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.

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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