Estação Imagem

António Pedrosa

Photojournalist since 1996. Publishes in Portuguese and international magazines and newspapers. In parallel, he develops projects in the area of documentary photography. In 2012 wins a working grant sponsored by Manuel Rivera Ortiz Foundation and wins the Prize Photojournalism 2012 Estação Imagem | Mora with the report “Iraqis”. Nominee of the Hasselblad Masters prize 2013 and winner of the Hasselblad Masters prize of 2014 in the “Editorial” category. Winner of the Estação de Imagem Grant | Mora 2013 to develop the project “Large game” during 2013 and 2014. The latter is published in book format and exhibited in several Portuguese towns from April 2014 onwards. Member of the 4SEE agency.

PORTFOLIO

Livros

HISTÓRIAS

Iraquianos

In the suburb of Iraq (Carrazeda de Ansiães, Trás–os–Montes) there lives a community of about one hundred twenty Gipsies. As far as the nineties, they used to wander from... more

Caça grossa

“Arte” ou “acto”, segundo o dicionário, a caça no meu imaginário sempre foi mais fotografia que taxidermia como se a presa fosse apenas um mero acessório da pose do caçador – o verdadeiro troféu.

Quando decidi documentar o quotidiano dos caçadores portugueses veio-me instantaneamente à memoria o “cliché” do fotógrafo J.A. da Cunha Moraes, captado durante uma caça ao hipopótamo no Rio Zaire, em Angola e publicado em 1882 no álbum Africa Occidental. O grande caçador branco posava, ao centro da fotografia, com a sua espingarda, rodeado pela tribo local.

Foi com este cliché que cheguei ao Alentejo em busca dos grandes caçadores contemporâneos. Durante meses a fio, de Mora a Mértola, passando por outros concelhos alentejanos, vi veados, javalis, raposas e corças. Fotografei montarias em zonas de caça associativa e em herdades privadas, caçadores ricos e remediados. Caçadores de carne e caçadores de troféu. Fotografei quem vive da caça e quem a vê como um hobby para alguns fins de semana durante o ano. Acompanhei os diversos tempos e momentos de uma caçada, entre a pose e a presa, o vinho e o sangue, o estampido dos tiros e o murmúrio dos campos.

Logo nos primeiro dias, durante uma “enxota” ao javali nos campos de milho de Montemor-o-Novo, tive a sorte de cruzar-me com o José António, mais conhecido por Berras, dono da matilha Tempestade de Mora. A personalidade, conhecimentos e experiência deste caçador e do Nelson, o seu ajudante e amigo, levaram-me a segui-los ao longo de várias caçadas.

Tive sorte, ouvi histórias de caça, da boca de caçadores conscientes mas também da boca daqueles para quem só importa a quantidade. Encontrei uma população envelhecida, essencialmente masculina, onde os jovens são minoria. Uma espécie ameaçada pelo envelhecimento e pela perda de poder económico, em especial entre os que se dedicam à caça menor.

O resultado deste aparente reencontro, à vista desarmada, é esta série de imagens. Distante do cliché de 1882, na mira da objectiva, o fotógrafo, face a homens com espingardas na mão, não se deixou “caçar” nem pela pose nem pela presa.

António Pedrosa
Março, 2014

Hunting, according to the dictionary, is an “Art” or “Act”. In my imaginary it has always been more about photography and less about taxidermy; as if the prey was a mere accessory... more

Hunting, according to the dictionary, is an “Art” or “Act”. In my imaginary it has always been more about photography and less about taxidermy; as if the prey was a mere accessory in the hunter’s pose – the real trophy.

When I decided to document the everyday of Portuguese hunters it immediately came to mind the ‘cliché’ picture of photographer J.A. da Cunha Moraes. Shot during a hippo hunting in the Zaire River in Angola and published in 1882 in the album “West Africa”, it pictures the big white hunter posing at the centre with his rifle while surrounded by the local tribesmen.

It was then with this ‘cliché’ in mind that I arrived in Alentejo to search for the big hunters of today. In the course of many months, from Mora to Mértola and also crossing other councils, I saw deer, boars, foxes and fawns. I shot ‘montarias’ [collective hunting] in areas of associative hunting and private estates, wealthy as well as middle-class hunters. Meat hunters and trophy hunters. I shot those who hunt as a livelihood and those who do it as a once in a while weekend hobby. I followed hunting’s varied rhythms and moments, the watch and the prey, the wine and the blood, the bursting shots and the whispers of the fields.

Right in the first few days and during a hog baiting in the corn fields of Montemor-o-Novo, I was fortunate to meet José António aka Berras, owner of the hound pack ‘Tempestade de Mora’ [‘Mora Storm’]. The personality, knowledge and experience of Berras and of his aid and friend Nelson, lead me to follow them along in several hunts.

I was lucky. I listened to hunting stories from the mouth of conscious hunters and also from others for whom quantity tops over anything. I found an ageing, majority male population and a clear minority of young people – a ‘species’ threatened by ageing and loss of economic capability, something I found to be particularly true among those dedicated to small game hunting.

The outcome of this apparent reunion is, at first sight, this series of images. Distanced from the 1882 cliché, behind the lens and facing men handling their riffles, the photographer did not let himself get ‘hunted down’ neither by the pose or prey.

António Pedrosa
March 2014