I met Tânia Neves in Hanoi, Vietnam, and since then, we’ve kept in touch. Over time, we even ended up working together in the fascinating world of travel. Tânia, with roots in the magical mountains, is like a sweet wrapped in impulsiveness, boldness, and courage. Fascinated by the remote, she found in photography a powerful way to break down barriers and explore a world of diverse cultures. She ventures through inhospitable and challenging places, always in search of something unique, but it’s in the mountains where her heart truly beats strongest.

Tânia Neves is a true force of nature, a woman whose energy and vision know no limits. She inspires not only with her immense courage and resilience but also with the genuine way she dedicates herself to her work and the world. In this tribute, I celebrate the photographer, the traveller, the entrepreneur, and above all, the extraordinary woman she is, as well as the profound impact she has left on the lives of all those who have the privilege of crossing her path.

Today, the voice that is heard is from Tânia Neves!

Your career as a photographer and film producer takes you to remote and culturally diverse places. How did photography become your means of expression and what does it allow you to capture uniquely?

Coming from an extremely remote area myself, with deeply rooted traditions and cultures, a community almost extinct and fractured by the dictatorship, I believe this instilled in me a natural need to tell the stories of the people and document things in their space and time.

I studied at António Arroio, a school where creative freedom is celebrated, and this allowed me to explore photography as an innovative and communicative medium. Later, I pursued a “luxury” artistic degree in one of the most creative cities in the world – Bristol – where I was fortunate to have mentors like Tricky. At UWE (University of the West of England – Bristol), I also had a Swedish tutor, a woman who never got a driving licence, but had a a pilot’s licence and a small plane at Bristol Airport, which she occasionally flew to visit her family in Sweden. All of these experiences helped shape the woman, photographer, and storyteller I have become.

Photography is simply the “honest” tool I chose to preserve fragments of the spaces and times we live in, essential to all the journeys and stories. My photographs are always “SOOC” (straight out of camera), brutally honest and raw, just like the stories they document.

You’ve travelled to some of the most restricted places in the world, such as North Korea and Xinjiang. How have these places impacted your approach to photography and storytelling through images?

My travels to controversial places are often highly criticised, but I have the privilege of coming from one of the freest places in the world, and I make use of that freedom. Nothing in history is eternal, and I believe it’s important to document these fragments of time.

It’s always worth remembering that being curious and documenting certain moments does not mean we agree with them. Through photography, I always hope to extend this perspective to those who cannot – or do not want to – visit these places, which adds a certain “weight of responsibility” to those moments, knowing they spark the curiosity (and judgement) of many people.

In an era where everyone carries mobile phones and takes selfies, it’s fascinating to raise a camera in a place where free photography is assumed to be restricted.

“Spirit Animal,” your project on climate change among Mongolia’s nomadic tribes, is an example of a deeply personal and powerful work. How did this project come to life, and what emotions or revelations did it bring to your photography practice?

The Spirit Animal project was born from a genuine desire to document a lesser-explored side of the stories of Mongolian tribes and, through that, prompt reflection on the impact of our footprint on remote communities. The project has gone through many phases and forms, taking me to the biggest film festivals in Europe and providing me with immense learning. It ultimately ended up being sold to one of the world’s largest production companies, where it is now in very capable hands.

The documentary marked my transition from Sony to Fujifilm, which, in recent years, has been one of the greatest assets to my photographic practice.

Your work demonstrates how photography can be a powerful tool to give a voice to marginalised people. How do you ensure that your work not only respects but also honours the people and places you photograph?

There is a very beautiful and intimate relationship between the photographer and the subject – for brief moments, we are privileged with the deep vulnerability of those we photograph, and it is important (for me) that this moment is consensual, honest, and comes from a very genuine connection. It is very powerful to have this tool that allows us to share that connection with many more people.

There are many times when I feel that part of my soul and energy also remain in the stories I photograph – this happened during the Tondela fires and with the shaman in Mongolia. It’s much more than empathy; it’s like an energetic absorption that is transferred into the images, and it stays there forever, allowing it to be endlessly revisited by those who see it.

I would say there are two factors to consider: first, the humility of knowing that this is not our story, and second, the responsibility of documenting a story that is not our own.

There is a very beautiful and intimate relationship between the photographer and the subject – for brief moments, we are privileged with the deep vulnerability of those we photograph, and it is important (for me) that this moment is consensual, honest, and comes from a very genuine connection.

Your training in Photography and Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam shapes your perspective. How do these two disciplines intersect in your work and influence how you approach the cultures you portray?

They are two distinct courses. I graduated in Photography at UWE – Bristol, UK, and then I completed a postgraduate degree in Anthropology at UvA – Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The postgraduate degree in Anthropology I undertook at UvA focused on the cultural preservation of micro-cultures in large cities. My specific case study was Muslim families in a city where sex was sold in windows, but it had nothing to do with photography. However, I believe these two courses complement each other very well, especially when our focus is on documentary work and storytelling. Without a doubt, this helped me develop a more empathetic perspective on all the cases I approach, seeking points of identity that, even if not aligned with our own, make sense within their context.

During your years of travel, what was the experience or place that impacted you the most and changed the way you view the world and your art?

Without a doubt, Mongolia! And even though I already have many entry stamps for Mongolia, I continue to be surprised by that “so much of nothing.” It is by far the most photogenic place I know, and it feels like a journey through time, to an era that is not contemporary. It’s a long trip to the past, to a country that is little explored and damaged by humanity.

Because it is currently in a very rapid development process, I feel a great urgency to document everything that exists there, knowing that future generations will not know anything about what we experience now.

In your view, how can travel contribute to a better understanding between different cultures? What do you think we can learn from one another by crossing borders and exploring new realities?

Some things are best understood by doing, and travelling can be one of them – but it’s not just any type of travel. There’s more and more artificial intelligence in travel, apps that create itineraries, Google reviews, travel agencies offering “bubble” experiences, and globalization and alienation are two massive contemporary problems that are leading to less empathy between cultures. Many people travel but expect to find the same thing at the destination that they left behind at home, whether it’s the comfort of their mattress, hot water in pressurised showers, food like the one they have at home – the list goes on endlessly.

I believe that understanding between cultures is only found when, on one hand, the traveller departs with an open heart, ready for discomfort and surprise, and, on the other, when the destination offers them an authentic experience, involving local people and cultures, and not a replica of what they left behind at home.

I see a lot of those who travel with me to more deprived countries, like Mongolia, learning to value water more, for example. In our culture, we turn on the tap, and water appears like magic, drinkable and clean, hot or cold. Animals are raised in slaughterhouses and sacrificed to eat only a portion of their young bodies, in an unsustainable industry, but we also realise how unsustainable it is to have a vegan diet in a country with no agriculture. The possibilities are endless.

I take care in preparing manuals for travellers to provide an introduction to the culture we are going to visit and to encourage them to be open to new experiences. It’s very rewarding when we see some internal change. I sincerely believe that there are personal experiences that can make the world a better place, and travelling in this way is undoubtedly one of them.

What motivated you to create Unusual Voyages, and how has your entrepreneurial vision been shaped by your experience as a photographer and travel leader?

Above all, Unusual Voyages was created to fill the gap I mentioned in the previous point. There are several travel agencies in the market, and the public has many options to choose from, but I was struggling to find an agency that aligned with the same values as mine, so I decided to fill that space. It’s not exactly an entrepreneurial vision, as we don’t operate based on the scalability principle of business, but rather on the quality of our trips, always staying true to our values.

It’s still a very small project, with a vision that is almost entirely centred on the respect for and appreciation of local communities, but it has fortunately been very well received. We are a startup incubated at Ericeira Business Factory, which supports sustainability, tourism, and maritime projects, and we were also one of the finalists in the 2024 edition of the largest national female entrepreneurship programme, Bora Mulheres. In May, with less than a year of activity, we won the idea contest in the Startup category, which led us to the Web Summit. These are all very beautiful facts, but honestly, there is nothing like the on-the-ground experience, with the people and their stories, to help us define our path when it comes to creating new travel experiences.

With Unusual Voyages, you aim to offer ethical and sustainable tourism. What does it mean for you to combine the pleasure of travel with a commitment to cultural and environmental preservation?

Without cultural or environmental preservation, and without education in that regard, the world as we know it will soon disappear. It is essential to take care of our planet, nurture and honour its people – both human and animal – and celebrate cultural diversity. Globalisation disfigures and destroys our planet. For me, travelling is a way to celebrate the good in the world, by honouring it.

Without cultural or environmental preservation, and without education in that regard, the world as we know it will soon disappear. It is essential to take care of our planet, nurture and honour its people – both human and animal – and celebrate cultural diversity.

As a travel leader, how do you integrate photography into the experiences you offer travellers? What impact does your photographic practice have on how travellers perceive and interact with destinations?

I don’t mix things up when I’m simply leading a group on the ground, as our trips are not solely for those interested in photography. However, I do teach documentary photography classes in Lisbon, where I focus precisely on the impact of photography in travel, and the importance of the relationship between the photographer and the subject. One of these courses ends with a trip, and it’s very interesting to see how the students develop this new way of looking at the world through their own experiences.

Being a female entrepreneur and travelling to remote locations undoubtedly requires a lot of courage and resilience. What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your journey, and how have they shaped your character and your business?

I am a woman by gender, but my personality is “stubborn” – I don’t think I’ve ever faced any challenge for which I didn’t have a simple solution. Honestly, the biggest challenge I encounter is the limiting opinions of some people in my own country, where for many years there’s been an implicit idea that I would want to become a mother or that I couldn’t do this forever.

I’ve always had a wild spirit. At 7 or 8 years old, I already ran away from home to live in the “forest,” and I used to skip school almost every day in primary school. I come from a family that faced its own struggles. There’s not a single woman among my ancestors who enjoyed freedom and determination. Since I was very young, I always said I wanted to honour them by enjoying my freedom, which was fought for by them.

The entrepreneurial side also comes from that freedom – I’ve had all sorts of jobs, but I’ve always been entrepreneurial in the sense that I’ve always gone after what makes sense to me. And for me, a “career” or retirement doesn’t make sense. I want to live for over 100 years, and I never want to retire. I feel like I’m still only at the beginning.

How do you see the role of photography in the context of travel and tourism? How can it contribute to intercultural understanding and more responsible and conscious tourism?

Travelling isn’t just about going to places; many people can’t do it physically and do it through books or photographic exhibitions. Documentary photography can multiply the feeling of sustainability, responsibility and ethics to all those who don’t go there either.

On the other hand, it’s also a way of giving body and voice to local communities. Without documentary photography, these stories would often not be heard or addressed.

What do you hope to achieve with Unusual Voyages in the future? What are the next steps for your business and how will photography continue to be a key part of the mission to open borders and transform the way people see the world?

For now, we will continue working with the model we’ve been using: small groups on long journeys, workshops, and documentary photography training while travelling. We will remain incubated at the Ericeira Business Factory at least until 2025. Our goal is to maintain and promote our values of sustainability, social enrichment, cultural preservation, equity, and justice.

We are involved in projects in Mongolia, Morocco, and Ethiopia, and we have some exciting new developments that will eventually be unveiled. We don’t want to expand into more destinations or leaders; we aim to remain a small project because only in this way can we have a more humanised impact.

Tânia Neves Instagram // Unusual Voyages Instagram // Unusual Voyages Website