Mental Chess

Mental Chess


Playing with the games of the mind, sensing the screams of the soul.




The history behind this photo:

This photo was probably one of the last photos taken in the Miguel Bombarda Hospital, a Psychiatric Hospital in Lisbon-Portugal, which was closed only a few weeks ago.

To those who don´t know it yet, I´m a doctor, currently resident in Psychiatry, and I had the opportunity to spend 3 months at the Forensics Department of this hospital. Fortunately, I managed to get a special permission to photograph the whole hospital, and I´m planning on doing an exhibition with a selection of the photos I took.

This Hospital was built in 1848, and it was the first large Mental Institution in Portugal. It is composed of several buildings, each with its own unique features and architectural details.

Since Portugal is currently undergoing a mental health reform, this hospital has been recently closed, and its future is a bit uncertain. I hope its historical building will be kept intact, and hope it will be converted into a long lasting museum.

Here in this picture, you can see the hall of the main building. The stairs lead to the administration rooms, the noble room, one of the psychiatric wards, etc. Walking to the left you would face the main entrance. The corridor leads to the consultation rooms and to the backyard.


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José Ramos

- Official website/portfolio - h t t p:// www.joseramos.com - [link]

- Facebook page - [link]


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Technical info:

Location: Hospital Miguel Bombarda - Lisbon - Portugal

Camera and lens: Sony a55 + Sigma 10-20mm

Settings:
Exposure - 1/30 seconds
Aperture - f5.4
ISO - 800



RAW converted with Adobe Camera RAW. Photoshop - duotone added, contrast adjustment, color balance.