A Life of Portraits

From his early days assisting on catalogue shoots to photographing some of Portugal’s most renowned public figures, his work reflects decades of history and expertise. “I first visited at 19 years old, working as an assistant on these catalogues that existed before the internet”, Kenton Thatcher told The Portugal News. “We’d come here for the guaranteed sun and good lighting.”

In the late 1980s, the photographer was booked for what he thought would be a brief commission with a model agency in the capital. “From there on, I thought I was just passing through Lisbon, but for a good 10 years, I did a lot of work that I usually wouldn’t do and advertising campaigns.”

A natural calling

Growing up in North London, Thatcher found inspiration in his father, a civil servant with a deep passion for the creative arts. “I would even say far more talented and creative than I ever have become”, he shared. “My father was an amazing poet, made sculptures, had a darkroom, and his passion was an escape from what he really didn’t want to do, but he was old school, so his job was to provide and put food on the table for his family, and he did that.”

At school, the photographer struggled with severe dyslexia at a time when learning disabilities were not recognised. “They could never understand why I had the lowest grades in chemistry or biology but excelled at the highest level in arts and sports.”

Around the age of 12, he borrowed his father’s camera and took it to school, capturing portraits of his class and everyday life. “It was almost like a reportage”, Thatcher elaborated. “I went home and processed the roll of film until probably 2am or 3am, coming up with these sets of large black and white prints of the kids from my school.”

“It blew them away, and when I look at them now, these were actually really good, well-composed pictures”, he noted. “Suddenly, I got a little bit of respect and recognition, which I’d never had, so that made me think…. maybe I’ve got something here.”

“Then, I started photographing anything and everything” he recalled. By the age of 14, he won a sub-category of the Junior Wildlife Photographer of the Year, with the inauguration held at the British Museum, sponsored by BBC. “That was quite a major turn in my life.”

Shortly after, Thatcher apprenticed under a well-known photographer specialising in stock library images. “I skipped college and university, working for three years at Primrose Hill in London, and I received the best training you could have”, he stated. “I got to know the business very well, learning the technical side, understanding light, and seeing how images were curated for a broader audience.”

The art of portraiture

At 60 years old, Kenton Thatcher has no plans to retire, viewing photography not just as a career but as a lifelong passion. “I still really enjoy my work, probably more now than I did 10 or 20 years ago because you become a little prouder of your history and what you’ve done, but you also realise that time is a little more limited and that’s the beauty of it, proving you love what you do, you’re in it for the haul, until the end.”

He considers that it’s about more than just capturing an image – it’s about connection. “The click is the easiest part, but the real work in portraiture is the communication and psychology behind it”, Thatcher expressed. “People open their doors to you, so you touch a little bit of everyone’s life for a short time, and that’s what I love.”

Over the decades, he has developed a signature approach to portraiture that prioritises authenticity over perfection, opting for black and white photography to avoid placing subjects in a specific era. “If you shoot someone in the street, you can date the picture by the cars or fashion, but if you strip all that away, the image becomes timeless.”

A visual autobiography

His upcoming exhibition, running from March 29 to April 26 at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, is his most personal project yet, marking the culmination of 33 years of experience.

The collection showcases contemporary Portuguese public figures, from musicians and writers to athletes and activists, offering a visual documentation of Portugal today. “I’m quite honoured to have captured the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Paula Rego, and Rui Costa.”

“In many ways, it’s a visual autobiography.” Every portrait tells a story, not just about the person in the frame but also about his own journey as a photographer. Furthermore, the exhibition serves as a tribute to his late father, who passed away two years ago. “This is a dedication to him”, he explained. “I think I lived part of his dream, even though it was my own passion too.”

While his career has included advertising and commercial work, the inspiration for this project dates back 25 years to a moment in New York when he saw an exhibition by American photographer Richard Avedon. “I was astonished by his portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Carlie Chaplin, and the Kennedys”, Thatcher recounted. “So I thought, why not bring something like this to Portugal? And now, all these years later, I still haven’t seen anything quite like it here.”

To ensure the project has a lasting impact, the photographer is producing a large-format coffee table book. “Exhibitions come and go, but a book remains”, he concluded. “This way, the artists can keep it and share it, just as I hope to share my story through these photographs.”

For more information on Kenton Thatcher and his exhibition, please visit https://kentonthatcher.com/.

A journalist that’s always eager to learn about new things. With a passion for travel, adventure and writing about this diverse world of ours.

“Wisdom begins in wonder” -  Socrates

Kate Sreenarong