In Focus is Archinect's new series of features dedicated to profiling the photographers who help make the work of architects look that much better. What has attracted them to architecture? How do they work? What type of equipment do they use? What do they think about seeing their work in blogs?

In this feature, we talk to Portuguese photographer Nelson Garrido.

Archinect: What is your relationship with architecture? What drew you to architecture, as a photographer?

Nelson Garrido: Actually I wanted to study architecture but on the late moment I decided to study photography. I've had a close contact with architecture when I was studying photography because my brother is an architect. My first academic contact with photography was in Portugal, but the specific and specialized contact with architectural photography happened in Antwerp/Belgium where I was studding photography and had my first contact with technical cameras. After this, all my professional life was related to photography especially with architectural photography. At the moment, I’m based in Portugal and Qatar, but I work all over the world.


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Luís Ferreira Rodrigues, Sta Columbina Chapel, Bragança, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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b720 Arquitectos, Aeroport Lleida, Lerida, Spain
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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MZ&Partners Architects, ZIG ZAG Towers, Doha, Qatar
Photography by Nelson Garrido

Describe how you work... who are your clients?

NG: After the assignment acceptance, I usually try to get the more information as possible about the project. I try to see some shoots of the construction, the plants and I also try to identify the concept and all feelings and needs architects are seeking and exploring. When shooting I try to spend an entire day on the building to capture all kind of light, both natural and artificial. I usually work for architects.


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Correia+Ragazzi, House in Gerês, Vieira do Minho, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Jorge AlbuquerqueVHM, Hotel AXIS Viana, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Herzog & de Meuron, 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami, USA
Photography by Nelson Garrido

Do you mostly work in a specific region? What is your travel schedule like?

NG: As I’ve said, I’m based in Portugal and Qatar, but I work wherever I have an assignment in any part of the world. I Will go where I have to be to accomplish an assignment believing that we live in a global country more and more without any frontiers.


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ComA Architects, Pousada Juventude, Covilhã, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Barbosa & Guimarães, Vodafone Building, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Álvaro Siza, Winery Quinta do Portal, Sabrosa, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

What is your goal when capturing buildings in photographs?

NG: Discover the building with photography. Getting the equilibrium between the architectures desires with my photographic aesthetic, always with the sense of communicating the construction. Give a new point of view of the object, seeing it in a way that makes the difference from other persons.


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Álvaro Siza, Winery Quinta do Portal, Sabrosa, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Rem Koolhaas, Casa da Música, Porto, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Peter Eisenman, Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Graça Dias+Egas Vieira, University Egas Moniz, Caparica, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

What are your thoughts about including people in your photos? Is it important to photograph a building in use, or by itself?

NG: Sometimes it is important to get people in the pictures, in the way that they allow us to understand the scale of the building. I always try to do both kinds of pictures. It is important to consider that there are different sensibilities for different editorial lines, but besides this and in my point of view I think that depending of what I’m photographing and my own interpretation, I might consider it important to include people.


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ComA+E. Trigo de Sousa, Miraventos House, Palmela, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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António Fernandez, Milhazes House, Vila do Conde, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido

What are your favorite pieces of equipment?

NG: I love to work with large format cameras, the relation that I create with what I’m photographing is really different from the one I get with 35mm equipment. Besides this, I always work with 35mm cameras and special lens for architecture. Working with large format cameras and shooting on film is almost impossible these days, because of time and money constraints. Also shooting with large format cameras digitally is expensive and time-consuming, more than with 35mm. These days, I only work with large format camera on personal projects or portraits that I shoot with Polaroid Type 55PN.


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AMP+Gil Wilk+Thomas Freiwald+Susanne Lorenz, Winter Badeschiff, Berlin, Germany
Photography by Nelson Garrido

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Antonio Lamela+Richard Rogers, Barajas Airport, Madrid, Spain
Photography by Nelson Garrido

Do you work alone?

NG: 95% of my architectural work is done alone. But recently, I’m having some assistance, which is good, because I always have to carry much equipment.

How do you feel about seeing your photographs on blogs and websites?

NG: I think is a good idea spreading our work through specialized blogs and websites, but always with discipline and respect for our work, and when I say respect, I refer to always crediting the pictures and not changing the aspect of the pictures.


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Barbosa & Guimarães, Vodafone building, Portugal
Photography by Nelson Garrido



Nelson Augusto Rodrigues Garrido , was born on February 11, 1974 in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

In 1996, he finishes studies in Technology of Communication, in the same year he does a period of specialized studies in advanced photography at the Belgium school Karel de Grote-Hogescholl Antwerpen. At the same time, he works in a digital photography studio named Studio Brison also in Belgium. During this time, he experiments several areas and techniques in photography specially large format and digital photography.

Back in Portugal, he works as freelancer with various magazines in the field of photo journalism, architecture and fashion.

In 1997, he starts working as an assistant in a studio for fashion photography.

Also in 1997, he wins a National Photography contest. With the prize, he goes to Hong Kong to make a reportage. In 1999, he graduates from the Escola Superior de Educação in Coimbra, Portugal with a degree in Journalism.

Since 2002, he has been developing a series of personal projects in large format photography, approaching the urban and architectural influences on the city landscape and its changes during the pass of time.

In 2005, he graduates from the Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal with a degree in Photography.

In 2006, he is distinguished in the Euro Press Photo Awards organized by Fuji Film, wins the Portuguese phase of the architectural section, and an honorable mention on the same section at the European phase.

Since 2006, he gives workshops in architecture photography and photography composition at the Instituto Portugues de Fotografia in Portugal.

Nelson Garrido works for architects and magazines as an architectural photographer.

Currently, he is based in Portugal and Qatar but also working all over the world believing that we live in a big country without frontiers.