Portraits for UOL

My latest job was published today on UOL: Rio has more than 1 million people unemployed. The article, wrote by Carolina Farias, is in Portuguese. I did portraits of Tatiana and Alexandre, two cariocas in this difficult situation. 

Tatiana Cristina da Silva, 34 years old, is a single mother with three kids and without a job since 2013. And Alexandre Silva, 42 years old, never had a regular job and nowadays works in downtown Rio for a store that sells jewelry -- he earns 50 reais a day.

Update: A man who had seen the article and the pictures sent me an email asking for Tatiana’s contact. She then told me that he gave her money to help the kids and herself! 

Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro - from 10 October to 31 March 2018

My work Proudly South African, made last March with an analogic camera, is now part of the exhibition Mwana: Childhood and Race Relations in Brazil and Africa, in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Promoted by the university, the exhibition also features photos of Stela Caputo, a photographer who developed a work about kids and african religions in Brazil for 25 years.

You can attend Mwana untill March 2018, from monday to friday, from 9am to 9pm, in the university campus at Urca, Av. Pasteur 250. 

Rock in Rio 2017

Last Rock in Rio was the fourth time that I worked on the coverage for Multishow, the main entertainment channel in cable television that covers the whole festival on live TV.

This time, like in 2013, I worked as an online reporter responsible to write about the 28 shows that took place on the Sunset Stage. I was part of a very good team and the experience was amazing to practice this other side of myself.

Bellow are some reviews I wrote (in Portuguese):

- Nile Rodgers arrebenta tudo no Palco Sunset e faz festa inesquecível

- Com Supla como convidado, Doctor Pheabes mostra que estreia no Rock in Rio vai muito além do patrocínio da área de saúde

- Johnny Hooker, Liniker e Almério: juventude talentosa abre os palcos para a nova música brasileira

Latest story for Folha de São Paulo

An assignment for the biggest Brazilian newspaper: in the face of crime and financial disarray, Rio residents turn to firearms. The article by Luiza Franco can be read in English here.

A Clandestina campaign

It's out now the new campaign for A Clandestina, a handmade jewelry shop based in Rio de Janeiro. Aline Pommer is the model, Bruna Sussekind was responsible for the styling, Amine Chalita for the make up, Mariana Sixel for the hair and Junior Reis did the retouch. 

You can see all the pictures here, in COMMERCIAL page.

L'été à Paris

After two days walking around Paris, I had some street photography material and I've decided to create a new gallery called "l'été à Paris" (or "the summer in Paris" in French) to publish it. All the pictures are in black and white because I feel more comfortable without colors. Hope you like it.

Click here to see the entire gallery.

General Strike

Protest against Michel Temer and the reforms his government proposed in Brazil's social security system, during a national general strike, on June 30th, 2017, in Rio de Janeiro.

War in Rio

On June 28th, 2017, residents of Pavão Pavãozinho slum, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, wanted to protest against the violence in their community, but they were unable to because of the violence itself. 

In the same afternoon, police was there for an operation against drug dealers, and during a violent clash a resident was dead and four others were injured. In Rio, days like these are not unusual once again.

Gui Blum

Latest photos: Gui Blum portraits. Styling by Rafael Joaquim and production by Dandara Almeida. The photographs were retouched by Vecks. Special thanks to Fábrica Bhering :)

See more here!

The BIG Project

Months ago, me and Guiga Pirá (photographer and friend) started a photography project aimed at the environment and animal rights around the world.

We created The BIG Project, a project to tell stories through documentary photography. BIG means Before It's Gone because the stories we tell are from initiatives to protect the environment and animal rights, endangered areas in our society.

Our goal is to inspire positive changes to protect the planet that keeps us alive. For that, our stories are from people to bring everyone closer to exemplary attitudes, humanizing heroic deeds.

On our brand new website you can check two stories from South Africa, and soon another one that's almost finished told from a very special place.

Follow The BIG Project on Instagram for extras shots and facts: @thebigproject.life

Coração Vabagundo

I was in South Africa in February for a project and took the opportunity to take some unpretentious pictures. For that, I brought an analog Contax T2 and some Kodak Portra 400. 

When I got back to Brazil and developed the films I was in a bit of a crisis - I was surprised by how amazing that material came out but also couldn’t help but think it was a shame I haven’t dedicated myself a little more. 

Either way, I love these portraits. My hearts is filled with warmth just by looking at these kids and their smiles, the greatest memories I made in the african continent. 

I get really emotional about the looks in these pictures and the way those kids felt empowered and valued in front of the camera. As a giant, white man with the “gringo” looks I feel honored to have been able to access a small part of the lives of these little guys. 

It was one of the most special exchanges I’ve ever had. We identified ourselves in our insecurities; we communicated through the transparency we shared in common. 

While watching these kids I’ve realised that, as citizens of both third world countries, we share something: a sense of community and empathy for those around us that I don’t see often in more developed countries. That’s what’s left when so much is wrong around us. This warmth is priceless and inexplicable; is something you got to feel it. 

I hope these pictures can bring some of these feelings to you and also some hope. Not only today - Africa Day - but everyday. That the world be inspired by the happiness and strenght of these amazing people.  

Cheers to Africa!

To see all the pictures, click here.

PS: Coração Vagabundo means "bum heart" in Portuguese and the expression come from a song by Caetano Veloso.

(English translation by Lucia Hsu)

#FORATEMER

Story created during a protest against Brazil's President Michel Temer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 18. Michel Temer said he won't quit after an investigation revelead a record tape where he authorised hush-money payment for a witness in a major corruption probe. 

What's new: STORIES & more

This month this website turns five months old. After only four months I felt that I needed to update my portfolio because I'm constantly updating myself.

It seems easy to update your portfolio, just upload new pictures and that's all. But for me it's more than that. It's hard to define my work in a menu with four words. This freedom to choose my own way is amazing but I must confess I feel lost sometimes.  

In that way to discover (and change) myself and what I want to do, I'm playing everything. I love to do different kinds of photography, all this possibilities excite me. 

So, on PERSONAL you can find my own stuff. Pictures I took for fun. The news here are the gallery FRIENDS. I put together all the shootings with friends (not only in front of the camera, but also behind it). 

Basically I concentrated the fashion work on COMMISSIONED. I added a few new pictures on PORTRAIT, where you can find out who I shot.

I also added STORIES to this menu. I think this is the big news after this five months. I've decided to work more with documentary photography and STORIES is the gallery for that. 

There are stories that you already know, but I'm sharing now an unpublished story originally made for Reuters that I had never taken from my drawer. It's about SECRET REHEARSALS during Carnival in Rio. And there is another story, now with the complete material, about RESISTANCE.

I'm also editing a new story that's really special for me shot in 2013 about a peculiar favela in the more expensive area of Rio. As soon as I publish this one I'll let you know here in NEWS, where you can always follow my work :)
 

FAVELA RESISTS: click on the picture to see full story

SECRET REHEARSALS: click on the picture to see full story

André Chalhoub

Latest work: André Chalhoub portraits. Make up & hair by the amazing Carla Biriba. André was responsible for the styling as well. The photographs were retouched by Alt Retouch. Thanks, friends :)

See more here.

LAND.GALLERY is out!

I have launched on April 4 the LAND.GALLERY - my online gallery to sell prints: http://land.gallery

It's not an ecommerce, you can order by email. Write to hi@land.gallery with the reference of the photograph + type of paper + size. 

The photographs are displayed by themes like Sea, Sky, North, Africa and Rio. You can find more at @land.gallery and fb.com/gallery.land.

SPFW N43 in 35mm

Last SPFW, on March, I did some shots on 35mm with a Contax T2 loaned by a friend (thanks, Renato!). After years shooting only with Ilford HP5 Plus, I used the classic Kodak Portra 400. I loved the result so much that I've already ordered a few packs to play more ;)

Rooftop Ipanema

My new story shot in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, is out: Rooftop Ipanema. With Larissa Gomes, styling by Lucas Magno, make up & hair by Piu Gontijo and retouch by Alt Retouch. Thank you, team!

To see all the pictures: FRIENDS.

Youtubers portraits

Last March 9 I was invited by Youtube Brasil to create portraits of youtubers gamer girls during an event about women's empowerment at Google's headquarters, in São Paulo.

I'm so proud of this work, was amazing to meet all these intelligent ladies. Thank you, Youtube!

Juliana Maransaldi, Ubisoft Brasil

Josi Gamer

Nicolle Merhy, Cherrygumms

For the women

I’m a bit sad to be back in Rio after two weeks in South Africa. My heart and mind are still in that amazing country.

Guiga and I were in the african continent to work. We are developing a project focused on the environment and animals rights and to do that, we worked with two organizations.

Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, in the Greater Kruger area, a NGO with 36 women doing patrols all day against the poachers. Thirty six women patrolling an entire reserve with no guns facing the dangerous big 5 (the 5 most dangerous animals of Africa) and men with guns to kill the animals. They do a job that a lot of men would never be able to.

And the Tin Can Town, that takes care of street dogs at Blikkiesdorp, a township in Cape Town. A place extremely violent because of gangsters activities. Tin Can Town is basically about three strong women.

We just realized that we will tell stories about women when we were already there. We knew about the Mambas, but only when we were at Blikkiesdorp seing that female volunteers put their fingers in men's faces to protect animals the bell rang.

We met wonderful women in this trip. Beautiful women, powerful women with remarkable strength, dreaming and fighting for a better world. women that will inspire me for the rest of my life - not only today.

But today, I would like to send all my love and all my admiration to all badass women around the world. I've always had better relationships with women than men. I was raised by three fantastic women that showed me that I have much more to learn with the ladies. And I keep this lesson for life, learning with Rosies (Tin Can Town) and Felicias (Black Mambas).

Step aside, boys. The world is female.

Felicia, at Balule Reserve - Hoedspruit/South Africa

Rosie, at Blikkiesdorpe - Cape Town/South Africa

New adidas + Salinas collab campaign

Following the nature themed campaign released in November 2016, the collab between adidas + Salinas introduces its new collection inspired by Brazil's colors.

Featured by Erika Januza and Analu Reis, the shooting had Santa Teresa as scenary, an old school neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro.

See the new pictures on the gallery:

Make up & Hair: NAT ROSA
Production: ALINE DIAS
Photo Assist.: RICARDO LIMA & BLEIA CAMPOS
Retouch: JUNIOR REIS

You can find out more of the campaign here.