Photo tour in Azores, Portugal
December 3, 2025 No Comments
Join us in the Azores for a unique photo tour, where you’ll elevate your creative skills with expert guidance from Ronald Soethje, Bruno Ázera, and Nomadict.
Stephen Gadaleta
@stephengada
Traveler and freelance writer based in based in the US
My passion for traveling started when I was in high school. I had a burning desire to go out and explore, I wanted adventure. I was so used to my routine and I was attracted to what was new, mysterious, and exciting; I was seeking new experiences. That desire is still the main motivation for my travels. Having new experiences, meeting new people, seeing awesome places, and constantly evolving as a person. That’s what it’s all about after all. My passion for photography was kind of a fluke really. I bought a camera to make YouTube videos and did that for a little bit. Then, I started taking pictures and realized how fun it was.
Now, I try to take pictures anywhere I go although I honestly wouldn’t call it more than a hobby that I like to become better at. Maybe I would like to develop it more professionally in the future, but for now I just really enjoy the process of finding a scene, taking a photo, editing it, and posting it on Instagram for others to see. Photography is just an activity that I have a lot of fun doing and learning more about.
I like challenging myself by fighting the desire to upgrade my gear; I think that it will somehow make my photography better, when, in reality, I have to take my time, develop my skills, and perfect my photography with the tools I have right now. I shoot with a Canon EOS-M3. Talk to a hobbyist and they’ll have no idea what kind of camera that is. Talk to a professional, and they’ll wonder why I wasted my money. It may not be the best in the world, but it works. Once my skill surpasses my camera should I dive into the investment of another. On a practical side, the way I continue to develop my photography skills is by shooting, shooting, and shooting some more.
"Over time, I realized that I enjoy the raw side of the creative process more so than the fine-tuning. I love looking for places to shoot, hiking, finding my way to a spot, adjusting my camera for the perfect settings, and snapping a few shots."
Everything about that part of the process is refreshing, exhilarating, and enjoyable. It’s the editing, organizing, and overall post-processing that I struggle with. There are just too many variables to choose from and that leaves me feeling overwhelmed. Nevertheless, presenting myself with challenges, learning how to overcome them and consuming information online boost my photography IQ.
I believe ‘explore’ is the word I love most. You can use it in different ways, but is always driven by curiosity and it always goes hand in hand with learning and personal growth. Exploring definitely gets you surprised, as it’s about discovering the unknown. When I went to India, I was overwhelmed by surprises. Whenever people ask me about what the experience was like, I tell them that India is sensory overload.
"The sights, the smells, the textures, the sounds, and tastes are overwhelming. The culture is rich, vibrant, and very unlike anything you see in the US or Europe."
I think that’s partially why so many people are intrigued by what India has to offer. I would wholeheartedly recommend for people to visit. I took a lot of memories and experiences from India that I’ll cherish forever. Though each travel leaves me surprised to some extent, and with experiences I will never forget. I have been traveling a lot in Europe and met amazing people along the way. The fun thing is that you don’t know what to expect. Once I found a cheap flight from Germany (where I was based that time) to Georgia, a country I knew nothing about yet. I just decided to go: I landed in Kutaisi, and immediately went north for the town of Mestia. It was off-season, so I was one of a few tourists in the entire town.
"As the only patron at my hostel, the Georgian chef cooked me a massive 11-course breakfast, no exaggeration."
The food was excellent, but there was no way I could finish the entire thing. To avoid hurting the cook’s feelings, I hid some leftovers in my jacket pocket and decided to feed some stray dogs I had seen the night before. One of them followed me for the next 4-5 hours through a long hike and all the way back to the front door of my hostel. The country had totally surprised me talking about sceneries, culture and hospitality.
"It's tough to parse out which experiences/places taught me certain things."
Traveling in general has taught me so much, and I would be hard to associate each lesson with a certain place. But to give an example… I remember hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, and this experience taught me about living experiences consciously, being in the moment. It was something I had been dreaming about doing for years and I was fortunate enough to realize my dream in 2015. However, it was one of the first times I was traveling alone extensively and I let my emotions get the better of me. Instead of enjoying the hike for what it was, really experiencing it, I rushed through it. It was still incredible and I still thoroughly enjoyed it, but if I could go back in time, I would re-hike that insane trek and try to be more mindful in enjoying the beauty that can be found around every corner. And I’d take more photographs of course!
"From each travel, you take something with you, conscious or unconscious at the moment itself, but you will find out over time."
I would love to go to Iceland, Japan, China, Patagonia, Kenya and Canada, and I am curious what these travels will bring me. It’s beautiful to reflect upon all that you have done and experienced, and how you gradually grew as a person. And since Nepal, I definitely make sure I take the time to contemplate the places where I am.
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