Rita Lopes
I am Rita Lopes, born and raised in Portugal. Since I was a child, I have been amazed by mother nature. I always loved to explore forests and get lost observing trees, flowers and small animals. The passion for biology and small details, as well as the thirst for understanding how human activity impacted the environment, lead me to my PhD in Environmental Engineering and to be a microbial ecologist. Simultaneously, this thrust also drove me to photograph landscapes and nature details (e.g., rock surfaces, flowers, animals, insects) since my teens. Wherever I would go, I would bring my camera and shoot the environment surrounding me. When I finalized my PhD, I felt the need to know more about photography and engaged in a two-year photography course. Since then, I have been a researcher and a photographer.