https://www.deraeymaeker.com/blog/Photographs, field notes and stories from ordinary people and places.https://www.deraeymaeker.com/wedding-dj/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/wedding-dj/Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:32:04 +0000A while ago, I shot the wedding of a great friend of mine in the Alentejo, in Portugal. The setting was amazing, in the middle of nature, on an old farm he renovated to be completely self-sufficient in terms of water and energy. The DJ present also had to do whatever he could with the available…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/bica/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/bica/Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:38:31 +0000While we were waiting for the first game of Portugal in the 2012 European championships to start, a Spanish dancer and artist walked by with a big trolley. Thinking she was a tourist looking for a place to have a coffee or a beer, I pointed out the only empty chair of the terrace at Nando's. A…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/792/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/792/Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:02:19 +0000Temperatures are going up everywhere in the Northern hemisphere, and it's goodbye winter and hello summer before we know it. I was looking through some work of the last months and I remembered a series of photos I took on a family walk after arriving in Belgium from Angola early November. Even…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/kalandula/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/kalandula/Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:40:00 +0000I took this photo at the Kalandula falls, not too far from the city of Malange, in the center of Angola. What you see is part of, and probably to some extent the result of, a liquid picknick. I'd been told that groups of people go there to enjoy the beauty of Africa's third (or second, depends who…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/friends/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/friends/Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:47:00 +0000I found these two while I was roaming the streets of Huambo, in the middle of Angola. This area suffered greatly during the war, and the episodes people have been telling me are too horrible for words. The war ended in 2002, with the death of Unita leader Jonas Savimbi. These two guys probably…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/jorge-tristao/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/jorge-tristao/Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:31:00 +0000I'm back in Luanda, organizing for a journey across the country. Yesterday night, I was downtown at a the Zanzibar, for an expat's farewell party, and I say this guy. He was wearing a bow tie and jacket and all, but finished it all off tropically with a pair of bermuda shorts and flip flops…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/room-with-a-view/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/room-with-a-view/Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:57:00 +0000Looking out or looking in? A look outside, or is it a peak inside? Sharing a moment with an imaginative or a real person? I took this picture at a friend's place while I was in Brussels, and kind of forgot about it, until I was selecting pictures for the Plaisirs Partagés collective exhibition. As…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/ken/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/ken/Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:35:00 +0000This week I made a selection of photographs made in Belgium for a collective exhibition in March, based on the theme "shared pleasures" and I came across this old favorite of mine. I shot this a couple of years ago at my youngest sister's wedding. My then still future brother in law was enjoying a…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/ferry/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/ferry/Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:09:00 +0000This is the ferry boat across the Tagus river. It takes thousands of people into Lisbon every morning and back out again in the evening to Almada, or as we jokingly say amongst friends: Morocco. The weekend edition, as seen here, is less cramped, and there's a couple of very nice restaurants on the…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/mural/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/mural/Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:53:00 +0000I spotted this mural last month while I was in Água de Madeiros. In the middle of the rubble of a construction site (probably adding yet another extension to an existing building). It's a sign of questionable taste you see very often around the countryside. Not that it's something exclusive to…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/rotselaar/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/rotselaar/Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:09:00 +0000I was recently in Belgium on short notice for a job, and took a week to visit my family and some friends. One of the people I surprised was my mother, who lives in Rotselaar, where I spent a big part of my youth. On my way from the train station to her place, I walked past this typical example of…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/jose-clemente/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/jose-clemente/Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:03:00 +0000They sat me next to José Clemente on the bus last weekend, on a day out with Sunday school. At first he kept pretty quiet, but after a while he started telling me his life's story, working in restaurants and hotels as manager of the wine section and as general manager. Great how almost everyone you…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/karina/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/karina/Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:31:00 +0000I met Karina Silva in Luanda in June, where I interviewed her for a piece I did on Angolan women. A couple of days ago, I got a call from an agency asking me if I was available to shoot some photos of a model at the Moda Lisboa fashion event here in Lisbon. It was a big surprise to see the model…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/sisi/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/sisi/Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:23:00 +0000> Yesterday I was in Porto for my daughter Helena's birthday pick-nick. It's always a good occasion to see old friends again, and I was very happy to meet Sisi there. She's one of the first people I met when I moved from Belgium to Portugal. She's the one who introduced me to my ex-wife, and you…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/july-21st/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/july-21st/Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:18:00 +0000> For the Belgians amongst us, the 21st of July is independence day. Not that it's being celebrated that much in Belgium, but for us, Belgians abroad, it's always a sign of a reception at the embassador's residence. This year was no exception. Most people leave early, but this horn player, part of…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/holidays/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/holidays/Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:23:00 +0000> Back in Portugal, I visited my youngest sister who is on vacation in the Alentejo region for a couple of weeks. They rented a house in the countryside for them and their kids. This is her and my brother in law relaxing in the pool while the kids are playing some games.https://www.deraeymaeker.com/coqueiros/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/coqueiros/Sat, 26 Jun 2010 08:38:00 +0000> This is the Luanda Tennis Club next to the Coqueiros stadium. Early in the morning, after work, or in the weekend, people come here to have classes or play a game or two of tennis. Here, a couple of women practice their game against the teacher and another student.https://www.deraeymaeker.com/celia-araujo/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/celia-araujo/Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:43:00 +0000> Still in Luanda, where I'm working on a small story on Angolan women. This is Célia Araújo, working mother of four, and student. She spent part of her youth in Portugal and moved back to Angola in 2005. This picture was taken at her parent's place, and as you can see from the table, just before…https://www.deraeymaeker.com/odete-tavares-2/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/odete-tavares-2/Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:41:00 +0000> This is Odete Tavares, the goalkeeper of the national Angolan handball teamhttps://www.deraeymaeker.com/odete-tavares/https://www.deraeymaeker.com/odete-tavares/Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:41:00 +0000> This is Odete Tavares, the goalkeeper of the national Angolan handball team, who became African champions in Egypt in February. I photographed her just before a game of her team, the 1º de Maio against another local team, Ferrovia at the Ferrovia stadium.