Lucas Sousa 08/04/2026 Lucas Sousa 08/04/2026

This Is How I’m Starting Photojournalism

IRSP Easter commemoration, West Belfast, April 2026

Photojournalism is something that interests me for a long time.

But the big question is, how do you start getting assignments? How do you get published?

Last week I decided to focus on creating work towards photojournalism during Easter.

If you don’t know me, I usually work with street and documentary photography, which is pretty close, but when you are creating work for news you have to think a little bit different.

To be honest, I feel that sometimes traditional news uses very boring photos to tell a story.

Which I understand. Photography for the normal viewer needs to be simple and easy to read. Street photography can be more complicated sometimes.

Because I was creating work that I wanted to send to papers, I decided to shoot digital instead.

By doing that my workflow would be way quicker and I could email people with my photos by the end of each day.

The lenses I used were a 16–35mm Sony Zeiss f/4 and a Sony 50mm f/2.5 G.

Those cover most of what I need, because I can also use crop mode on my A7C.

I wish I had something longer for some shots, but I don’t have that at the moment.

Context

Before continuing, I just want to give a bit of context on what Easter means to the North of Ireland.

Easter here is not just a holiday.

It’s a moment of remembrance.

It goes back to the Easter Rising in 1916, when Irish republicans tried to end British rule.

Many of the people involved were executed, and since then, Easter became a time to remember them.

In Belfast, especially in West Belfast, these commemorations are still very present.

There are parades, gatherings, speeches, and people coming together to remember history, but also to express what they believe in today.

And that’s where it gets interesting as a photographer.

Because you’re not just photographing an event.

You’re photographing something that is still politically and emotionally alive.

Workers’ Party, Milltown Cemetery, April 2026

How I approached it

Because I was approaching this as a photojournalist, I had to cover different types of shots.

Wide, mid, and tight.

Wide shots tend to be simpler.

They are there to give a sense of placement and scale.

I don’t think they are always the most interesting images, but they clearly show where you are and what is happening.

Mid shots are where you can get closer to what is happening.

You can give more information in your photograph.

This is where I feel most comfortable.

I like getting close to my subjects. I think it creates a better image.

Glór na hÓglaigh, Milltown Cemetery, April 2026

This photograph, to me, is not the most photojournalistic one, but I love that moment.

It’s about the hands. You can see so many hands in it.

It’s not a big moment, but it has something interesting and it gives context.

You still understand where you are, but you start to feel something.

Tight shots are where you focus on something specific.

A face, a symbol, a detail.

In one of the images, I photographed a badge used by a member of the Workers’ Party.

It gives more detail on who they are and what they represent.

These shots don’t always have to be just one thing.

Sometimes you can combine ideas.

There is one image where I focused on a portrait very close to the subject.

He clearly felt uncomfortable with me being that close.

I like that image because it shows tension, but at the same time you can still see what is happening in the background.

Arriving early

I shot during two days of commemorations.

During those two days, I made sure to get there at least one hour before each event.

That made a big difference.

On the first day, I wanted to see the beginning of everything.

People getting ready, meeting each other.

I also wanted to introduce myself.

Events like this can be very personal, so it’s important to arrive early, explain what you are doing, and just be nice to people in general.

Of course, that doesn’t work in every situation.

It was actually hard to find where the first event was starting.

People were giving me different information, mixing it with the events from the next day.

So it took me a while to find it, which made arriving early even more important.

Because I was early, I could also see who was organising everything and approach her.

I explained who I was and what I was doing.

That gave me the opportunity to get her email and make a new contact.

And that’s important.

Creating contacts while you are on the field.

Another thing that helped me was that people got used to my face.

I was there since the beginning.

That made shooting much easier.

Second event

The second event that day was Glór na hÓglaigh.

I ran to where they were starting and started working straight away.

The feeling was different.

Because I wasn’t there from the start, I didn’t know my ground yet.

But I had already warmed up, so I felt comfortable enough.

There were more photographers there and a clear presence of the press.

After the event finished, I did something that I think is very important.

I introduced myself to other photographers.

To be honest, this is very hard for me.

I always feel awkward doing it.

But that day I pushed myself.

Everyone was very friendly, which helped a lot.

Networking is a big part of this.

Sending the work

After the event, I went home and edited as fast as I could.

Before that, I had already searched for editors and photo editors from local news, so I had their emails ready.

I made a selection of 3 to 5 images and sent them.

Trying to show a mix of wide, mid, and tight shots.

I also introduced myself and explained my work.

I wasn’t expecting to get published straight away.

The goal was to show who I am and start building connections.

The difficult part

One thing that is always hard for me is the political side of it.

I have my own views.

And sometimes you have to send your work to outlets that don’t align with them.

Sometimes you know they might use wording you don’t agree with, and your photograph will be there.

That’s something I’m still trying to understand.

But at the moment, I know I need to start.

Build connections.

Get my work out there.

Second day

The second day, I did the same thing.

Arrived early, introduced myself, spoke to people.

Because I had done it the day before, it felt much easier.

This was a bigger event, an IRSP commemoration.

There was a parade and speeches.

It was a longer day because I was trying to cover everything from start to finish.

Moving between the front and the back of the parade.

Usually, as a street photographer, I focus on the people watching.

But this time, I focused more on the parade itself.

I still photographed the crowd, but my main focus was different.

At some point, I felt like I was repeating myself.

Maybe I was tired, or maybe the event was similar.

But I kept shooting and tried to find different things.

After that, I went home again, edited quickly, and sent more emails.

Final thoughts

I feel like the speed of everything, and sending your work to places you don’t fully agree with, is one of the hardest parts of this.

But it’s part of the process.

I’m glad I did this.

I learned a lot during this weekend, and I actually enjoyed it, even if it’s different from my usual work.

Some of these images are still close to my style.

But not everything is exactly what I would normally show.

And that’s fine.

Watch the video

If you prefer to watch the day instead of reading about it, I made a video where I talk through everything while it was happening.

I show the process, the photos, and what I was thinking during the day.

You can watch it here:

Lucas Sousa 24/03/2026 Lucas Sousa 24/03/2026

This Is Ruining My Creativity

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

Being a creative person has never been easier than it is now. We have access to so many references, books, free content online. Everything is there for us.

But at the same time, I feel like there’s so much noise around us.

We are constantly on social media. There’s always something to watch, something to learn, something we should be doing. And sometimes, all of that just makes me feel stuck.

I’m a very anxious person. Some days I’m very creative and I get a lot done. Other days, I’m a professional procrastinator.

As a photographer, I’m always trying to improve. Looking at other people’s work, trying to understand what makes a good image.

As a YouTuber, I’m trying to learn how to make better videos, how to show what I actually feel, how to connect with people.

And some days it just feels like my head is going to explode.

I’m in the middle of changing my career. I want to become a full-time photographer, videographer, and content creator. I’m at the very beginning of all of this.

So if you’re looking for an expert, I’m not your guy.

But if you’re looking to listen to someone who is figuring things out as they go, that’s me.

And I think that’s why this noise feels so loud sometimes. I’m not where I want to be yet. I haven’t achieved what I want to achieve.

I don’t know if you feel the same, but I imagine it’s easier to deal with all this noise when you’re already living your dream. When you’re already doing what you want to do.

But at the beginning, it’s constant.

Is it me?

Is my work good enough?

What do I need to learn next?

We are supposed to find those answers online, in books, in other people’s work.

But I have this feeling that the more I look, the more my work gets diluted. The more I lose myself in all of it.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my photography and my creative process, and I feel like I need less noise.

I need to be more offline.

As a photographer, I have a lot of references, and that’s important. But maybe I should spend more time looking inside and thinking about what I actually want to say with my work.

If you love taking photographs, being outside, making things, I think you should focus more on what you enjoy doing. On what feels like you.

We are all different. We all come from different experiences. And sometimes that matters more than spending hours looking at someone else’s work.

I’m not saying studying isn’t important. It is.

But I think we often confuse studying with actually having a practice.

I’m pretty sure you learn much more by spending hours outside, taking photos, making things, than sitting at home scrolling or watching videos.

And I say this because I do it too.

I produce a lot, but I also consume a lot.

And sometimes I catch myself spending more time trying to understand how to be better, instead of actually doing the work.

If you produce more, you naturally get better. You start finding your own way instead of following someone else’s recipe.

And in the middle of all this noise, I think I sometimes lose who I really am.

Because I’m so focused on trying to make something that people will watch, that I forget that if I’m just myself, someone will connect with that.

If your goal is to go viral, maybe none of this makes sense.

But if your goal is to connect with real people, to share something honest, then I think being yourself matters more than anything.

I always feel a bit weird writing or talking about this. It feels like I’m trying to be a coach or something.

But really, I’m just talking about things I’m going through.

I want to spend more time offline.

More time making things.

More time behind or in front of a camera.

I believe that by focusing on the work instead of constantly listening about the work, I’ll improve. And I’ll eventually find people who connect with what I do.

It might take longer.

It might not get as many clicks.

But if I get there with the right people, I’m happy with that.

I also made a video where I talk through all of this in a more honest, unfiltered way.

If you prefer watching instead of reading, you can check it out below.

Lucas Sousa 22/03/2026 Lucas Sousa 22/03/2026

The Parade Wasn’t the Point

St. Patrick’s Day

I was only there for two days, so I didn’t want to bring too much gear with me, because I knew I would spend most of my time on the street.

At the same time, I wanted to create a video for my YouTube channel and also take photographs, so I ended up carrying a bit more than I planned.

I had my Sony A7C as my main video camera, paired with a Rode VideoMic Go II.

I also had a Sony ZV1 for digital photos and my Leica M4 with a 28mm f/5.6 from TTArtisan.

The A7C is my main camera for video and it does the job really well.

I had a 16–35mm F4 with it, which I like because it’s wide enough for talking to camera, but I can also go to 35mm when I want something a bit tighter.

The Rode VideoMic Go II has really good audio, but sometimes I hear a small rattling sound when I’m walking. It’s something I might change in the future.

The Sony ZV1 is a very simple camera, but it does the job for street photos.

It’s small, quiet, and most people don’t even notice it. I use it as an option to take more photos without spending film.

The Leica M4 is still the camera I trust the most.

I’ve had it for about a year now and I really enjoy working with a rangefinder.

The 28mm from TTArtisan is not the sharpest lens, but I think it’s an incredible lens for its size, price and honestly, it’s more than enough for the kind of work I’m doing.

First day in Dublin

My first day in Dublin was the day before the parade.

When I arrived, the city was lively and sunny, already full of tourists

I decided to shoot mostly with the ZV1 because I wanted to save film for the day of the parade.

Sometimes I get stuck thinking that I need better or newer gear to produce good work, but I’m not going to lie, I really enjoyed shooting with that camera on that day.

I ended up producing some photos that I liked, and it proved to me that sometimes the problem is not the camera, it’s me.

Meeting Peter

On that first day I met a photographer called Peter Erickson.

He is one of my favourite photographers in Ireland at the moment.

We had a conversation about gear and also about slowing down.

He told me he was using a Leica 50mm pre-spherical lens that he bought for around €800, which is cheap for a Leica lens.

He said he prefers that lens because the newer versions are too sharp, and that’s not what he is looking for. He just wants a good image.

That made me think a lot about my own setup.

I was using a ZV1, which is very digital but simple, and also a very simple lens from TTArtisan, for the work I was doing, that was enough.

It’s something that is hard to remember sometimes, but it’s something we should always think about as photographers.

The second thing we talked about was slowing down.

I asked Peter if I could follow him for a bit and watch him shooting, but he said no.

He doesn’t like people around when he is creating work, which is fair, we are all different in the end.

But he told me something that stayed with me.

He walks slowly, stands still, and looks for frames.

Later, when I saw him on the street, he was literally standing there doing nothing, just observing and I realised something. If you stay in the same place for long enough, people stop paying attention to you, you become part of the scene.

That’s something I don’t do enough, I’m always moving, always trying to find something. But maybe I should stay more, take my time, and think more about the photograph instead of just shooting and hoping.

Second day – the parade

On my second day I woke up very early and went to Dublin city centre to collect my press pass.

This helps a lot on a day like this because you can access places that other people can’t.

I got this pass through work, but if you are starting, I would always recommend reaching out to event organisers or people working with media, you can offer your photos or videos in return, and sometimes that opens doors.

After that, I met two creators from Brazil that I met for the first time on that day. I was really excited to meet other people that work with YouTube.

I don’t know many people doing this, and it can feel quite lonely sometimes.

I also think it’s important to be around people doing similar work, you can always learn something just by watching.

We started walking towards the start of the parade.

Because we were early, it was easier to move around, which is very important when you are covering something like this.

Before the parade

The start of the parade is always very lively.

Everyone is waiting, the children are warming up, and there is something in the air that I can’t really explain, but it always puts me in a good mood.

I was trying to get as close as I could to create some shots. I’m the type of person that believes you should keep photographing until someone tells you not to.

I was looking for tight frames and some symmetry, I had Wes Anderson in my head. I will never be able to reproduce similar work, but I had him in my head while shooting.

At the same time, I was trying to film for YouTube, it’s really hard to do both. It always feels like you have to choose one or the other.

But somehow I still managed to get some shots that I was happy with before the parade even started.

Moving away from the parade

After a while, we decided to move.

We didn’t want to stay only with the parade, we wanted to be closer to the people watching.

I had a feeling that a lot of photographers were already getting those parade shots, and I already had what I needed from that, so I became more interested in the crowd.

As a photographer, I try to cover everything, wide shots, tight shots, the event, the people, and the atmosphere.

Some photographers stay too focused on one thing.

They think St Patrick’s Day is only about the parade, but that’s not the only thing happening. There is a lot more going on in the city.

The point is not just the parade.