, and the resources I will need to visit that particular place. During most trips my time in a given place is limited, so in order to make the most of it I need to have a good plan.

That said, I also like to keep an open mind to any experience that may come along the way. My plans normally include some free time to just wander off and explore the places I'm at. Sometimes the best shots come from totally unexpected and unplanned situations.

My Other Activities

Apart from photography, I also study Japanese Budo, particularly the disciplines of Iaido and Jodo.

And since I have to make a living, I am a Software Architect at Fujitsu Portugal.