The Green Bag
Your Friday Postcard
Maria hadn’t been back to Lisbon in fifteen years.
Standing at the top of Rua da Rosa, the morning light was starting to filter in through the facades. Ahead of her, a man in a black jacket made his way down the cobblestones. Lisbon is notorious for its steep cobblestoned side streets. The man held a green shopping bag that swung gently with each step, and she found herself mesmerized by the pendulum motions. She followed him.
The buildings, their pink and ochre facades resembling old photographs that had weathered the test of time, stood closely together on either side. She remembered her grandmother’s apartment on a street like this one, where sounds traveled differently in the narrow passages. Conversations from open windows would drift down, mixing with a distant aroma of grilled sardines and laundry soap.
The man continued, not noticing Maria. He passed through the archway, briefly disappearing into the shadows. When he appeared on the other side, he was bathed in the golden light of a Lisbon morning. He kept walking, eventually transforming into a silhouette against the brightness.
Maria stopped under the arch. Through it, she could see the familiar orange building, the pharmacy sign, and a slice of everyday Lisbon that had continued without her. Behind her, the steep climb back to where she started. Ahead, the descent into neighborhoods she used to know by heart.
She adjusted the strap on her own bag and stepped forward, her footsteps echoing off the stones.
She thought, some paths you walk away from. And some—eventually—you walk back down.
The sunlight was warmer than she remembered.
Okay, that little story is fictional, but it does represent the feeling you get walking through the streets of Lisbon on a quiet Saturday morning. The light slowly penetrating the buildings as a cool breeze wafts through the streets. ShālahBPookie - TheRebelCrone and I walked the street that morning, cameras in hand, looking to capture whatever might catch our eyes. I personally don’t do a lot of traditional street photography, but the man in this scene provides interest and a little context.
When I’m walking around a city, I tend to rely on super-zoom lenses; in this case it was my Olympus (OM System) 12-200mm ƒ/4.0 PRO. With an effective range of 24-200mm, it delivers tremendous flexibility when I don’t know exactly where the shot might come from. It’s also a tremendously sharp lens; I don’t hesitate to shoot it wide-open. When paired with my OM-1 Mark 2 body, I get 6.5 stops of camera shake correction, making it possible to get sharp shots even at slower shutter speeds.
Camera Data
OM System OM-1 Mark 2
OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO Lens
1/160s at ƒ/4.0 ISO 200
Focal length: 23mm (46mm equivalent)
Exposure Mode: Aperture-priority
GPS Location: 38°42’41.22” N 9°8’43.8” W
This Week’s Live Events
First Look: Nik Collection 9 (Friday, May 8th at 2pm ET)
Let’s Click! EP10 with ShālahBPookie - TheRebelCrone (Saturday, May 9th at 12 noon ET)
Thank you so much for supporting my work on Substack! Paid subscribers get full access to my entire online class archive — watch them at your own pace if you missed them live. Photo Enthusiast subscribers get direct Zoom access to my online classes and discounts on private mentoring sessions. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you!