Portalprivado.com – Lisbon Escorts - Muddy Lara Croft

Paula Mendes called Portal Privado with an idea for her next photo shoot. She wanted to dress up as Lara Croft!

- Do you think that's a good idea? she asked.

I let out a laugh and replied:

- Of course! Is there anyone who doesn't like Angelina Jolie? It sounds great. And how do you imagine the set?

- I don't know, that's up to you!

- Ahhhh, it's always the same...

I laughed, but I started to feel the pressure. Good pressure.

It was fall 2013. We'd already had rainy days and, when the sun disappeared, the nights were cold.

- Let's book it quick before it gets too cold, can you get all the clothes next week?

- I've got everything, just the gun.

- Gun? Brutal! It's going to be real.

I pretended to be surprised, but I wasn't surprised at all.

Paula Mendes was one of the Lisbon escorts who best understood how to work with Portal Privado, our motivation.

She has the most impressive collection of photo shoots in the first 20 years of Portal Privado.

We used to imagine concepts outside the world of escorts, as if we were making a movie or staging a play. Making those who see the results published on Portal Privado dream!
See the result and evaluate. And the evaluation could be cruel.
The coldness of the numbers sometimes brought us back down to earth.
That wasn't the case with this session.

Above all, we imagined a great challenge and, as we were "super competitive", we were always ready to knock it out of the park!

We'll be sharing other stories from Paula Mendes' sessions here, but you'll have to stay tuned and wait for the next posts :)

On the agreed day, Paula arrived at our studio. Super punctual as always.

- Hi, so do you know where we're going?

- I have no idea!

Typical. She laughed and shook her head.

My chaotic and disorganized personality was well known to the escorts who worked with us. I'd given up on disguising it years ago.

- I was thinking we'd go to the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park and then we'd see... I'm not going to lie to you, nothing is guaranteed... We could come back at the end of the day with nothing.

- The usual. I said with a smile - Let's do it!

I turned onto the first dirt track that came into view.

The Lagoa Azul road near Quinta da Penha Longa is an old acquaintance of Portal Privado. Not just Portal. We've done dozens of sessions in the area, but I also think that every escort photographer in Lisbon has photographed there at least once.

But I was looking for something different.
I was blocked!
I threw myself into a forest path I didn't know.
After so many years outdoors, my confidence in the Fiat Punto's off-road capabilities was total. It still is.

I rolled at 10 or 15 km/h through the trees. Up and down. I passed sections destroyed by the rains of the previous days... Deep ruts and loose stones. With ease, the Punto overcame all the difficulties that arose in the direction of nowhere.
It just rolled.
The tension was palpable.
Nothing appeared apart from the usual scrubland - portrayed a thousand times by all the escort websites in Portugal.
It couldn't be. Lara Croft couldn't do a "normal" session...

End of the road!
That's it.

A huge tree had fallen across the path and completely blocked the way.

- Shit... It's impossible to get through there.
Disbelief was evident. It wouldn't be the first failed session, but... - We have to go back in reverse, we can't even turn around on such a narrow path... What the fuck?

- Please wait here, I'll go and have a closer look.
I got out of the car and walked towards the fallen tree. It was huge.
Paula Mendes stayed in the car.

I drove over the main trunk and on the other side I saw a fence. Interesting. I've always liked to use these structures in sessions. But it was next to a huge mud puddle... I couldn't, it was going to be a real pigsty photographing next to the fence.

I despaired... I had nothing.
I looked back and the Punto was still there with the engine and lights on.
The trees barely let any daylight through, I'd already been forced to turn on the lights at the start of the dirt track.
I could see Paula's face behind the glass, expressionless, just expectant.

I looked at the fence.
I lowered my head.
I looked at the fence again...
The mud puddle was impassable.
I looked at the car... I looked at the puddle illuminated by the car's lights.
Those lights!

I looked at Paula in the distance and smiled.
And I started walking towards the car.
I kept smiling. Nervous.
I got into the car.

- We only have one chance... But you're going to kill me!

- Talk...

- After the tree... There's a huge mud puddle. I imagined something

- ... Yes

- The car lights in the puddle remind me of those action movies with chases... Adventures with suspense. The Lara Croft movies are a bit like that. The problem...

- Speak up! Stop stalling, I'm already nervous!!!

- It's just that it only works if you get in the puddle...

- What do you mean get in?

- Really get in... Dive in!

- I can't believe it! Joãoooooo!!!

- I understand if you don't want to. We'll go back and come up with something else... We'll do the session another day. But here, today, it'll have to be like this! If we don't use the puddle, it'll just be another normal bush session... A waste of all that production!

- ...

- I'm sorry we're in this situation...

- If I go in, can you do it? A session like that?

- ...I can

- Joãoooooo...

- I can do it! I saw the car light and we're going to do it like you're being chased by the bad guys in the movie... Total cinema! I know how to put the flash!

- Let's do it!

- Are you sure?

- Let's do it!

While Paula Mendes was changing in the car, I took the generator and the flash to the tree.

I had already figured out that the flash had to be placed in such a way as to simulate the lights of a car. Low light, no more than 1 meter high and with plenty of power...
The effect perpendicular to the water in the puddle and the reflection would give the desired effect.

- I'm ready! I said, raising my voice to be heard inside the car.

Paula gets out and closes the car door.
She walked towards me.
She looked spectacular. A real Lara Croft. The boots, the ribbons on her legs, the shorts, the glasses, her hair up... the gun. Perfect.

It's guaranteed! It's going to be beautiful! I thought. I had no more doubts.

- Do I really have to go in? Can't I do it by the edge of the puddle?

- No... I'm sorry. This will only have the desired effect if you get totally involved in the mud. If you were really being chased by bandits, you'd go into the puddle without hesitation and hide behind the tree so you wouldn't get shot... That's exactly what you're going to have to do, sorry...

- Are you sure?

- Yes...
I hadn't even finished saying the word and already she was plunging into the mud!

She sank just above the ankle...

She looked at me and got down on her hands and knees while she pulled mud up from the bottom... She was already dirty! A sexy dirtiness consistent with her clothes.
She went all in, the stage was set!

- Let's go before I get cold! He exclaimed.

I nodded and started shooting immediately as I walked along the edge of the puddle.

The scenario was super believable, what madness... I was shooting the D3 like crazy!
It rolled in the mud without hesitation, as if it were in the comfort of the studio.

Even so, I felt something was missing.
The images were good but... they didn't convey enough drama. They weren't the frames of the movie I had imagined...

Meanwhile, I noticed that as Paula moved through the mud, it gave off an unpleasant smell. It was becoming more and more noticeable.

- ...

I didn't say anything.
I stopped shooting and stepped into the puddle!
I immediately sank halfway down my shin.

- Well? She asked me worriedly

- I had to get in!

- But you don't have any clothes to change into!

- I don't care! I couldn't stay clean on the shore while you went ahead so determinedly. You trusted me. And besides, I can only take the pictures I want if I go in too! I have to shoot at water level.

And so it was.
I think we had an incredible session.
On our knees in the mud, we couldn't even think about it, we couldn't even smell it!
Paula Mendes delivered everything as always, she was absolutely courageous!
The machine was touching the mud with such enthusiasm. It ended up full of mud.
When I got home that night, I had to explain a few tons of mud on my sneakers and pants. Nothing new there.

We actually made our own movie.
It resulted in a session with a very strong image, with great impact.

I don't need to thank Paula Mendes here, because I've thanked her personally many times.
But it would be a huge failure. I'd never forgive myself.

Thank you for always trusting me.

* The photo is actually from that shoot, Paula Mendes has been removed to protect her privacy.