Hey Reader,

I wanted to share a bit more about why we picked Portugal for this retreat.

It all started with Sophie. She lives there and knows the place and the specific location very well.

It is also going to be my first time in Portugal, and I can’t be happier to have a local along the way.

That kind of everyday familiarity changes everything, since you stop having to orient yourself all the time. You basically just land somewhere and start noticing and enjoying things instead of planning and worrying how to get around.

Did I mention we will have a pickup and drop-off from the nearest town to the location in the countryside?

Hello, removing the stress of organizing 🙌

What I’m looking forward to is the slower rhythm of life I’ve read about. Lunch can turn into hours without anyone treating it like a thing. Even walking around, nobody seems in a rush to get anywhere in particular. Wouldn’t that be nice?

For food photography, that matters more than it sounds.

Slowing down allows you to see light and mood differently. You know how much I love diving into observation and using this knowledge to create m own vision of the scene.

Small things everyone notices differently, but they change how you work.

We’ll be in that rhythm for the week. Moving between kitchens, gardens, creative exercises and long meals that run over time. Not squeezing everything in. Leaving space for things to unfold on their own.

And maybe that’s the real reason Portugal.

Not because it looks a certain way, but because it slows you down enough to actually see it.

Hope to see you there,

Anja & Sophie