I was born in the country side surrounded by nature and wild animals. As I grew up, I noticed that animals became more and more scarce, to the point of the disappearance of some species. That fact had a strong effect on me, and I realized that something must be done. I started to "preach" to people about the respect of nature, and I studied biology for myself and I wanted to record the vanishing world for the coming generations. As I did not have a camera, I started drawing and painting.
I bought my first camera at the age of 22. Then I began to study the matter. For several years I studied a lot and practiced even more. At the same time, I was studying at the School of Arts in the University of Lisbon. I learned the techniques of photography and, on the other hand, I studied art and gained what I can call a strong "visual sensibility".
Since the beginning, my subject was nature - especially animals, because it´s my old passion - and knowing what you are shooting about is very important. Through the years, I started practicing Macro, which gave me a new vision of the beautiful wonders of the world, many times unnoticed, just because we don't have the time to stop and look at the tiny things that surround us.
Sometimes I simply record the nature "as it is", in a scientific way; other times, I try to put some beauty on things and creatures that are not very popular, in a more "free style", but always trying to respect the natural world, that we urge to protect!
--Eduardo Barrento