Black + White

A Portuguese shepherd minding his flock with his trusty companion.

Portugal is a paradise for photographers. The buildings and medieval towns, with their charming designs, are visually stunning. For me, as someone specializing in reportage and photojournalism, it’s the people who are most captivating.

I’m not a linguist, and aside from English, I only know a bit of high school French. Portuguese, however, was a whole different challenge.

During my time in Portugal, I relied heavily on my rental car’s GPS for navigation. Although set to English, its pronunciation of street names was often confusing. Portuguese sounded unlike any language I had heard before, including Spanish, German, or Italian.

It quickly became clear that communicating with locals who didn’t speak English would require a significant effort to learn the language.

Fortunately, at the café I frequented, a helpful waiter came to my aid. While he didn’t teach me Portuguese, he did break down words and sentences phonetically, allowing me to make myself understood, though not always perfectly. I carried these words and phrases in a pocket Moleskine notebook. Whenever English and gestures fell short, my collection of Portuguese expressions usually helped me convey my thoughts.

A Portuguese shepherd minding his flock with his trusty companion.

Portugal is a paradise for photographers. The buildings and medieval towns, with their charming designs, are visually stunning. For me, as someone specializing in reportage and photojournalism, it’s the people who are most captivating.

I’m not a linguist, and aside from English, I only know a bit of high school French. Portuguese, however, was a whole different challenge.

During my time in Portugal, I relied heavily on my rental car’s GPS for navigation. Although set to English, its pronunciation of street names was often confusing. Portuguese sounded unlike any language I had heard before, including Spanish, German, or Italian.

It quickly became clear that communicating with locals who didn’t speak English would require a significant effort to learn the language.

Fortunately, at the café I frequented, a helpful waiter came to my aid. While he didn’t teach me Portuguese, he did break down words and sentences phonetically, allowing me to make myself understood, though not always perfectly. I carried these words and phrases in a pocket Moleskine notebook. Whenever English and gestures fell short, my collection of Portuguese expressions usually helped me convey my thoughts.