José Sarmento Matos

Photographer @ Freelancer / Based in London

I am a 35 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 35 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.
LEICA AKADAMIE AMBASSADOR 09/2016 - CURRENT
  • As a Leica Akademie Ambassador I run documentary photography and visual narrative workshops in partnership with Leica UK in London and other cities in the UK and Europe. As well as now, since the current pandemic, webinars and online workshops.

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