Portugal 2024# Vino & Viewfinder
Added 2025-08-11 16:00:21 +0000 UTCI wanted to gently wrap up the story of our trip to Portugal… And realized I wanted to share this mix of self-portraits and shots Gary took of me.
Turns out — we love wine, shooting in the bathroom, and being silly together :)
Throughout those days, we kept discovering how easy it is to be with each other. How easy it is to be fully ourselves, how safe it feels to not hide, and how natural it is to act like kids again.(Though maybe that’s just how I felt — who knows how it was for him 😌)
I’ve always found it hard to shoot myself when someone else is around — whether it’s a friend, a model, a stranger, or a partner. There’s something about being watched that usually pulls me out of flow. But with Gary, I didn’t lose it. From silly flash photos in the bathroom after wine, to shooting by the ocean at sunrise with cliffs and crashing waves all around…
I stayed in the moment. Inspired, present, open.
There’s something about his presence that creates a protective shell around me. Not just when he’s touching me or holding me — but even at a distance. It feels like being in a soft bubble, like a personal climate, where my body, my energy, and the space around me become completely safe. Like I’m alone, in the best possible way — completely myself, completely free, and completely at home. Even if the world around is wild and loud, inside that bubble, there’s stillness.
That week gave us so many photos I haven’t even shown yet, but I feel like this is a good moment to move on — A new chapter, a new trip, is just around the corner. 🌊
