CAPTURING CHANGE

I was invited to be part of this project at the end of October and was very excited to learn that I would be working with three amazing Deviants – the beautiful and talented OliviaMichalski, from Germany, the ingenious darkdex52, from El Salvador, and, from Dubai, the not-so-beautiful yet deviously skilled MARX77.

Having the opportunity to work with such a team, along with DeviantArt staff, was the highlight of this project for me. Of course, I enjoyed the Sony camera too! ;)

For the assignment, each photographer received a Sony Alpha mirrorless camera, to take out to the streets and experiment with it. We had full creative freedom around the themes and interpretations of the project – the sort of opportunity and exposure only DeviantArt can provide to its community.

It's been an excellent experience and I loved every single bit of it. Let me tell you some more of what we did.

The cities and themes

Basically, we approached the assignment as capturing Past, Present and Future. That would then include themes like communication, innovation, architecture, people, technology, etc. All those things that drive a city forward.

Myself, I decided to photograph in three different cities, each one representing a different stage of city development. All are located in the state of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil.

The first city I went to was Balneário Camboriú, a beach resort turned into a night life metropolis. The kind of city that might have grown too fast for its own good. It's often called the Brazilian Dubai for its high-rise buildings.

The beach in Balneário Camboriú.
Now overshadowed by the numerous skyscrapers built as close to the ocean as possible.

The night life of Balneário Camboriú.
This cityscape shows the new city, the old city and the Nature that surrounds both.

Next I went to Laguna, an old fishing town now becoming a one of the most important southern cities. There I saw how life used to be, how citizens struggle to adapt to a new rhythm and how progress demands irreversible change.

The calm waters of the lagoon leading out to sea.
Although the old town is fading away, much of its past is still present.

Citizen or misfit?
People found their lifestyles changing abruptly and having to adapt, or fail.

The Anita Garibaldi bridge, lit with the colors of France.
This new access to Laguna is an irreversible step towards change.

And finally, I went to the capital city, Florianópolis, where I mostly wanted to photograph people in their daily routine, carelessly walking down the street or just relaxing in one of the many plazas. It's an old city, filled with Portuguese influence from colonial times, and its citizens have long adapted themselves to its rhythm.

Struggling with technology perhaps, but not with the city.

The Hercílio Luz bridge, now serving as a monument.
In this composition, you'll find three centuries of city evolution.

Connections Mini-Series

I did a series of street shots depicting people connected to their communication devices in such a way that they become so disconnected with the world. Surely you seen and felt the same, right?

Feelings about the project

As I mentioned above, it was awesome to work with everyone involved. For some of you, this whole thing might look just like another ad for Sony. Well, it's their gear and in the end they'll get a lot of credit for it. But the way I see it, I am first and foremost a citizen of DeviantArt, who got invited for an artistic photography assignment, not for an ad.

Not only that, but the staff involved, led by the exceptional 4thofficial, kept reminding us of the principle that our community was built upon. That is, creative freedom.

The staff stopped at nothing to provide support all the way through. The wonderful production team, ellenherbert, madizzlee and akaminsky were constantly active to ensure our path was clear and our focus was, literally, on the shots.

This is truly a devious way to promote a brand and they made it happen in great style and kept the spotlight on the community.

For my part, I stepped forward to proudly represent and help promote DeviantArt, our community, above all else. And that means representing all of you, too! This would not happen without your constant support, my friends.

Also, we had support from the lovely Amy Koppmann, at Sony, who guided us through the strong points of their mirrorless technology.

And that leads me to...


This isn't an ad but I must say I'm pretty much sold on this new tech from Sony.

I got my greasy hands on the α7R Mark II – aka A7RII – with a 28mm lens. It's a new mirrorless camera with a full frame backlit 42 megapixel sensor. Plus a dozen more great features that I explain in each of the descriptions in my Capturing Change photos.

I only had three days for this assignment, mostly due to the total lack of interest from Sony Brasil, from which I desperately needed help to get the gear within schedule and got absolutely zero help. When I got the gear, I had a day to learn my way around the camera and set out for a three day travel & shoot. I knew I was heading for a sleepless week and that's when you have to rely on the gear the most.

The A7RII helped me get these photos, quickly and effortlessly. The camera has enough tech and quality to get the shot with beauty and precision. And I needed all the help I could get to finish on time. I'm stunned with the picture quality Sony achieved with this Alpha series and I had a lot of fun shooting with it.

The A7RII delivered! Now, how's that for an ad?

The dawn of the metropolis, in Balneário Camboriú.

Finally...

You can be a part of this too. Take a look at the full article and leave a comment or even post photos related to our project and tag them with #capturingchange. There are many ways to promote these journals and photos, so please do.

I wish to thank each and everyone of you for the kindness and support you've given me. I enjoy being part of our community and without you, I wouldn't have made it this far.

A very special thank you to my partners in crime, Olivia Michalski, Bruno Lindentāls and Khuram Lawrence. Also, to the awesome gang, Ian Campbell, Ellen Herbert, Ariel Kaminsky and Maddy Wojdak.

Much love to you all.

Below are the journals related to Capturing Change, visit them for a better understanding of the project. Also, a few quotes from the team.
Check out their AMAZING galleries if you haven't already!