Photographer Rui Caria is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘The Women Of The Land’. To see Rui’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Lisandra, Beatriz, Virgínia, Verónica, Denise, Nélia, Isilda and Urselina, are the names of eight Azorean women aged between 21 and 80 years. Some of them work full time on the land, taking care of the animals, others have other professions, but they help the family in this hard daily activity that is one of the main sources of income for so many families on Terceira Island.

This is work that blends in with everyday life. Taking care of animals every day of the year sets another paradigm about work; one that is really done every day, that doesn’t allow for vacations or days off.

On sunny, rainy, cold or hot days, these women go to the countryside to milk the cows and tend the pastures. They leave every day before dawn and retire before night falls. There is, in this work, a certain deprivation of normality as we know it. Could we imagine working every day, for a lifetime, without a day off, a weekend, or without being able to travel? For these women, getting sick means having to hire someone to take care of the animals temporarily. But finding people available for this tough task is not always easy.

In a work that is predominantly done by men, these women are like a ray of sunshine in winter. They show the strength of being women, without limitations or prejudices. And even when some of them say they’re just going to “help their husbands”, you can see, when you see them working, that they don’t help; they do what needs to be done.

This photographic exhibition is a mention to all the women who choose, every day, the most severe jobs and with that they do the dance of life.

Rui Caria is a Portuguese photojournalist from Nazaré. He collaborates with various media outlets and communication agencies in Portugal and abroad. His photographic work is recognized by editors of the most diverse publications and his images have been published in several international photography books. Rui Caria is studying for a master’s degree in Communication and Media at ESECS and he is a speaker at events dedicated to visual communication, photography, and photojournalism. He has articles on photography and imagery published in the national and international press. With a body of photographic work exhibited throughout the country, Rui Caria has been a finalist and winner of several photography competitions, including the Sony World Photography Awards, National Awards.

His photo-journalistic and documentary work includes the war in Ukraine in 2022, where he went for 40 days as a special correspondent for SIC Notícias, and his coverage in 2017 of a FRONTEX mission in the central Mediterranean Sea, where he spent 34 days photographing the routes of illegal migrants and refugees. Both works were later highlighted. The first, in the book Ukraine: A War Crime, and the second was awarded photo-journalistic series of the year 2018 by Monovisions Photography Awards Magazine.

Rui Caria's work focuses on social causes, human rights, and the environment. He is particularly interested in documenting the lives of ordinary people and the challenges they face. His work is a contribution to the field of photojournalism, reporting on some of society's most critical issues.

All images and text © Rui Caria