I grew up in Lisbon with my mother as a flight attendant and my father a pilot, so even since before I was born I’ve been traveling. I’m a professional photographer, something I’ve always felt drawn into ever since I can remember. My mom would throw dinner parties when I was younger, and I never wanted to be in the pictures, I only wanted to make them. I would always take such a long time to frame (it’s like it was innate or some biological thing in me), and after a few seconds everyone would start asking “Hey ! Is that for today or tomorrow ??”

I was already, not knowingly, looking for the best frame. So it’s like I was “genetically” born with photography in me.

Another massive thing which boosted my love is that I am very lucky to be from the most beautiful city in the world (everyone says that I know, but I mean in a completely non biased way, because the most beautiful country in the world is not remotely Portugal, it’s New Zealand, but in cities Lisbon does take the prize !).
All the beauty and insane photogeny Lisbon has, draws one even more to it (both the city and Photography). So much so that after I finished my photography studies of 3 years in Barcelona (institut de estudios fotografics de catalunya), when I arrived back in Lisbon for 2 or 3 years it was by far what I photographed the most.

As my mother was a flight attendant for TAP,  she took me with her many times, which fostered the crazy curiosity I have to know all the whole planet. Thanks Mum. Growing up I devoured so many National Geographic and BBC documentaries aswell, and couldn’t wait to get to see all those wonders.

I’m not really a consumerist, I get one or two very small things and usually very cheap and local when I travel to have as a memory. Like in New Delhi I got lost in this street and they were selling everything, one guy was selling very old and absolutely spectacular lockers that were a complete work of Art for around 40 or 50 cents…

Getting lost in a city is one of my secrets for incredible experiences and photo opportunities. Travelling provides the realization that everyone is the same everywhere. You have nice and not so nice people all over the planet, and how everyone wants the same : health love and money. In different ways and levels but it’s absolutely universal to human kind.

 

Travelling also effects my thinking, I know things are gonna be different so I just have to adapt and accept. Like the extreme poverty in India and Bangladesh, it’s completely eye opening & taught me how lucky I am.

The people in Varanasi bathing with shampoo and soap in  the Ganghes, the most polluted river in the world.
In India I would not try street food even if I was dying of complete starvation.

 

But food doesn’t need to be expensive to be good.

I stopped eating animals 7 years ago, and am now 100% plant based,
I have tried so many unusual foods in the world… Alligator, buffalo, camel, scorpions, grasshopper/cricket, dog, whale and even seal. 

It’s always the very small tiny places in the middle of nowhere that make the best food. I’ll never forget one place in particular in Turkey, no tourists, just a kid and his mom, with an incredible view of the ocean. The food was amazing… In Bhutan I had the most amazing eggplant ever, and in Afghanistan the most amazing eggplant and cauliflower. In Israel food is amazing everywhere… 

If you love fresh squeezed juices like me, the pineapples from Brasil and Sri Lanka are the best in the world.

 

The nature in some places is what always took my breath away the most, whether New Zealand, Norway, Svalbard or Greenland, nature can put on a show like nothing else.

 

 

My favorite countries in the world to shoot are New Zealand for the nature and landscapes and India for the spectacular faces and colors and completely different culture and way of life.

 

Afghanistan this year was quite impressive aswell, for the beauty of the country. I was there in the winter and saw it completely covered with snow and blizzards, with beyond stunning views. Wherever I go I try to get lost, because almost always when I do that I find the best photos… Talking to locals and meeting people opens doors you don’t expect as well.

 

In Cuba, I went to a place called Viñales and talked to local bicycle taxi drivers about what to do and see. One told me about a cave on the top of this mountain, and I had to go out of town. I grabbed my car and went there with one of these guys. When I got there he had a friend who knew how to get there and guided me. We hiked for an hour or more in very difficult and muddy terrain before reaching almost on the top of the mountain, the cave.

The entrance was big but once inside it got smaller. We had to go down an old wood ladder, climb down, then go deeper inside the cave. Finally we arrived a “pool” full of water. The guy told me that it was connected to the other side of the mountain, and if you would go too deep inside in the water you would be washed away down the mountain and be spat out to the other side of it and probably never be found again.

So we went inside for a swim, the current was very strong pulling us in, and there was a part I’ll never forget, where the water level was SO high that I was swimming with my head completely up because if I swam in a normal way my nose would be under water for the roof was literally touching the top of my head (there were around 15 cm or so of space… the absolute ultimate claustrophobic persons nightmare). It was so claustrophobic that to come back I didn’t even swim, I just grabbed the roof and pulled myself back into shore. Epic.

I’ve also been to Israel where, in the lamentation wall in Jerusalem, I went inside a part that was exclusively for the most hardcore orthodox jews to pray. These were some incredible shots.

 

 

There’s also an event in Iran that happens in the middle of the desert where I was the only non-Iranian person there among thousands and thousands, and they were burning tents and recreating this battle that happened in the 1300s or so.

In Iran people are very friendly, when I was walking the street a guy just invited me inside, offered me local candies and tea. I was there with him for a bit, then he took me to a massive place filled with thousands of people inside (it was the month were the muslims in Iran most prayed and had festivals), where you have a guy preaching and all the thousands in front of him have their hand raised and pray together. Not only did he take me there but the event was being televised for the whole country (thats almost all they have on tv during those celebrations) and I was backstage among the tv crew etc getting the best shots.

 

One of the most epic experiences was in Afghanistan, where I came across this empty old abandoned Football stadium in the middle of nowhere, and I wanted to check it inside. When we got there my guide noticed that the Taliban were there and it was like some headquarters for them and he told me right away not to go there and that it wasn’t possible to see. I persisted and stayed there a bit more trying to see if someone would go by and someone did and I asked them if I could check it out, and they said yeah no problem. When I got inside, there were around 10 talibans playing Football, in the old pitch of that abandoned Football stadium, and I asked to play with them and so there I was, playing Football, with the Taliban, in an abandoned stadium, in the middle of the Afghan mountains, covered with snow… Hardly still have words for it. In the end I complimented the jacket of one of them and he was offering me his jacket (!) and really wanted me to accept it, I refused still, but then he told me “wait here !”, he then went to his car, and when he came his hands were full of some local dried fruits and local nuts that were really good, and he just told me “these are the best in Afghanistan !”

 

Conclusion

 

Traveling has been the ultimate canvas for my photography and my life, shaping my art & my perspective on the world. From the vibrant faces and colors of India to the snow-clad landscapes of Afghanistan, each destination has added layers to my understanding of beauty, culture, and human connection. The heart of travel lies in embracing the unexpected. It’s not just about the places you visit, but the stories you gather and the humanity you find, one frame at a time.

 

 

Photography & Authored by Marcos Sobral

Instagram: @marcos_sobral_photography

Website: www.marcossobral.pt