My parents had a winery and our family had fun with the wine making process. As a young teenager, I showed an inclination for music and the theatre, but not for school. I bought an electric guitar when I was 15, the first in my home town, and as you can imagine it was quite a sensation.

I played lead guitar in several  bands around the country, and enjoyed playing Beatles most. In fact, their lyrics were the only English I knew at the time. Music was my passion, but destiny took me on a different journey.

I was 22 when I was drafted into the army and stationed in Guinea Bissau, West Africa , where I made great friends. It was an army buddy who introduced me to photography and my first camera, a Minolta. I took thousands of pictures, mostly in black and white and color slides. I discovered a new outlet for my creative soul, and I was hooked for life.  

After the army, I settled in Mozambique where I married and had two children. Africa and my two beautiful babies were a photographic treasure trove, and I created albums and albums of memories.

Then life, and Coca-Cola, took me to South Africa , the United States , and Sweden while also providing an extraordinary executive experience and the opportunity to travel across more than 80 countries. I photographed the world, but I left the prints and a difficult marriage buried in the basement of the house I owned with my second wife.

My third wife, Tricia, (yes, three is the charm) encouraged me to go digital, and a few years ago I bought my first D100, followed by a D70 and a D200 along with some good lenses.

I literally have thousand of pictures I want to share with you. It’s a little late to become a rock 'n' roller, but it is not too late to become the best professional photographer I can be, even at the age of 63.

Why Viegas?

I hated my name when I was growing up, but Viegas - my sister's surname (taken from my grandmother’s maiden name), was lovely and enviable.  I’ve adopted Viegas in celebration of my family.