Hi everyone,

My name is Mariana Bisti, and I’m fairly new to Reddit. I’m a photographer working primarily with architecture and, secondarily, with performance. I’ve recently relocated to Lisbon after many years based in Greece, with some time spent in Southeast Asia. I’ll be here for the next few years and am in the process of re-rooting my practice locally.

Most of my work so far has grown through long-term collaborations and editorial exposure rather than cold outreach, so arriving in a new country without an existing network feels like a structural reset. I’m interested in how architects, photographers, and cultural institutions in Portugal usually connect — especially outside strictly commercial pipelines.

I’m also curious about how performance and theatre documentation operates here, as this has been a significant part of my work but is a field I don’t yet understand in the Portuguese context.

I’d appreciate hearing from people working around architecture, photography, or the arts — whether about collaborations, agencies, publications, things to avoid, or simply how the ecosystem tends to function socially and professionally.

Obrigada 🙂

architecture #freelance #lisbon



—
Miles_in_the_sky

14 comments

  4. Good thing you ended with obrigada, we almost didn’t understand your post

  5. Can I just ask why you relocate here without any prior knowledge and connection of your field “ecosystem”?

    Seems like a huge gamble on a small market with loads of local professionals, so much so that many don’t even work full-time on photography.

  6. > Most of my work so far has grown through long-term collaborations and editorial exposure rather than cold outreach, so arriving in a new country without an existing network feels like a structural reset. I’m interested in how architects, photographers, and cultural institutions in Portugal usually connect — especially outside strictly commercial pipelines.

    They don’t. 

    Many of big projects are own by big corporations with dark connections.

    You may find small enterprises that may have opportunities.

    Also, you’re looking for something so niche that I have no idea.

    You want Architecture but want to be part of Arts? 

    I will give an example, the Algarve might be great for Architects because of rich migrants wanting to build empty houses that look good on CAD. But the region is low on arts performance because you NEED connections to people inside of the events organizations (many artist are mid, but still perform after years)

  7. By “ecosystem” you mean people’s day-to-day lives? Well most of us just try to survive and have a roof over our heads, and if possible try to have a little luxury here and there like going out for dinner on Saturday. Which isn’t easy with a raging housing crisis and the cost of living going up, and on top of that we face a crumbling infrastructure and a healthcare crisis, try to not get sick without a good health insurance, and if something happens to you that needs an ambulance you better start praying.

    If you’re interested in arts and high concept stuff you’re better off talking to the expat crowd, they’ve got the time and money for that kind of stuff, meanwhile the locals (or natives, whatever you want to call them) are mostly struggling and either leaving or dying away, give it some years and they will be gone anyway.

  11. Eu acho que o que o OP quer saber é se existe nicho de mercado de Fotografia Imobiliária ou não, em Portugal.
    É algo que existe, em outros países, mas em Portugal suspeito que serão normalmente serviços in-house ou contratando serviços de fotografia mais gerais que podem incluir esta vertente

  12. I’m not in photography or architecture, but have worked agency side in design for a few years. A couple things I can tell you about working in creativity here:

    The pay in media in general is nothing to write home about, but even though I know a couple of photographers who get by very comfortably none of them can afford to specialise all that much. My guess is it would be especially difficult for a newcomer to work exclusively within one field in a way that is finantially sustainable and comfortable.

    If I were moving to Portugal right now looking to establish a freelance practice my top priority would definitely be making friends in creative circles as well, because that’s how you get jobs here too. There is an association called Clube de Criativos de Portugal that connects creatives and holds events. Check out Trienal de Arquitectura for events and such. Also try going to galleries during slow periods and talking to the people working there, even if people aren’t super open you can at least gauge a few things about the ecosystem. That will give you much more accurate answers than weirdos on Reddit! Same for leisure venues: lx factory, 8 Marvila, Fabrica do Braço de Prata, arts and media fairs, bookshops and magazine shops, teatro São Jorge, Cinemateca.

    Happy any of this helps and good luck growing new roots!

    Also please don’t be discouraged by the negative comments, sometimes people don’t know how to properly address their frustrations and instead scapegoat strangers online.

  13. Do you have social media pages? Would like to check your work.

  14. this is too specific for the average person to know. but I doubt there’s a lot of work in there. Portugal works around connections, you need to start making friends with people in those areas and be willing to broaden your portfolio

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