Strange Family
Chiapada Diamantina, Brazil 2011
I will always carry within me all the photographic adventures shared with this heterogeneous group of interesting and fun-loving people. Every time, I find myself with a group where you feel this extraordinary energy of cohesion among all the students, I know that it will be an unforgettable experience. And so it was. To start out the workshop with the Senhor de Bomfim long procession is always a good presentation of the magic of Bahia: a full immersion in this culture full of mystery and fascination. The day after with the mythical VW 9 seats van we begin the 7-hour journey toward Chapada Diamantina. Along the way, whenever I’d see something interesting, we would stop o take pictures. The Goddess of photography has loyally accompanied us in these days where we stumbled upon Candomblè religious ceremonies, diamond miners, pagan and patronal feasts and the simple and yet extraordinary rural life. Sometimes , we would feel speechless and we would need just to look at one another to understand that we were in front of unique situations that we would have never imagined to encounter. With much respect, we tried to filter life in the attempt of capturing its essence. Every day, after having had breakfast in our hotel submerged in nature, we would have marathonic editing sessions. All together we would select the few photographs that would go beyond the mere descriptions of reality. Some images would start surfacing for the happiness of the whole group, they would serve as stimuli for continuing to delve more deeply. The growth of each student has greatly surprised and moved me. I’m proud of each one of them. EB
