Born in São Tomé and Príncipe, José A. Chambel lives and works in Portugal. He studied photography at the Portuguese Institute of Photography from 1992 to 1994.

His images, that explore an aesthetic language between art and document, have been shown in individual and group exhibitions in several countries and are part of the collection of public and private collections, such as the collection of the Portuguese Center of Photography, the collection of the Cultural Center of São João da Madeira, the Ormeo Junqueira Botelho Foundation, the PLMJ Foundation and the Lusophonies Collection by Perve Galeria.

Among the various projects carried out by José A. Chambel, “Industrial Archeology” (Portugal), “Tchiloli” (São Tomé and Príncipe), “Tabanka” (Cape Verde) and “Capital” (Ilha do Príncipe) stand out.

He is a founding member and current president of Plataforma Cafuka – Association of Artists Natural from São Tomé and Príncipe.