Why do I have two newsletters on my photo site?

The shortest answer is because Micro.Blog is forcing me to keep it separate.

But the actual reason is the same why I created two satellites to the main site on Micro.Blog in the first place: Fieldnotes and Just The Photos. One is more for the new stuff and updates, while other for the archive and memories. So it makes sense to keep them separate), specially because the second one, to me, feels like it needs a space on it own, away from the randomness from my updates. But that’s maybe just me being picky.

When configuring the newsletter I got stuck with that decision of creating them separate, having a single one could be interesting, but letting users pick what they want should be fine also. So, for now, you can have my photography updates in your email in two ways: the new stuff as it happens and the memories from my archive.

Nick Carver went down a fascinating rabbit hole of why Canon’s adapters with back filters always need a glass there. It’s very geek and fascinating at the same time, but may skip the Pedro Pascal part!

The guys at Petapixel just released a video called “How I Pack Less Camera Gear on Vacation” (no link, don’t want to give clicks)

Halfway in the video and they’re already in the second medium format camera… Do people (and reviewers in particular) have a sense of reality? What world do they live on?

Há alguns anos pude ver este lindíssimo “Baptismos da Meia Noite” do Joan Alvado exposto nos Encontros de Imagem em Braga, e nem era uma das exposições que estava no meu radar, fui porque alguém disse que não podia perder. Agora que passou a livro não o podia perder!

A book partially covered by bubble wrap features the title Os Batismos da Meia Noite and the name Joan Alcedo in gold text.A person is standing in a misty, densely wooded forest, creating a mysterious and atmospheric scene.Two people are standing outdoors on a pathway surrounded by foliage, as seen in an open book held by someone.A person with a mustache is depicted in a dark-toned photograph inside an open book, with their features partially obscured by shadows.An open booklet displays a dark, abstract pattern with hints of brown and orange hues, while a hand holds the lower left corner.

Dear Instagram, please stop enabling by default the notifications for your new random feature; please stop adding music to everything I post; please remove all the bloat you’ve been adding, “Instants”? As if Posts, Stories and Reels weren’t enough…

Lisbon Street Photo Fest is getting into a nice shape, after the awesome last year. Sabiha Çimen has just been announced as headliner, shortly after Paulie B, Melissa O’Shaughnessy and Nikos Economopoulos for the grand jury. I’m expecting another cool event in September!

A funny side-note, and interesting how things sometimes do a full circle: more than a decade ago me and some friends were organising a series of small photography talks, and since Nikos would be in Lisbon to run a workshop, we thought to pitch him to do a talk. And he did!

It’s 2026, but we still have YouTubers complaining that the Fuji X100 (the VI in this case) doesn’t have interchangeable lenses and, in this case, not a good option for someone who wants to be focused on photography. Yes, autofocus isn’t awesome, but there’s more in photography than that…

The magic of lingering in the same place

I was doomscrolling through YouTube recently when a photographer recommended that, for street photography, you shouldn’t stay in the same place too long. Just a couple of minutes, he said, so you don’t impose yourself. If you stay in one spot for half an hour, it starts to get weird.

And yes, it’s important to know when it’s time to go. It’s crucial to read a scene and realize when you’re not welcome or when you’re becoming annoying. No one likes that kind of photographer—the one who is full of themselves.

But coming from a very introverted guy who prefers to stay in the corner, the real magic happens when you stay longer. It happens beyond that initial “Who’s this guy and what is he doing here?” phase, or the frenzy of someone with a camera. It happens when you get accepted. That’s when things go back to whatever they were before you arrived, and life starts to happen again. Maybe you end up in the scene, maybe you have a cool conversation, or maybe you get offered a drink.

And that takes time. Often, photography is slow, and it demands patience.

Almost a year after iOS, Snapseed finally gets an update on Android, something weird for a Google app. Despite having so many options, this has always been my go app on mobile. The interface feels less dated, although I’m not sure about the new camera, but it’s finally getting some attention.

Filming day outside, something that happens once in a while here, and when it happens at night we get wacky lights through the window.

Illuminated facade of building and reflection of person standing

Light illuminating ceiling with lamp.

Man walking around the corner in the street with light from behind.