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Make it Work Somehow

larissaalmeida8

Hi guys, and welcome to my first blog post on my portfolio site! Some of you might have read my other pieces on 35mmc, but I thought I’d start posting on here too. Not all of my projects are centred around film photography, so it feels right to have a space where I can share everything I’ve been working on.

women covering her eyes with her hand to block out sun

Let’s kick things off with one of my first proper photographic projects, based around fashion.

This all started because I took part in a workshop at my university. It was being run by Jason Evans, a photographer I first discovered when I was 16 and doing GCSE photography. When I found out he was coming down to Bristol, I just had to sign up.

The workshop itself was amazing. I learned so much, and what Jason Evans taught us has stuck with me ever since. His approach is all about playfulness: getting creative with wordplay, collaborating, and just being childlike and experimental. It was such a refreshing way to work.

At the end of the two-day workshop, Jason Evans set us a brief that we could choose to take part in if we wanted. Of course, I couldn’t say no. The only problem was that the deadline for the brief clashed with my final-year university project. This meant what the brief was asking of me was difficult to achieve as I was outside the UK.


The brief was all about collaboration. He wanted us to create film-style black-and-white images, and the team had to include a photographer, a model, a stylist, and an assistant. But here’s the problem I’M IN PORTUGAL, and I still really, really, really wanted to do this brief. (Like come on, man, getting a one-to-one time slot with a renowned fashion photographer who has worked with fashion empires like Gucci—of course I want to participate in this brief!) However, I was staying in a tiny farm village with barely any creative resources. My dad and grandma live in a rural area where there’s hardly any public transport (and at that point, no Uber). Since I don’t drive, my dad was the only one who could get me anywhere.




I asked my dad to take me to the nearest city, Porto, which is about a 45-minute drive. He went to a café while I wandered around, camera in hand, trying to figure out how to make the brief work with what I had.

Looking back, I could’ve joined some Facebook groups or reached out to other artists in Porto, but those things take time—and I didn’t have much of that. I’d already spent nearly a month there focusing on that other final-year project, The Harvest.

For someone who has always struggled with anxiety, asking people for help or questions when I don’t really know them always gets me really in my head. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like a burden, like I don’t want to waste their time. Completely different story when I’ve had a few pints down me or if I know you—question after question will keep flowing out of me.

The cherry on top for me was learning how to ask in Portuguese when I approached these strangers for a helping hand (I have always been really shy and nervous when it comes to talking in Portuguese I worry about mispronouncing words and when you get hit with the 3 dreaded words "i don't understand", my whole world crumbles with embarrassment, don't worry I've gotten better since this project but it still hits sometimes that dread) So there’s me in the car asking my dad to repeat how to say, “Excuse me, I really like what you’re wearing—can I take some photos?” I repeat it over and over again out loud in my head, triple-check on Google Translate, and check again with Dad that I’m pronouncing everything right…. And here we are in Porto. I have to get out of the car now.


My plan was to approach people who were dressed in interesting ways, ask if I could take their photo, and involve them in the creative process. They’d be the stylist and model, while I’d be the photographer. Together, we’d figure out poses and maybe even move to nearby locations if they had time. This way, I could make the collaborative aspect of Jason Evans’ brief work in my favour.


And that’s how City Style Manifesto started. It’s a collaborative project with locals and tourists in the cities I visit, all about giving people a platform to showcase their individual style. It’s about connecting, learning what makes people tick, and finding out what dressing a certain way brings them. I’d be lying if I said every encounter was a deep connection. Sometimes there’s a language barrier, or the person just wants their photo taken quickly. However, other times you do meet some very interesting individuals with lovely souls, and that makes the process of this project even better.



For someone who’s struggled with anxiety for years, this project has been huge for me. It's like exposure therapy, you learn to get hit with No's, dirty looks, people laughing at your face. Not everyone in this world is approachable, and i don't blame them for having their walls up, sometimes it's better to keep that wall high and strong but it's also lovely when you do get a glimpse into a complete strangers life. Like that moment when you realise actually there are people out there living in their own little bubble with their own monologue in their head, its quite riveting.


Never in a million years would my younger self believe I’d have the courage to approach strangers like this. Eight-year-old me would have her jaw on the floor if she saw what I’m doing now. That’s why City Style Manifesto is ongoing—it pushes me to grow, collaborate, and connect with people I wouldn’t usually meet, and I’m going to keep it going for as long as I can.

When I finally had a one-to-one session with Jason Evans, he initially said I hadn’t followed the brief. But after I explained everything, he actually praised my efforts. Can you believe it? To this day, it’s one of my favourite moments from my time at UWE Bristol.

To see the final edit of this project click here






1 comentário


Aurelia Nunes
Aurelia Nunes
17 de jan.

You were very brave . You should be very proud of your self. Well done 👏

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