Mirror

The mirror always told the stories

That I kept hidden 

Inside makeup and poses

My wrinkles

Ashamed of my age

Told me that the beauty lies 

On the youths

My flaws and imperfections

Was a reflection of my weakness

I was told to hide

My curves

Spots

Marks

Myself

I was told to dislike all

That was not perfection

We all drown on such hate for ourselves

Chasing a perfection

An illusion to sabotage ourselves

An exhausting effort pretending to be someone else

Punishing our body to a fake happiness

While all we should do is love

Just because of how unique each of us are.

When the portrait is real

For this testimonial, there’s no words enough to describe my feelings about this session. Forgive me, my English can’t fill these lines, so my heart will sing in Portuguese!

Os conheci quando minha vida estava do avesso. Vivendo uma vida sem chiclete—meu antigo blog contava um pouquinho sobre a loucura que foi ao me mudar para Cingapura em 2013—eles surgiram como um bálsamo para uma alma perdida em saudades do Brasil. Eles se tornaram parte de mim, do meu coração. Se tornaram meu Brasil. Minha família, meus amigos. Minha inspiração. Não tinha cerimônia—”chega aí para tomarmos um cervejinha”. E a noite ia embora entre gargalhadas e planos, sonhos.

Eles me ensinaram a ser leve. A me expandir, me descobrir. Me ensinaram a explorar—quem diria um dia eu viajaria de mochilão para Sri Lanka! Me ensinaram que a vida pode ser simples—é o amor que alimenta. Somos nós quem construimos nosso caminho—e como caminhamos, é nossa decisão. Eles sempre foram minha inspiração—com eles, comecei a ver beleza na imperfeição.

Me ensinaram que a vida não tem graça se ensaiada. E fui treinando meu olhar para a simplicidade—a beleza não está no retrato perfeito, mas no sorriso que arrebentou meu coração naquele momento do clique. A beleza de verdade, não tem filtro. Mas o amor fica alí, preso naquele instante—e ecoa no peito. Em cada retrato tem um pedadinho de mim—e os deixo aqui, para que me relembrem das coisas boas da vida quanto a tarde estiver um pouco cinza…

Benjamin First Birthday Party in New Jersey

Time flies! That’s for sure! I’ve photographed Nikolle while she was pregnant of Benjamin. In my mind it was like yesterday—and I still remember her words about how powerful and beautiful she was feeling since beginning her pregnancy. Giving birth to a child is indeed something out of words.

When Nikolle contacted me to photograph Benjamin first party I was shocked! How come—I’ve make the maternity shots a few months ago! It’s so rewarding to re-encounter these mamas and having the opportunity to meet their little ones! <3

Nikolle and Ulas had in mind something outside NYC—some place where the kids could experience a bit of nature instead of being inside an indoor playground. Alstede Farms is about 60 miles from Manhattan—in New Jersey. It was such a pleasant and fun day! The farm rents tends for birthday parties and offers lots of activities for the kids—from planting strawberries to feed animals. You can take a drive into the field and appreciate the view and nature—a great scape from the tall buildings and noise in NYC.

Boy Birthday Party Photos by @DaniellePhotographySa

Family photos in Sao Paulo, Brazil

After over 6 years living abroad, photographing these marvellous people in Brazil made me emotional! We’ve met while living in Singapore, a fews years back. We became friends—family, actually. When they moved back to Brazil, Manuela was a few months pregnant of their first girl!

The hardest part of living abroad is exactly this: not being part of your family and friends’ routine. FaceTime is not the same as a hug, a long lunch making small talk or a bottle of wine mixed with laughs, confessions, people that you love! You are constantly split between longing and excitement.

It was amazing seeing this family growing and I’ve no words to say how grateful I am for this photoshoot! Thank you, Manu and Joao! Love you all! xx

Ballet at Oculus, in World Trace Center

Many years before becoming a photographer, I remember being obsessed and delighted with ballet and dance photography—although never had the posture and discipline for dancing. My first time in US, when I was only 15, I’ve visited a museum in Florida—I can’t remember which one, but still have in mind the photos of ballerinas dancing in black and white. I never pictured myself one day holding a camera and capturing such beautiful movements, but I must say It’s a dream coming to life.

If you want to shoot inside Oculus—World Trace Center in New York—you’ll need a permit from the Westfield World Trade Center office. Just email them and ask for a permission to take a few shots when it’s less crowded—avoid rushing hours at all cost!

A huge thanks for Ju and Bebel, these gorgeous ballerinas, for waking up so early and open a slot in their super tight schedule for these amazing photos!

Live proposal in New York! She said YES!

And… she said YES!!!! OMG! I’ve no words to describe this moment! I was soaked, but the pouring rain made everything even more romantic! While hiding behind the trees with a telephoto lens, I was counting the minutes for these two birds to have their lives changed forever! Sean picked the spot and we met a few minutes before to make sure we’re all ready—her family was waiting for them as well across the street—and guarantee the surprise for Megan!

Congratulations! Lots of love for both! xx

View fullsize

Fashion in Greenwich Village for Colours of Coco

Finally the summer has arrived in NYC! Check this lovely outfits on @coloursofcoco (https://www.instagram.com/coloursofcoco/)

Family Photoshoot, New York City

Ballet in SoHo, New York

In my previous post I relied on my words on photography not being about perfection, but the moment. I guess I’ll contradict myself here. These photos are all about perfection. The perfection of the moment, the expression, the hands, the foot, the posture, the legs… it’s all about the second that the moment is frozen on absolutely perfection.

I photograph ballerinas just for fun! It’s my hobby moment—like an artist painting, I take ballet photos. I still have a long way towards the perfection of dance photography—as so marvellous photographers as Rachel Neville do it so beautifully—but for me it’s like chasing a perfection that exist only on that second and maybe, the camera will never caught it. Just your eyes.

Thank you, Camila and Alejandra! For challenging myself; for training my eyes for more perfection and for the fun afternoon while most New Yorkers were soaking in the pouring rain. And a HUGE thanks for Barrows, for allowing us to use this beautiful space on a Sunday! #FeelingBlessed

Family Photos in Greenwhich Village, New York

Photographing kids takes patience—lots of it and love. At the age of 2, they are impatient. They just want to explore the world around them, to run, to touch, to experience, to feel, to be free. They don’t allow boredom. And they grow up so fast—each moment of their childhood is priceless.

Being part of these moments is priceless. That’s the most valuable gift of being a photographer. Usually my sessions with family and kids take a bit longer—around 2 hours. But I let them feel free—to be themselves. I don’t pose, I don’t aim for the perfect background, the perfect posture, the perfect smile. I aim for the moment; for capturing the essence of each one of them. The singularity of each photo, each hug, each smile, each spontaneous moment—that’s priceless.

Specially in these days, we are continuously seeking perfection—the best make up, the straight hair, the best pose to slim the face, hips, tricks to hide singularities—we are constantly loosing the chance to be ourselves. For me, the role of photography is not capturing perfection, but the moment that is perfect on their heart.