“The Presence of Portuguese Matrix in Macau” is Halftone‘s latest photo exhibition that opened on Saturday, June 8.

Ok, a bit of background first.

Just so you are aware, June 10 is the National Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities. Macau being a former Portuguese enclave, to this day we still celebrate this happening locally amongst our community.

For 2024, an official programme of cultural events known as “June, Month of Portugal in Macau SAR” was put together by several local organizations.

Halftone‘s photo exhibit, sponsored by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is thus part of these official events, bringing prestige to Halftone.

The venue couldn’t be better. This photo exhibit is featured in the Official Residence of the Portuguese Consulate of Macau, an elegant colonial style neoclassical building.

There was good attendance and, as always, good wine to go along with the good vibe.

The photo exhibit showcases the works of 12 Halftone members. Following the opening ceremony, the artists gave a quick presentation of their works. It was much appreciated by the crowd.

My works

And this is what I’m showcasing under the tittle “Celebrating Vulgarity”.

So what exactly is this?

These photos were taken in an old house in Macau where my father’s family lived for over 80 (?) years. It’s a colonial style, two-storey house. I have many fond memories of this place.

Around 10 years ago when my grand uncle passed away – he was the last of 9 siblings still living there – the house had to be returned to the landlord.

Thus I decided to go there one last time to say good bye and take some photos for posterity. What you see here is no setup. This is how my great uncle left the house before he passed away. I took the photos as is.

Celebrating Vulgarity

The tittle “Celebrating Vulgarity” comes from the contradiction I feel towards my upbringing as an overseas Portuguese in Macau, China.

Growing up in a traditional Portuguese – Macanese family, exposed to different and sometimes conflicting cultures, but embracing them all at the same time, my childhood was an extraordinary experience. Yet for me it felt ordinary because it was common, it was routine, it was everyday life as I knew it.

I was never aware of its uniqueness. After all, this was the world I knew since day one of my existence.

It took me many years – many years and the distance of living abroad for a period of time – to fully understand the different layers of my cultural background and the richness of this heritage. And, indeed, realize that what I perceived as vulgarity is actually something phenomenal worth celebrating.

Technical, not boring info

My three photos above were shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mk II coupled to a Sigma 14mm f/2.8 EX HSM RF Aspherical lens with native Canon EF mount. The lens was bought in year 2000 when I was still shooting film. In fact, I bought a Canon EOS 3 that very same day.

The photos were shot handheld. I had no time to plan things properly so left home without a tripod. Shooting handheld, I had to use the lens max aperture at f/2.8 with available light in all three photos.

The Sigma lens was everything but sharp wide open. But that’s my point: this lens comes from the film days when pixel peeping was not a practice nor standard for sharpness.

Wide open the photos came out soft. Nevertheless, most people who saw the prints – and they are large, 90 x 60 and 90 x 80 – appreciate the softness and dreamy look of the outputs. Some even asked if I used any Photoshop oil paint or blur filter to deliberately get this effect.

That’s it

And this is it. Halftone is alive and kicking, this exhibit was a success and there are more to come for year 2024. We are preparing our next magazine launch – the second one this year – that’s likely to take place in July.

With a blast.

Stay tuned!