Rita Carmo is "the" music photographer in Portugal. Since 1992 she?s been ?the official eye? for the musical weekly newspaper Blitz, and her lenses have captured: nearly all the greater names of the most creative and essential portuguese sounding musicians; a handful of new talents; and a large amount of examples of the biggest international acts, incontestable in the cultural history of the 20th and 21st centuries.

A small but revealing part of her work was brought to a larger audience in December 2003, through the release of her photograph album Altas-Luzes. They?re approximately 200 images of such diverse artists as PJ Harvey, Sérgio Godinho, Laurie Anderson, Björk, Da Weasel, Nick Cave, Madredeus, Marilyn Manson, John Zorn, Cesária Évora, Camané and The Gift.

There, as in these pictures before you from "Portugal XXI - Images of Portuguese Sounds" (ed. BLITZ December 2008), it?s easy to get acquainted with Rita?s finest quality: the ability to let herself be ?swallowed? by each artist?s imagery and therefore being able to, along with them, reinterpret their work.

Gonçalo Frota