José Sarmento Matos

Photographer @ Freelancer / Based in London

I am a 36 years old Portuguese documentary photographer based in between Lisbon and London. After studying Journalism at UCP in Lisbon (2007-2010) in December 2015 I completed an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at... read on
Focus: Photographer, Photojournalist, Videographer, Portraiture, Art, Director of Photography, Feature Films, Magazine, Visual Artist, News Reporter, Community, Artistic, Visual Journalist, Visual Storyteller
Skills: Photo Editing, Photojournalism
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About
Available in: London
Focused on: Photographer, Photojournalist, Videographer, Portraiture, Art, Director of Photography, Feature Films, Magazine, Visual Artist, News Reporter, Community, Artistic, Visual Journalist, Visual Storyteller
Skilled at: Photo Editing, Photojournalism
Coverage Regions: Africa Asia Europe Latin America USA & Canada
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish and Portuguese
Years of experience: 6 to 10
I am a 36 years old Portuguese documentary photographer based in between Lisbon and London.

After studying Journalism at UCP in Lisbon (2007-2010) in December 2015 I completed an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication, where I taught, first as a visitor lecturer and after as an associated lecturer, on the BA and MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography courses (2015 - 2019).

As a journalist, a film maker and a documentary photographer I am interested in covering topics related to social inequality and identity, analysing relevant contemporary world issues by focusing on people’s personal stories. I also focus my work on my street photography, documenting day-to-day life around me, analysing the changes of Urban and Social landscape. 

Most recently I have been working on: 
1. the Portuguese diaspora to Venezuela and the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis 
2. on racism in Portugal towards the African / Portuguese diaspora or in topics related to housing, inequality and identity in Europe. 
I also focus my work on my diary photography, documenting what is around my day-to-day life. 

As a freelance photojournalist currently I work on commission for The New York Times, Washington Post, Le Monde, Libertation, HUCK Magazine and Bloomberg. I have published my personal work in several other media outlets, such as, Newsweek, Washington Post and The New Yorker, and I have seen my film Jamaika screened in International film festivals.

From 2017 to 2019 I researched and documenting the Portuguese diaspora in Venezuela, and the reversed emigration phenomenon currently happening to Portugal: ´Where do I belong? abandoning the Venezuelan Dream´, is a story about a migrant family and their loss of belonging and identity. This story was published by The Washington Post in June 2020. Also in 2020 I won the main prize of Prémio Estação Imagem with this story. Estação Imagem is the most important photojournalism award in Portugal.

In September 2020 I got a National Geographic funding to work on a project in Portugal related to COVID-19 and social inequality. I worked on a project with the Jamaica community, in Seixal, Portugal, on housing inequality in times of a pandemic. This collaboration resulted in a film shown at Doc Lisboa 2021 and a multimedia exhibition at MAAT museum, Lisbon, in the same year. In 2022, I won the Estação Imagem award daily life category with this project.

After 3 years if working in-depth with the community Jamaica, in Seixal, Portugal, in 2024 I self-published the book JAMAIKA. A print run of 500 copies which pretends to work as memory of Jamaica Community in Portugal, which had been demolished in October 2023.


Exhibitions
  • JAMAIKA at NARRATIVA, Lisboa. (13/01/24 - (24/01/24)
  • “Jamaika também é Portugal” Maat Lisboa. (04/2021 - 09/2021)
  • Prémio Estação Imagem - as the winner of Prémio Estação Imagem the work “Where do I belong? Abandoning the Venezuelan Dream” is in exhibition at Galeria de Arte do Convento do Espírito Santo. Loulé, Portugal. (08/2020 - 09/2020)
  • “Documenting East London” - Espaço cultural das Mercês. Lisbon, Portugal. (03/2019)
  • “Brexit on the Rock - Gibraltar” - Photo Scratch. London, United Kingdom. (05/2018).
  • “How Can I help You?” - Espaço Santa Catarina, Lisboa, Portugal. (09/2017).
  • “Turning the Page” - Edifício dos CTT, Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal. (07/2017 - 08/2017).
  • “How Can I help you?” - Photo Scratch. London, United Kingdom. (11/2016).
  • “Turning the Page” - Espaço Atmosfera M, Porto, Portugal. (04/2016).
  • “Turning the Page” - Espaço Novo Banco, Lisboa, Portugal. (11/2015 - 02/2016).
  • “Project Sea Change” - Literaturhaus, Vienna, Austria. (10/2015).
  • Dysturb - 70th anniversary of the United Nations. France. (10/2015).
  • “Project Sea Change” - Stavanger Kulturhus, Stavanger, Norway. (09/2015).
  • “Magnum 30 under 30” - The Photography Show, The NEC. Birmingham, United Kingdom. (03/2015).
  • “Project Sea Change” - The House of Literature, Oslo, Norway. (01/2015).
  • “Consider this” - Final show of MAPJD 2014 students. London, United Kingdom. (01/2015).

Books:

Project Sea Change - Sold out.  

JAMAIKA - self published- 2024

Awards:

  • Doc Lisboa - short doc Jamaika screened at International Cinema Festival. 2021-2022
  • Eddie Adams Bill Eppridge Memorial Award - October 2019.
  • Prémio Estação Imagem -  Daily life main award 2022, with project JAMAIKA
  • Prémio Estação Imagem -  Main prize of Estação Imagem Award 2020 with project “Where do I belong? Abandoning the Venezuelan Dream” about the Portuguese diaspora to Venezuela and its reversed emigration to Portugal. July 2020
  • London photo essay competition, Financial Times. Project Chasing London. September 2014
  • “30 under 30” Magnum award for ‘Young Documentary Photographers’. Project “Turning the Page”. January 2015.

VISITOR LECTURER AT LONDON COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION, UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON 11/2015 - 06/2018
BA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
  • 2015-2016: Guest lecturer - workshops and guess lectures.
  • Second Term 2016-2017: Teaching the collaborative unit for second year´s students, Project Sea Change.
  • All year 2017-2018: Tutorials and teaching at the Photojournalism practical unit, first year´s students.
  • First term 2017-2018: Tutorials and teaching second year´s students Editorial Project.
  • Second Term 2017-2018: Teaching the collaborative unit for second year´s students. Project Sea Change.
  • Final term of 2017-2018: Tutorials and lectures for first years´documentary photography project.

MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
  • 2015-2016: Teaching as a guest lecturer one day tutorials, workshops and lectures.
  • 2017-2018: Tutorials on Relationships assignments.
  • 2017-2018: Online teaching for 1st year MAPDP course, for Paul Lowe. Tutorials on the middle term documentary photography.

ASSOCIATED LECTURER AT LONDON COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION, UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON 10/2018 - 06/2021
BA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
  • 2018-2019: Unit leader, Photojournalism practice.

MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography
  • 2018-2019: Online teaching for 1st year MAPDP course, for Paul Lowe. Tutorials on the middle term documentary
photography projects.
  • 2018-2019: Teaching as a guest lecturer, one day tutorials, workshops and lectures.

CONTRIBUTOR TO THE NEW YORK TIMES 12/2016 - CURRENT
  • Working regularly on assignments for The New York Times since December 2016.

CONTRIBUTOR TO THE Washington Post 12/2020 - CURRENT
  • Working regularly on assignments for The New York Times since December 2016.

CONTRIBUTOR TO BLOOMBERG NEWS & BLOOMBERG BUSINESS-WEEK 10/2019 - CURRENT
  • Working regularly on assignments Bloomberg News and Bloomberg business-week since October 2019.

CONTRIBUTOR TO LE MONDE 09/2019 - CURRENT
  • Working on assignments for Le Monde since September 2019.

Grantee National Geographic Society - Emergency COVID-19 funding. 09/2020 - 03/2021 Film JAMAIKA produced in collaboration with the community Jamaica.

Running workshops with LEICA  09/2016 - CURRENT
  •  I run documentary photography and visual narrative workshops in partnership with Leica UK and Leica Camera Portugal, in London and other cities in Europe.

CANON PORTUGAL PARTNERSHIP 01/2020 - CURRENT
  •  In partnership with Canon Portugal I have been running workshops with students from Media and Journalism Universities in Portugal. During the lockdown in Portugal due to COVID-19 pandemic I run 5 sessions of online Portfolio reviews with different Universities around Portugal

Other Working Experience PHOTOJOURNALIST INTERN, PÚBLICO NEWSPAPER, LISBOA, PORTUGAL 04/2013 - 08/2013
  • Working as an intern for one of the most prestigious Portuguese newspaper gave me the opportunity to do numerous interesting
reportages and photojournalism stories, managing the typical stress of a daily newspaper. I also worked for ‘2’, the Público Sunday magazine, on long term journalism stories around Portugal and Spain.
PHOTOGRAPHER, ALPINE PHOTOSHOP, ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND 07/2012 - 03/2013
  • In Alpine Photoshop I photographed different kinds of assignments: studio portrait, portrait, sports photography, weddings and other
events.
JUNIOR DIGITAL MARKETING CONSULTANT, FULLSIX, PORTUGAL. 03/2011 - 01/2012

Education

EDDIE ADAMS WORKSHOP XXXII (OCTOBER 2019)

  • University of the Arts London. London College of Communication, Photojournalism and Documentary photography - MA, London United Kingdom. (2014-2015).
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Media Studies and Communication — BA, Lisboa, Portugal. (2007) - (2010).
  • Universid Ramón Llull, Media Studies and Communication — Bachelor / Erasmus, Barcelona, Spain. (09-2009) - (02-2010).
  • Queensland International Business Academy, Academic English, IELTS — Coolangatta, Australia. (09-2010) - (02-2011).

Contact number: +447474222834 / +351918960402
Email Address: josesarmentodematos@gmail.com