Gustavo Serra

Intercru’s latest article is about Portuguese photographer Gustavo Serra. We talked about everything from how Gustavo got his passion for photography from his father to how his style is constantly evolving.

Intercru: Where are you from? Where are you living/working now?

Gustavo: I was born and raised in a small inland village called Teixoso, close to Serra da Estrela, Portugal. At the moment I’m a freelance photographer so I spend my time between my hometown and Lisbon, a city where I’ve lived in the past and that I want to return as soon as possible. But I work anywhere I get called to work so I don’t have a fixed place. Inside or outside Portugal!

What got you interested in photography? How long have you been taking photos?

I’ve been taking photos for the last 5 years but I like to say that my journey in photography started three years ago. That was when I fell in love with taking photos and started to look at photography as the right thing to do with my life. Because that’s all I wanted to do. And it continues to be like that nowadays!

I believe that my interest in photography came from my father. He loves photography too and I think he passed that passion on to me indirectly. But in my life photography came about due to a trip I made to Madeira Island, where I started to take photos with a smartphone I had at the time. Totally random!

What are some of your favorite accounts to follow on Instagram?

I follow so many good photographers on Instagram that I’ve lost count. I have a lot of favorite accounts depending on the style I’m looking for or the mood I have at that exact moment. I’m always searching for different styles!

But if I had to choose my top 3, at this point it would be: André Josselin (for sure!), Ivan Troyanovsky, Lisa Troyanovsky, and Dmitriy Maley.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

To be honest, most of the time I find my inspirations through the different types of photos I see on social media, many different styles that I like to mix so that I can create something of my own.

But also I like to inspire myself in all kinds of art, not only through photography but also through music, painting, cinema, etc. And in my everyday life, watching everything and anything. I think that every place and moment are worth an image and it’s possible to make good pictures with everything, from everywhere.

I like to believe that we don’t get inspired just through our eyes, but also with every other senses that we have. So if I think that way, I will get inspired more often. It’s just a matter of practice!

How would you describe your photographic style?

For sure portraits are my thing- something that I really love to do. Mostly female portraiture! I love the details of a woman's body and seeing those details in a picture is the reason why I love to do it. It’s all so beautiful and powerful!

Around that, my photography style is always changing. The way that I shoot, the way that I edit, all of that changes as time passes and we gain experience. Or just because we want to do different things! And I really think that’s good.

For you, what makes the perfect photo?

The perfect photo doesn’t exist. I don’t want to do perfect photos, I just want to do photos that really make me happy! And for that to happen, I have two crucial factors: freedom and transparency.

Freedom: the most essential feeling I want to see in a photo of mine! The model should be as free as possible, trying to do whatever we want to do, but in a way she sees that’s best for her.

Transparency, because I love when people are true to themselves. I want to photograph people doing things that make them happy and not trying to put some idea or just to get some specific result. Transmitting different types of sensations is my main objective for those who see my photos. And for that to happen, my photos have to be made by putting a lot of feeling in them too.