Proximity

Proxymidade is more than a photography book. It aims to bring together photography and words under the theme of music, with the message that we are more and better when connected and close to others and that artistic creation deepens in this way.

Hello!
My name is Luís Macedo and I am a documentary music photographer based in Lisbon.
For over 13 years I have been documenting musical stories, photographing artists and their projects in the most varied environments: in rehearsals, in studio recordings, in concerts, during sound setup and rehearsal, backstage, in promotional sessions, festivals and even in meetings and special events in their personal and artistic lives.
Over time and as a result of this work, I became aware of the importance of personal connections that exist between musicians for writing, creating and experiencing music.

In 2017 I started creating a project of portraits of musicians, starting with some with whom I already had a friendship, with the aim of giving a visible form to this network of connections.
And so began the Proxymidade project, the idea of a book and a photography exhibition that, through the association of the written words of the photographed themselves, would make visible this network of real connections between people who are also artists, and at the same time create a document of the various human and musical stories of the Portuguese-speaking world that are intertwined in this network.

And throughout financial difficulties, a pandemic, many personal challenges and the typical constraints of a freelance photographer, the Proxymidade project took shape and content.
This process of creation is therefore also a process of personal growth and evolution as I face fears and insecurities head on to become increasingly aware of myself and others, and thus also get closer and connect with myself and others.

Finally in 2024, I found the publisher who believed in this project and its publication.
Unfortunately, without any kind of institutional support, public or private, I had to make the decision to bear all the costs of both publishing the book and producing the photographic exhibition.

Specifically, I ask for your help to achieve the following:
- The national publication of a 1st edition of 300 copies of the book Proxymidade.
- Production of a photographic exhibition with 70 portraits.

There are several support options, all with some kind of reward, ranging from the advance purchase of a copy of the book at a discount, to the accumulation of all the rewards which includes a numbered and authenticated print and a personal music photography workshop.

Check out all the reward options available on the campaign website. Choose the one that suits you best or interests you. You can purchase more than one reward or several of the same reward.
The campaign ends on March 22nd.
Come and be part of this project.
Thank you in advance for your attention and support.
See you soon.

About the author

I was born on Saint Augustine's Day in 1973, in the parish of São Jorge de Arroios, in Lisbon. The son of a father from Ajuda, Lisbon, and a mother from Odemira, Lisbon, Alentejo. A shy and reserved child, I always had a natural inclination towards the arts, particularly music and drawing.

Music has always been present in the family, not with instrumentalists or composers, but with music lovers and lots of music always playing in our house, on vinyl records, on cassette tapes or on the radio. I started playing guitar when I was 16. I played in a few bands and it is still one of my favorite creative outlets.

Photography, probably like in so many middle-class homes in the 70s and 80s, was always present in the form of rolls of Kodak 35mm film and instant cameras. Whenever there was a birthday, Christmas, a weekend getaway or a summer holiday, there would certainly be moments captured in photographs. So I got used to capturing and reliving stories and memories through photography.

In 2006, I bought my first digital SLR camera and began to take photographs in a more intense and dedicated way. That was when I discovered the beauty of street photography and photojournalism and it was the beginning of my deepening of the secrets and theoretical formalities of photography, both through self-taught experimentation and through sharing with friends who are photographers and information available on the internet.

I created a photography blog in 2010 and shortly after, I felt the need to give more meaning to this passion turned into love that was photography.

In 2011, I decided to combine photography and music by photographing concerts. For two years, I photographed every concert I could. I made musician friends who opened their doors to me to photograph them. I photographed in many concert halls and live music venues. I photographed national and international artists, some better known than others, in a wide range of musical genres, in concerts under my own name or at festivals. But, gradually, I felt increasingly unmotivated by the lack of content and message in the photographs I took. So I started long-term and more immersive projects with some artists. I embraced the documentary aspect as what I really love doing in photography. As a result of this direct contact with musicians, I realized the connection that exists between them, which goes deeper and beyond a mere artistic connection, and how these connections are fundamental to resilience in artistic and cultural production in general, and more specifically, in music.

Budget and due dates

Edition of 300 copies of a 160-page photography book: €2,500

Production of a photographic exhibition with 72 portraits: €1500

Book launch and exhibition opening: March 23, 2025

Images