32-year-old Tiago Sales always knew he’d be a photographer…

With an affinity for drawing and design, it was a career path that just made sense; to the point where, when Tiago purchased his debut camera some years ago, it felt like something of a destiny call. “The first camera I bought was a Canon 60D,” the Portugal native recalls, “because I already knew that photography would become my job.”

Tiago’s confidence is well-placed. Over the course of his career, he’s been enlisted as a team member for Canon’s Portugal branch, and the precision of his scenic shots – be it symmetrical architecture or perfectly lit landscapes – is clearly the work of an established craftsman. For Tiago, this conviction in the quality of his work is the thing he enjoys most about photography, specifically counting that “feeling when you realise you have a good photo” as one of his career joys.

“[I enjoy] shots where the composition is wonderful and the light is great… When you feel that you will not need to edit or rescan a negative again because that’s the way the photo is supposed to be,” Tiago says. It’s the same sort of satisfaction that a painter enjoys when they master the perfect brushstroke – an analogy that’s well-suited to Tiago’s more artistic shots, which range from floating chairs to a sunset with every hue of the rainbow. But while his assuredness behind the lens is well-documented, what Tiago looks for in his portrait work is quite the opposite.  

“I don’t have a favorite person to shoot, but I tend to be more curious with people who are shy, but who I think will look great in a proper portrait…Asking a non-model to look into the camera and suddenly they are super comfortable about themselves is a favourite moment for me…and I can get a good portrait out of nowhere,” Tiago says. 

While his muses are broad – he counts “flavours,” “travels” and “simple moments” as key inspirations – Tiago’s work is bound by his desire to tell stories. It’s a throughline evident in his Frames portfolio, and it’s one that’s stuck with him over the course of his career. “I’m an incessant, ever curious storyteller, and my work rests on my endless love for travelling… I try to create authentic and original moments, and continually blur the lines between work, rest and life.” 

Peep all of Tiago’s Frames below, and head here to follow him on Instagram.