Cinematica
Teresa Freitas
Nominated by
Bienal Fotografia do Porto

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Cinematica is an ongoing photographic series that reveals a transformative impact of colour in documenting real places and subjects around the world. Through specific colour aesthetics, a subtle yet intriguing shift in reality prompts viewers to question the authenticity of the scenes. Colour in each element of the image is curated in the light of the principles of colour theory, harmony and balance, where both soft and bright hues are thoughtfully mixed in varying proportions through tone and tint. Emphasising the impact on composition, subject, and place, each photograph becomes an exploration of colour's influence on both visual elements and emotional resonance. Cinematica invites the audience to engage with a convergence of reality and artistry, encouraging a heightened aesthetic response to the interplay of colour and narrative, while challenging conventional perceptions.
There is a specific observational quality to these images, where each scene gains a greater importance after being edited, immortalising seemingly ordinary moments with a different perspective. A new approach to street photography explores a sense of the street as an extension of the home and the street as a theatre, playing with familiar motifs and daily-life details, and the theatrical quirkiness of human behaviour.
The Artist

Teresa Freitas
Nominated in
2024
By
Bienal Fotografia do Porto
Lives and Works in
Lisbon
Teresa Freitas (b. 1990) is a Portuguese photographer and colourist. Her work navigates the genres of fine art, documentary and street photography, often exploring the impact of colour in composition, place, mood, and in the viewer's aesthetic response.
Initially drawn to black and white film, Teresa followed her influences from Painting and Cinema to apply a knowledge of colour theory and harmony to develop a signature style which has earned her praise in many publications. She shares this knowledge through international workshops and online courses.
After several years working in commercial photography—with collaborations including Leica, Adobe, and Dior—she is now focused on short and long-term documentary projects. Her current work examines cultural and symbolic relationships to nature, particularly through flowers.
More projects by this artist
2024
Flower(s)
The unique relationships between people and flowers shape how certain species have influenced cultural traditions, rituals, economies, and daily life. Through a blend of documentary and poetic approaches, this long-term project uses photography as a tool to preserve stories at risk of disappearing—threatened by cultural erosion, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity. The first story takes place in Takase, a village in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture, where the safflower has been cultivated for centuries. Once used to create a rare crimson dye reserved for the elite, the flower still plays a central role in seasonal rituals and community identity. By capturing the gestures, labour, and quiet beauty of these practices, the project reveals how something as fragile as a flower can carry generations of meaning.
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