Biography
Joel Santos is a Travel Photographer, Documentary Filmmaker, Speaker and Writer, born in 1978, Lisbon, Portugal. He’s former a economist which became a journalist, focusing on fading traditions and remote locations, embracing his work with true passion for visual and written storytelling.
Winner of national and international photography awards, namely the prestigious Travel Photographer Of The Year, in 2016, and VISÃO/BES (WPP standards and jury), in 2005. Won 1st (“Dream Places”) and 2nd (Nature and wildlife) place awards at the ART & Tour — International Tourism Film Festival (2019) with the short film “Identidade de um Território”, shot for Geopark Estrela (UNESCO).
Published more than one hundred articles and chronicles in the national and international press, including National Geographic (USA), Geo, The Guardian, The Times, Daily Mail, Courrier, Wired, The Sun, among others. His photographs are used frequently by international brands, namely Canon, IKEA, Microsoft, ABC Studios, Samsung, DJI, among others.
Producer of original documentaries about Ethiopia, Niger, Ghana, Mongolia, China, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, Iceland, Norway and Portugal, pioneering with aerial images, broadcasted in Portugal and the UK, together with other online media channels. Filmed, directed and produced, in partnership with Magali Tarouca, 43 episodes of the TV series “VISÃO de Portugal” and 12 episodes of the documentary series “Mundo à Vista”, broadcasted by SIC/SIC Notícias channels and published in VISÃO and Courrier Internacional magazines.
Author of best-selling books, namely "FOTOgrafia” (9th edition); “FOTOPortugal” (2nd edition, co-author with Magali Tarouca) "FOTOcomposição” (2nd edition), “FOTOpad” (4th Edition), "FOTOedição” (3rd Edition) and “ÍNDIA – The Color of Contrast” and and "A Energia da Amazonia". Editor in Chief of “O Mundo da Fotografia Digital” (2007 to 2010) magazine, and regular contributor of VISÃO magazine.
Canon Ambassador (Europe, Africa and Middle East) since 2012. Momondo open world ambassador since 2019.
Photography teacher and photo tour leader around the world. Travelled to more than 40 countries. Travel and inspirational speaker (english, portuguese and spanish).
As an economist, he was a professor at the University of Economics in Timor-Leste (2004 to 2006) and a researcher at ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics & Management (2003, during his master’s degree in Economics and Management of Science and Technology).
