Snapshot of Angola through the lens of photographer Jasão Ferreira

Meet Jasão Ferreira, Cruise Consultant who was born in Angola and grew up in Portugal. We worked together on a cruise ship over 15 years ago, where an almost permanent feature on his person was his camera!

By Louisa Choruma

His love for photography stems from when he was younger. ‘’When I was a teenager, I began playing around with Papa’s Canon FTB. This camera was silver and black, and a beautiful machine!’’, says Jasão. “With it, I learnt the basics about composition, speed, aperture light, and so on.’’

WHY HE FELL IN LOVE WITH PHOTOGRAPHY.

He is quick to say that when he is behind the camera, the creativity in him comes alive, with a world of options running through his mind until he achieves the results he desires. Not limited to any particular style of photography, Jasão will takes pictures of anything that grabs his attention across all subject matters. And so naturally his portfolio of images can range from a shade to a pose, a smile to an object.

A few years ago, he hosted an exhibition titled “See the world’’ which was centered around details he found intriguing and made up of interesting composition.

THE LANGUAGE OF IMAGES!

“Images speak a unique language too and can very well fill one’s mind with many questions. Take for instance when I take pictures of people during my travels across my home country of Angola, I often ask myself what situations the people are living through, what are some of the details of their lives and what hopes and dreams do they hold for their future,” Jasão says.

Pictures tell a story and keep our minds in wonderment of the meaning of

varied situations, and that is in fact the power of pictures and the language of imagery.

INSPIRED BY LIFE ON THE CRUISE SHIPS.

“At few years ago, my journey onboard the cruise ships began. The camera was always by my side as I was keen on documenting my adventures at every port of call,” Jasão further adds.

“Travelling across the world and with my work on cruise ships, photography became the passion that I would take with me to the seven seas of this awesome planet!’’

With his heart still in Angola, his favorite food is the traditional dish Funge de Mandioca, (a thick porridge made of cassava flour and water), usually served with fish or any other meat option. A lover of wine, Jasão describes his favorite being from Portugal due to its rich diversity. It is the exquisite reds from Douro Valley and the young and fresh green wines from Minho region that he genuinely loves.

‘When last he was in Angola, Jasão took his camera everywhere he went as he discovered more of the country that speaks to the essence of his identity. From women at the market selling dried fish, to national monuments and old administrative buildings, children playing or riveting landscapes, Jasão shares a few of his favourite images of Angola through the lenses of one of his most prized possessions, his trusted camera.