Salvador Beach Boys

Local boy battles his way out of the fierce shorebreak in Porto da Barra, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Canon 5D Mark II camera and Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM lens. Exposure Details: 1/1250 second @ f3.5 ISO 100.

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Hey guys here’s another post coming to you from Bahia in Northern Brazil. I took this photo down on the beach at Porto de Barra in Salvador. It is a seriously hectic urban beach on a Sunday, packed with families kicking back drinking beer, eating moqueca, listening to music through old school ghetto blasters and playing soccer. Meanwhile the kids hurl themselves fearlessly into an epic shorebreak (big waves that dump only on the shoreline) that rolls through in sets every few minutes.

Getting the camera out here was at first a bit intimidating because it was such a different scene from anything else I’d been around in South America. I honestly felt like I was in Africa there were so few Europeans on the beach! Also not being a Portuguese speaker I felt a little less secure about myself than in Spanish speaking countries where I can speak to people freely. But after a few minutes I recalled my own saying that I never brought my camera to keep it hidden away in security lockers. In anycase as usual people were super friendly and as it also often does, having my camera out turned out to be a great way to meet people and interact with these kids.

Don’t forget to check out my photography on Facebook, and stay tuned for more coming soon from way down in Rio de Janeiro =D

Cam.

Dancing in the street!

Local professional dancer from Boipeba, Izalice, spontaneously dances traditional 'Forro' in the street. Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens. Exposure Details: 1/400 seconds @ f4 ISO 800.

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Hi guys here’s a quick post again from Boipeba in Brazil. My friend Izalice (who features in the right portrait in the diptych from my last post) is a talented professional dancer. While giving me a last minute tour of Boipeba, Iza spontaneously broke out into some ‘Forró’ (a traditional northeastern Brazilian dance influenced by African, Indigenous and European music styles) right on the street.

The culture of music and dance in Brazil is definitely one of my favourite things about the country so I was stoked to capture a moment that shows a small piece of it. You should definitely check out some Forró music if you feel so inclined, some classics are Luiz Gonzaga and Dominguinhos or for something a little more electro-pop-contemporary check out Garota Safada.

More coming soon!

Cam.

Babes from Boipeba!

Diptych of local girls from Boipeba, Bahia, Brazil. Both shots taken on a Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens. Exposure Details, left: 1/125 seconds @ f4 ISO 1250, right: 1/250 seconds @ f4 ISO 640.

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Today I’m posting my first diptych (two separate images presented together) on my blog. I took these two portraits in Boipeba of local girls Maria and Izalice on my last day on the island. I think these shots match nicely because they share the same dominant colours, white and blue. The dominant white in one contrasts nicely with the dominant blue of the other while the warm skin tones of the girls are complimentary to the blue. That I took them in the same lighting in front of the same building also adds a consistency.

But enough boring analysis, let’s face it, these girls make the photos. Their classic Brazilian exuberance leaps off the page. Maria and Izalice were actually giving me a bit of a last minute tour before I had to run off to catch a boat back to the mainland. While cruising around town I noticed some nice light reflecting into this picturesque house-front so I asked if the girls wanted to have their portraits taken. Given the good mood we were all in I had to do little more than suggest a few set ups as they ribbed each other over being models for a day. This provoked some really genuine laughter despite the semi-orchestrated nature of the shoot and was the key ingredient in making these shots feel natural.

Let me know what you think. Plenty more gems from Brazil on the way.

Cheers.

Cam.

What would you do for a picture?

Local 'carretilleros' load their wheelbarrows straight from supply ships, Morro de Sao Paulo island, Bahia, Brazil. Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens. Exposure Details: 1/125 seconds @ f5 ISO 2500.

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Sometimes in the quest for a cool photo I find myself asking the following question:

Will this photo be worth putting myself in {insert unpleasant scenario here}?

For me those unpleasant scenarios normally involve various kinds of unsavoury filth, the path of dangerous oncoming objects, the ridicule of strangers, the risk of being mugged for my brick-like Canon 5D or the risk of damaging my camera in the process.

To get the silhouettes against the sunset in this image I had to lie down on my stomach amongst fish blood and scales left by local fisherman. While glamming it up amongst the entrails these guys all had a good laugh at my expense. My cause was probably not helped by the fact that I was wearing a Peru soccer guernsey at the time, an object of open ridicule in world-dominating-insanely-soccer-crazy Brazil.

I had to lie down on my stomach amongst fish blood and scales left by local fisherman

Probably the next most blog-worthy anecdote on this theme was an occassion at Thredbo ski resort when I had to literally hurdle an out of control ski racer as he slipped in icy conditions on a gate I was standing below to get the best angle. He slid directly towards me at maximum velocity and I had no time to do anything but jump directly into the air as he skidded underneath me, a lightning streak of skis and poles on his merry way down the mountain (no mean feat as I was wearing heavy ski boots). That day I decided it was not worth being pummelled by this guy to get that particular photo, but it was worth the risk of standing directly below the gate in icy conditions.

I had no time to do anything but jump directly into the air as he skidded underneath me, a lightning streak of skis and poles

So have you found yourself asking if it’s worth the filth, the humiliation or bone-crunching collision for a photo? What have you put yourself through to get the shot?

Taxi in Paradise

A local 'taxi driver' delivers food for a restaurant on car-less Morro de Sao Paulo island in Bahia, Brazil. Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens. Exposure Details: 1/640 seconds @ f9 ISO 200

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Hi guys here’s another quick post from Bahia in northern Brazil.

Though I took this photo in classic urban street photography style it is actually from a small tropical island about 2-hours by boat from Salvador. In fact so non-urban is Morro de Sao Paulo that cars are not allowed on the island. This man is actually a ‘taxi driver’ as they call themselves, or perhaps more of a courier driver as he is transporting what appears to be food to a restaraunt. I took this photo on the main street of town, camping out by a colourful backdrop as the tropical late-afternoon sun was throwing some really dramatic warmth and contrast onto the local foot-traffic. It was just a matter of watching and waiting.

More to come soon!

Bonito Brazil

A local strolls along the beach in the late afternoon sun in Boipeba, an island in Bahia, Brazil. Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM lens. Exposure Details: 1/500 seconds @ f4 ISO 100.

Hi guys here’s a shot I nabbed in Bahia in northern Brazil.

I took this shot on one of the most chilled out, beautiful islands I’ve ever visited. It goes by the name Boipeba and sits about a 3 hour ferry ride from Bahia’s capital, Salvador. The gritty tropical hustle of Salvador (that has the vibe of a heaving mega-city despite being of a population under 3 million) is left far behind, literally in your wake when you arrive here. I spent a casual 3 days exploring the island’s many beaches and hanging out in the sleepy town centre. I dined on delicious local delicacies and met some awesomely friendly locals in my unfortunately brief stay there.

This photo I snapped with my telephoto lens late one afternoon after a hike. There was not too much planning going into this shot which is why I say I ‘snapped’ it. I just spotted a nice backlit scene with a local going for an afternoon stroll. The moment was not there for long, I simply dropped to one knee to get some perspective happening with the beach and tried to squeeze as much of the palms as I could into the composition. I think it definitely captures the relaxed tropical atmosphere present on the island. Muito Bonito.

Hope you like and more to come soon from Brazil.

Cam.

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