Hi everyone,
My name is Mariana Bisti, and I’m fairly new to Reddit. I’m a photographer working primarily with architecture and, secondarily, with performance. I’ve recently relocated to Lisbon after many years based in Greece, with some time spent in Southeast Asia. I’ll be here for the next few years and am in the process of re-rooting my practice locally.
Most of my work so far has grown through long-term collaborations and editorial exposure rather than cold outreach, so arriving in a new country without an existing network feels like a structural reset. I’m interested in how architects, photographers, and cultural institutions in Portugal usually connect — especially outside strictly commercial pipelines.
I’m also curious about how performance and theatre documentation operates here, as this has been a significant part of my work but is a field I don’t yet understand in the Portuguese context.
I’d appreciate hearing from people working around architecture, photography, or the arts — whether about collaborations, agencies, publications, things to avoid, or simply how the ecosystem tends to function socially and professionally.
Thank you 🙂
architecture #freelance #lisbon
https://i.redd.it/8hxkbwkiqpfg1.jpeg
Posted by Miles_in_the_sky
21 Comments
We’re full thanks.
Yeah no thanks
photography is already an overcrowded market here
Good thing you ended with obrigada, we almost didn’t understand your post
Can I just ask why you relocate here without any prior knowledge and connection of your field “ecosystem”?
Seems like a huge gamble on a small market with loads of local professionals, so much so that many don’t even work full-time on photography.
> Most of my work so far has grown through long-term collaborations and editorial exposure rather than cold outreach, so arriving in a new country without an existing network feels like a structural reset. I’m interested in how architects, photographers, and cultural institutions in Portugal usually connect — especially outside strictly commercial pipelines.
They don’t.Â
Many of big projects are own by big corporations with dark connections.
You may find small enterprises that may have opportunities.
Also, you’re looking for something so niche that I have no idea.
You want Architecture but want to be part of Arts?Â
I will give an example, the Algarve might be great for Architects because of rich migrants wanting to build empty houses that look good on CAD. But the region is low on arts performance because you NEED connections to people inside of the events organizations (many artist are mid, but still perform after years)
By “ecosystem” you mean people’s day-to-day lives? Well most of us just try to survive and have a roof over our heads, and if possible try to have a little luxury here and there like going out for dinner on Saturday. Which isn’t easy with a raging housing crisis and the cost of living going up, and on top of that we face a crumbling infrastructure and a healthcare crisis, try to not get sick without a good health insurance, and if something happens to you that needs an ambulance you better start praying.
If you’re interested in arts and high concept stuff you’re better off talking to the expat crowd, they’ve got the time and money for that kind of stuff, meanwhile the locals (or natives, whatever you want to call them) are mostly struggling and either leaving or dying away, give it some years and they will be gone anyway.
Blooooooood!
You’ll mostly get xenophobic comments on this sub.
I can’t help you much, the hubs I know with people that share similar interests to yours are in Porto:[ Casa de Serralves](https://www.serralves.pt/en/institucional-serralves/visitar-a-casa-de-serralves/) and [Casa da Música](https://casadamusica.com/en).
Good luck!
What eco system??
Eu acho que o que o OP quer saber é se existe nicho de mercado de Fotografia Imobiliária ou não, em Portugal.
É algo que existe, em outros paÃses, mas em Portugal suspeito que serão normalmente serviços in-house ou contratando serviços de fotografia mais gerais que podem incluir esta vertente
I’m not in photography or architecture, but have worked agency side in design for a few years. A couple things I can tell you about working in creativity here:
The pay in media in general is nothing to write home about, but even though I know a couple of photographers who get by very comfortably none of them can afford to specialise all that much. My guess is it would be especially difficult for a newcomer to work exclusively within one field in a way that is finantially sustainable and comfortable.
If I were moving to Portugal right now looking to establish a freelance practice my top priority would definitely be making friends in creative circles as well, because that’s how you get jobs here too. There is an association called Clube de Criativos de Portugal that connects creatives and holds events. Check out Trienal de Arquitectura for events and such. Also try going to galleries during slow periods and talking to the people working there, even if people aren’t super open you can at least gauge a few things about the ecosystem. That will give you much more accurate answers than weirdos on Reddit! Same for leisure venues: lx factory, 8 Marvila, Fabrica do Braço de Prata, arts and media fairs, bookshops and magazine shops, teatro São Jorge, Cinemateca.
Happy any of this helps and good luck growing new roots!
Also please don’t be discouraged by the negative comments, sometimes people don’t know how to properly address their frustrations and instead scapegoat strangers online.
Do you have social media pages? Would like to check your work.
this is too specific for the average person to know. but I doubt there’s a lot of work in there. Portugal works around connections, you need to start making friends with people in those areas and be willing to broaden your portfolio
I don’t know how feasible it is to work in your field remotely, but that would be my main avenue, or at least have a network of foreign clients. Having some friends working in architecture, photography and the performance arts, these are very challenging fields in Portugal. I know several photographers, some focusing on architecture, and they do professional work but only as a side gig. They all have a main source of income such as work in IT, some are teachers or university professors, and some are architects themselves.
Portugal is a tiny country, and the domestic arts scene, in general, revolves mostly around closed circles in Lisbon and Porto. Quite often, those circles are made of bougie people, and it’s hard to get in, but I guess it could be one of those situations in which you only need to network with the right person to unlock the ensuing doors.
I might be completely wrong about this, but given that there’s a strong international community in Lisbon, I’d say you’ll probably find like-minded people within that community that might already be established here and can guide you around those circles, or even introduce you to parallel ones that they’ve created themselves.
Do check the events people mentioned in the comments and sharpen your small talk skills – you’ll need them to move around in this field and actually get to create/do something.
Also, check this photography gallery/library: [https://anarrativa.com/narrativa-en](https://anarrativa.com/narrativa-en) they sometimes have workshops, talks, and it’s a not-so-well-known kinda place.
Post this in r/Portugalfotografia and r/ArquitecturaLusa
OP, don’t feel discouraged by some comments. Really not the best sub to ask.
Portugal, and Lisbon in particularly, will receive you with open arms. There’s a lot of space for artists, the tighter the niche, the better. It’s just a question of the right connections. For that purpose, you shouldn’t address the general public, IMO. Search for art patrons, both the big institutions, like Fundação Gulbenkian, and small ones. There are zillions of galleries, associations, schools, and non-profit organisations in the Lisbon area connected to visual arts. Start scavenging! You’ll find your crew.
Best of luck! Looking forward to seeing your work soon!
I dont get how people waste so much time on such negative comments. I get the frustration but still, get a grip.
Hope you have a wonderful time in Portugal!
LX Factory. Start here. It’s one of the best creativity related places in LX (LX stands for Lisbon BTW). If, for some reason, you didn’t like it, please do reply and I’ll give you more tips.
The Lisbon Municipality publishes a free monthly called Agenda Cultural Lisboa that lists a very large number of cultural events taking place in the city. I think it could be a useful source of leads for you if you have the patience to sift through the hundreds (literally!) of events that they list. It doesn’t provide much detail about each event, but at least it will point you in the direction of the institutions and people who make up the cultural ecosystem in Lisbon.
The info is available online at https://www.agendalx.pt/magazine-en/?lang=en but I find the paper copy much easier to navigate. You can get it in the first days of each month at some tourist offices, the municipal libraries and museums and downtown City Hall (Paços do Concelho).