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“…for me photography is important for being whole.”

—Jose Salcedo.

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Jose Salcedo

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About.

62 yrs old.  Lives in Porto, in northern Portugal, at the confluence of the river Douro with the Atlantic Ocean, although he spends much time on airplanes.  A PhD from Stanford University, his professional life has everything to do with light: lasers and fiber optics. About 15 years ago, he quit his tenured full professor position at the University of Porto to become an international entrepreneur, having founded several industrial high tech companies in the US, Portugal and Norway.

Cameras and lenses.

Leica M3, Leica MP, Leica MM and Sony RX-1. An assortment of Leica lenses: 21/1.4 Asph, 24/2.8 Asph, 28/2.0 Asph, 50/0.95 Asph, 50/1.4 Asph, 50/2.0, 75/1.4, 75/2.0 Asph and 90/2.0 Asph; Voigt 35/1.2 II.

What’s important.

“My family. Our family is scattered – Daughter in Lyon, France, and Son in San Francisco, US – but distance only brings us closer. Freeing younger people so that they can reach their full potential. Always learning, asking hard questions and providing simple answers. Balancing professional and personal life with as much wisdom as possible. Having fun. Being whole. And for me photography is important for being whole.”

Interesting fact.

“I built my first high power laser at age 19, in an old home annex turned into laboratory. The wooden door started burning but I only noticed that the burnt smell was coming from the door and not the laser when the flames were already fairly intense! But that work – and the good grades – gave me a couple of years later the Fulbright and NATO fellowships that I needed to go to Stanford for my MSc and PhD. And I did, barely 3 days after graduation.”

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It is with great pleasure that I present my first Featured Photographer for 2013, the great gentleman, scholar, and entrepreneur, Mr. Jose Salcedo.

As he mentions above, Jose has had an intimate connection with Light his entire professional life.  It is not surprising, then, that his images masterfully convey this understanding, and illustrate with deceptively “simple answers” the difficult task of capturing the essence of our world inside of a two dimensional photograph.

What follows, then, is the luminous work of Mr. Jose Salcedo.

—Peter.

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Words and images, courtesy Jose Salcedo.

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On the river Douro, at Porto, “Rabelo” sailboats now stand as an attraction. Years ago, they were the transport to carry casks of Port Wine (the world-class wine of Porto) from the Douro region 150km up river to Porto, for aging, storage, and export:

Trondheim, Norway, minutes before a huge snow storm hit:

Carmo St. in Lisbon, from a nearby elevator:

When I walked into the old Algés Train Station, in Lisbon, I saw this intimate corner and window to the left:

At Aveiro, about 50 km south of Porto, colourful fisherman’s boats and nets wait for another day:

As I entered the Sameiro church in Braga, north of Porto, I noticed the young mother instructing her child:

While waiting for a flight connection at Orly Airport, in Paris, I noticed people walking by this ad. I held the camera steady and used a slow exposure to depict a type of movement that matched the ad. This photograph was published in the charity ‘Leica User Forum Book’, 2010:

The upper patio at MOMA, in San Francisco, has beautiful life-size bronzes. When I raised the camera, this lady started walking away from the group. This photograph was published in the charity ‘Leica User Forum Book’, 2012:

At the old Bolhão Market, in Porto, an old gentleman walks slowly up the stairs:

At the S. Bento Sanctuary, near the National Park of Gerês, one hour drive north of Porto, a man places a burning candle in memory:

You need water inside to keep water outside: ‘Pateira de Fermentelos’ is a beautiful lake and bird sanctuary about 35km south of Porto. Fishermen keep their boats soaked when not in use so that the soft wood swells and does not leak when in use:

Eyes are the window to the soul. This is a dear friend whom I photographed with the ‘Pateira de Fermentelos’ lake behind:

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My sincere thank you, once again, to Mr. Jose Salcedo for sharing his work.

—Peter.

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[Previous Featured Photographers may be found here.]

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You will be in for a real treat.

—Peter.