We met at Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, one of those places in Lisbon that can be beautiful and impossible at the same time. Beautiful because of the view, obviously. Impossible because later in the day it gets busy, and if you are trying to make natural portraits, too many people in the background can quickly kill the mood.
That is why we chose sunrise. There were fewer people, the city was still waking up, and the light had that soft golden-hour feeling before everything became too bright. We started with a few photos overlooking morning Lisbon, just to catch the atmosphere and give the session a calm beginning.
After a short walk, I noticed that the direct sun was becoming too strong for close portraits. This is something I pay attention to a lot during male portrait sessions. Harsh light can make the face look more severe and bring out every little texture, shadow, or tired detail. Sometimes that can look cool, but for dating profile photos, it is usually not the most flattering choice.
So we changed the plan slightly. We found a small shaded corner nearby and used it for closer portraits while the morning was still fresh and not too hot. I prefer making these decisions during the shoot rather than forcing the original route. Light matters more than the exact location. A boring wall with good light will almost always work better than a famous view with bad light.
From there, we moved to a small café. His first outfit was a shirt with white trousers, which worked well for a clean but casual Lisbon look. A coffee table, a cup in hand, a bit of morning street life around us, it all helped the photos feel less “photo session” and more like a small piece of a normal day.
After taking several café photos, we walked through the streets of Bairro Alto. This part of Lisbon has a very specific feeling: old walls, narrow streets, tiles, small corners, not always perfect, but full of texture. For this kind of shoot, I usually don’t want everything to look too clean. A little bit of real city life makes the photos stronger.
Once we had enough photos in the first outfit, we changed the look. The second outfit was more relaxed and a bit more street-style: a tank top, a sports jacket, and wide jeans. It changed the energy of the session immediately. The photos became less classic and more confident, with a stronger casual attitude.
We continued walking toward Miradouro de Santa Catarina, but we didn’t use the viewpoint itself. The sun was already too bright there, and I knew it would not give us the result we needed.
This is one of those small decisions that can really change the final gallery. Sometimes skipping the “obvious” location is the better choice.
Lisbon’s hills and stairways also help a lot during this kind of photoshoot. The city is not flat, and that can be a real advantage.
Steps, slopes, small walls, and different street levels create natural situations where a person can move, stop, lean, look around, or simply walk without feeling like they are “posing” too much.
I usually prefer to start this type of Lisbon photoshoot somewhere higher up, so we can move down slowly instead of climbing uphill during the session. It sounds like a small detail, but it makes the whole shoot easier. You stay more relaxed, you don’t get too hot too quickly, and the walk feels more natural.
For men, the most effortless poses often happen when they have something to do with their body. Leaning against a wall, sitting on steps, resting on a bench, holding a coffee, or just standing with relaxed shoulders usually works better than trying to “perform” for the camera. The goal is not to look perfect. The goal is to look comfortable and real.
Some Lisbon streets also have graffiti and stronger urban details, which can add color and a bit more attitude to the photos. It does not work for every outfit, but when the style is more relaxed or street-inspired, these backgrounds can fit very well and make the gallery feel less predictable.
I also don’t photograph people only when they look directly into the camera. Looking to the side, walking away for a second, checking the street, or just reacting to what is happening around us often gives the photos more life. These small in-between moments can make dating profile photos feel more natural and less like formal portraits.
Instead, we kept looking for small Lisbon corners with better light and a more relaxed mood. The final part of the photoshoot happened near Time Out Market, in a small green area. We made a few photos on the grass, some sitting on a bench, nothing complicated. Just calm, easy, and natural.
In the end, this session became a relaxed lifestyle story about a man in Lisbon. It has dating profile photos, café moments, street-style images, and a bit of everyday Lisbon atmosphere. Not too posed, not too perfect, and that was exactly the point.
