In the world photography scene, Brazil is at the forefront. With many iconic photos and full of technique. Photographers like Sebastião Salgado and Araquém de Alcântra mark the current generation of Brazilian photographers.

Photography is much more than just a reproduction of reality; it is constituted through the photographer’s worldview, the interpretation of the scene, the cultural aspects, beliefs and customs. It not only allows to see the world through the eyes of another person, to see unique situations, but is a journey in the soul of the photographer, the characters of the photo or the landscape. It allows to feel with the heart.
Below, we present some outstanding Brazilian photographers and/or photographs.
 

1 – Crooked Standing Jânio

The “Jânio de Pé Torto” (‘Crooked Standing Jânio”) photo by Erno Schneider of the former president of Brazil, Jânio Quadros, is one of the most iconic photographs of Brazilian politics. The president had a short term and was the author of the most “different” laws the country has ever seen, from banning bíquinis on beaches to awarding Che Guevara a medal of honour.

2- The heart of the king

Just as football has a great importance in Brazilian culture, Luiz Paulo Machado’s “O coração do Rei” (The King’s Heart) photo has great importance in photography. Taken during a match in Brazil in 1970, in the photo the sweat of the player Pelé, known as “the King of Football” has the form of a heart. Believe it or not: the photo was not edited with Photoshop.
 

 

3- Senna’s blink

Formula 1: one day a national passion as strong as football. And it’s all because of him. “A Piscada de Senna” (“Ayrton Senna’s Wink”) represents all the strength the idol had in the country. Today, the Ayrton Senna Institute has education as a way to transform the social reality of the world.
 

 

4 – Araquém Alcântra:

The natural diversity of Brazil is remarkable. Each one of the 5 regions of the country presents very different characteristics among themselves and within themselves. Araquém Alcântra uses this as a theme. He is the best-selling Brazilian book of photography, called Terra Brasil. The photograph was taken in Manacapuru, Amazonas.
 

You can follow it on Instagram: @araquemoficial.
 

5 – Marcio Cabral

When we travel to a very beautiful place, we all try to make that panoramic picture. The panoramics’ of the photographer Marcio Cabral, however, are awarded. In high resolution and often in 360 degrees, he explores several Brazilian landscapes.
The one below, was taken in the interior of Mato Grosso do Sul.
 

6 – Sebastião Salgado

Do you recognize that picture? It has been widely shared on the internet along with the photos of a before and after land, which is now reforested. What many people don’t know is that the man in the photo is one of Brazil’s greatest social photographers. Sebastião Salgado is also a nature photographer and after a season photographing the Amazon and its people, he felt he should fight against deforestation, so he decided to reforest his family’s property.
 

To learn more about his trajectory and his photography, watch the documentary “The Salt of the Earth”. Link to the trailer here.

 

Cecília Nunes is an intern in Communication and Marketing at Brazilian Experience. At the age of 6 she went to accompany her parents in a wonderful adventure in Sweden for a year. Since her return, she hasn’t stopped, always welcoming foreigners to Brazil and showing how wonderful it is. Her last adventure around the world was in Japan and she doesn’t even have words to describe it! She wants everyone who comes to Brazil to feel this warmth in her chest when she remembers her traveling experiences.