Joao Prego

My photography journey began during a nighttime hike in the mountains with friends. They told me to place my phone on a rock and take a ten-second exposure. I did so reluctantly. I couldn’t even comprehend how it was possible for a camera to take a picture for ten whole seconds. So when I picked up my phone and saw the image, it blew my mind. Somehow, it had captured more stars than my own eyes could see.

After that experience, I was hungry for more, so I got an old, second-hand Sony A7 and joined my best friends for a summer trip to Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve in Portugal. It was so magical that we kept coming back and eventually visited the Dark Sky Alqueva Observatory. Encouraged by the guides there, we tried photographing the stars ourselves.

I was mesmerized. It wasn’t just the Milky Way. It was a sky full of colors and textures, and I was struck by the beauty of it all. The sky, the experience, and the moment itself. That passion eventually brought me back to Alentejo to work at that very same observatory as a guide.

There, I deepened my understanding of the night sky, and my curiosity for astrophotography grew with it. I found myself spending every moment I could taking photos, while also learning how to lead, communicate, and adapt to people with different levels of experience.

As a guide, I take a relaxed approach and adapt to each participant’s needs. I want people to feel comfortable experimenting and discovering different ways to take a photo, whether it is a single quick shot or a complete workflow. What I enjoy most is seeing the moment when something finally clicks and someone creates an image they are genuinely proud of.

Creativity has always been part of my life. When my grandfather gave me a classical guitar as a child, I thought music would be how I expressed myself, and it was for a very long time. However, today, my main creative tool is my camera and this give me a way to hold on to moments that would otherwise disappear. It allows us to return to the places where we felt our deepest connections with life, to its challenges, its moments of euphoria, and everything in between. Let’s capture the night skies together!