“Without a doubt I will say that this was one of the most fun, well thought out and well executed photography festivals I have ever been a part of and I have been a speaker at several big photography festivals. Bernardo, Gonçalo and Pedro, along with all of the volunteers, did a fantastic job putting this festival together.
All of the little details were very carefully planned out and I felt very well taken care of both during the festival and on the road trip. Having a gallery exhibition at the festival along with the MasterClasses also really gave it a little something extra. I was surprised at how impactful the gallery exhibition was both for myself and for the attendees. Seeing my work hanging alongside the work of my peers was an amazing and even emotional experience for me. Thank you for that Bernardo!
The audiences at the Festival were also amazing. I have never seen an audience so hungry for inspiration and knowledge. The array of photographers that were brought in also helped make it a very special occasion for the audience and for myself. With such a wide array of photographers working in so many different genres, the audience really got a wide perspective of the photography industry and how we each work in our specific genres. For myself, it isn’t very often that I get to “hang out” with my peers like this at a photo festival, so even for us, the speakers, it was a special time to compare notes and talk about the industry. Aveiro, and the Centro de Congressos, was the perfect venue for this festival as well. The city is easy to walk around, it is beautiful, and the setup with the hotel and the Centro really lends itself to a photo festival. It is always an honor to work with National Geographic in whatever way possible. My thanks to National Geographic and all of the sponsors for helping Bernardo and the crew make this festival a reality. I can definitely see this festival becoming one of the major photography festivals in the world like Visa pour l’Image, Look3 and Photoville…”