Ricardo Lopes
Ricardo Lopes is an independent documentary photographer and photojournalist based in Lisbon, Portugal. Since completing his Photojournalism studies at Cenjor in 2017, he has contributed regularly to national and international publications including Jornal Público, Expresso, De Volkskrant, and The Guardian. His assignments span politics, economics, the environment, arts, and travel.
In recent years, Ricardo has focused increasingly on long-term visual investigations into the social, economic, and environmental forces shaping communities. His work is rooted in proximity, using immersive research to portray daily realities with respect and depth.
Ricardo’s documentary approach is characterised by a patient and honest engagement with his subjects. He often spends months or years developing each story, pursuing projects that demand long-term commitment and sustained ethical reflection. One of his most significant projects, Interior, examines the challenges of depopulation and isolation in Portugal’s inland regions. This body of work received widespread acclaim and earned him recognition from institutions such as LensCulture, Estação Imagem, and the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest.
His more recent photo essay, Blessed Ground, documents the profound impact of international gold mining on communities living along the Punguè and Revué rivers in Mozambique. The project reveals how the destruction of farmland and exposure to toxic chemicals like mercury and cyanide have fuelled poverty, gender-based violence, and environmental degradation, while undermining social cohesion.
Lopes is a graduate of the 2018–2019 Narrativa Masterclass led by photographer Mário Cruz and was selected for the Eddie Adams Workshop XXXVI in New York in 2023. His work has been recognised with awards and grants that underscore both journalistic excellence and artistic merit. These include the 1st Press Prize for the Rights of Children in News in 2025 for his reporting in Público, and the Estação Imagem Portrait Series Award for Torre – Living in Darkness.
He continues to explore themes that intersect human rights, environmental justice, and social inequality. His commitment to ethical storytelling and collaborative photography positions his work as both testimony and dialogue, inviting viewers to engage with complex realities through informed and empathetic lenses.
Ricardo Lopez practice is grounded in a belief that photojournalism can bear witness, inform, and contribute to constructive public conversation. He values collaboration with editors, writers, and local communities to ensure that stories are told with dignity and accuracy. His work demonstrates a consistent dedication to both professional integrity and artistic quality.
Ricardo’s photography has been exhibited in multiple national and international venues. His project Blessed Ground was featured in the 2025 Photography Biennial in Sofia, Bulgaria, and won the CC11 Photography Award in Lisbon the same year. His earlier series Interior was a finalist for the 2019 LensCulture Portrait Awards and received Honourable Mention at the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest. His work has also been supported by the Estação Imagem Grant and included in award showcases such as Estação Imagem’s 2019 Portrait Series. With both solo and group exhibitions, his images continue to reach diverse audiences and contribute to ongoing conversations around representation and responsibility in visual media.
