1 To cite this article: Paula Mota Santos (2016): Crossed gazes over an old city: photography and the ‘Experientiation’ of a heritage place, International Journal of Heritage Studies, DOI:10.1080/13527258.2015.1108925 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2015.1108925 *********************************** Crossed Gazes over an Old City: Photography and the ‘Experientiation’ of a Heritage Place Paula Mota Santos Department of Political and Behavioural Science- Fernando Pessoa University, Porto- Portugal & CAPP-Centre for Public Policy and Administration- University of Lisbon. Lisbon- Portugal pmsantos@ufp.edu.pt Praça 9 de Abril, 349 4249-004 Porto Portugal Abstract The paper analyses a group of photographs of the old city of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The photograph is used as a medium to elicit the ways different social agents experience and relate to Old Porto as a heritage place. The photographs were collected as part of a wider research project on the way sense of place of Porto’s old city was differentially constructed by local inhabitants, tourists and the City Council. Illustrated postcards were also analyzed. The findings demonstrate the usefulness of this particular form of image-based ethnographic research in the understanding the forms in relation to a heritage lived-in place. Keywords Photography; Historic Centre; Tourism; Heritage; Postcards