Brazil

[thomas_sullivan]

Thinking of taking a trip to Brazil. At this moment I know nothing about the

country. Being a Street Photographer and sometime nature photographer, I was

wondering what city would be good for me to start with for my first visit. Rio

De Janeiro of course immediately comes to mind...but I really ain't

into "tourist" locales, so I'm not quite sure this would be the best place.

 

any suggestions?

 

ps........i don't speak any language but English...and even that is sometimes

debatable......heh

[jim_banic1]

My favorite city in Brazil is Salvador in the state of Bahia. There are plenty of churches and sections of the city which date back to colonial times. I have not been there in a few years so I don't know how safe it is. I have friends there so I felt safe. I recommend you learn some Portuguese before going. It would make the trip much more enjoyable.

[Hector Javkin]

I would second Jim's suggestion that you learn some Portugese before you go, but it needs an amendment -- find someone who can teach you <i> Brazilian</i> Portugese. It's rather different from what is spoken in Portugal, and the differences are much more of a problem for a beginner trying to communicate than for someone who knows the language well.

<p>

I can't direct you much if you want to avoid the tourist spots, as I've only spent time in Foz do Iguazu, the city built up at Iguazu Falls. If you are going to the Falls or elsewhere in the Amazon, try to do it in winter, because then the heat is more nearly bearable, and take along some silica gel for your photo equipment. If you are from the U.S., get a visa, don't get smuggled in -- it's not fair to the country that is hosting you.

[leslie_cheung]

San Paulo is one of the largest city in the world. The good, bad and the ugly...much like NYC.

17 million souls wandering through. I was there only a couples days while visiting family to

the north. I would want a couple weeks just for shooting there. Knowing a few Portuguese

phrases or even Spanish would help greatly. Pick up a rough guide or lonely planet

Portuguese phrase book for $10 and look through it on the ride down.

[thomas_sullivan]

yeah...I kinda thought I'd have to learn some Portuguese....although...the spark that drove me to even consider this trip is because of where I work....and a lot of the Brazilian people that I met spoke enough English that we got along pretty well. But I guess learning their language would be a good thing to do. I suck at languages though.......straight As and Bs in high school with history, science and math.................had to take summer school to pass English............we won't even talk about my Spanish class grades..........sheesh

 

...and Hector....I would of course do it all legal like.

 

leslie...........is that present day NYC.........or 1970s NYC? Major difference if you ask me.

 

by the way....I hadn't even considered time of year. Is that an overall good suggestion for Brazil? to visit it in the winter? And that's their winter....right? Meaning USAs summer? I was actually thinking of Mid April.....works out best for my work schedule. Is that still too hot?

 

thonks for the suggestions so far.....keep them coming.

[thomas_sullivan]

wow leslie...just googled San Paulo............yeah, that looks pretty cool............very new yorkish.

[leslie_cheung]

It never gets too hot or too cold in San Paulo. It's usually between 60F to 80F and April is

the beginning of the dry season. I was only in the city for couple days near Chinatown

(more Japanese really) and I didn't get to explore much by myself. This was about five years

ago. My general impression of the people was that they are very friendly and loves to party.

Much drinking and dancing on the streets at night...so perhaps NYC in the 70's but again I

was only there for a couple days and I only read about 70's NYC.

[amorteguy]

I've been their twice. The last time for about a month. I've spent time in Fortaleza (my favorite), Sao Paulo, Uba Tuba, Tupá, and Anapolis.

 

No matter where you end up, if you can hire a local (a fixer) for some insider help you can get some some fantastic photo ops. If you are on your own and don't speak the language you can find yourself in a tight spot if you're not careful, especially in the larger cities.

[thomas_sullivan]

anthony..........a fixer.....I am familiar with the term.....how does one go about finding one

[thomas_sullivan]

another thing I've noticed with the suggestions after googling the cities mentioned....they are all near the coast. Are there no interior cities.......locales.....of Brazil that are worth exploring? Or is it that they are not all that safe? just curious..........it does seem rather odd that all the suggestions are coastal cities.

[leslie_cheung]

Thomas,

 

Bodies of water is very important for commerce and transport. Here in the States, more

often than not, the major cities are near the coast or by some major river/lake. NYC, SF,

LA, NO, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, San Diego, Portland, Miami, Philly, Baltimore

etc...

and keep in mind we have the best Interstate road system in the world. Another factor

involved is that being close to the coast, climate (temperature) tends to be more stable.

 

Again if you look at the major cities in the world, many of them will be at or near a coast.

 

Tokyo

 

Hong Kong

 

Singapore

 

Shanghai

 

Seoul

 

Bangkok

 

Saigon

 

Kuala Lumpur

 

Vancouver

 

Toronto

 

London

 

Karachi

 

Mumbai

 

Cape town

 

Rome

 

Amsterdam

 

Cairo

 

Buenos Aires

 

and this is just off the head of my head...

[leslie_cheung]

Fixers wouldn't be difficult to find. I would ask the guesthouse or hotel you will be staying at

to recommend a "tour guide" to help you out. But even then, it would be wise to learn a few

phrases.

[thomas_sullivan]

thanks leslie....that does seem accurate for the coastal cities....hadnt given it that kind of thought before....does make sense though.....still wondering though........for photographic purposes......of the extraoridinary........if any interior cities might be worth pursueing.....maybe a St Paul/Minneapolis equivalent....near a major river..........but well interior coastal wise.

 

although.........San Paulo is peeking my interest heavily

[leslie_cheung]

Don't really know Thomas...maybe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaus"

>Manaus</a> and look into some boat eco-exploration down the Amazon?

[gungajim]

Google the Pantanal for interior delights!

[gungajim]

Also go to the Brazil branch of lonelyplanet.com - you can read hundreds of questions and answers that will give you lots of ideas.

[gungajim]

Leslie -

Don't forget Kansas City and St. Louis on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers:)

[renata_souza]

Hi Thomas. As a brazilian, I hope I can help you a little. See, it all depends on what you want to photograph here. My advices are:

 

For wonderful beaches:

Bahia, Fernando de Noronha, Cabo Frio ( which is in rio de janeiro state, 2h far from the city by car)

 

For old architeture and history:

Minas Gerais (state): Cities: Tiradentes, Ouro Preto

Salvador, in Bahia

 

For animals/wildlife:

Pantanal, Amazonas

 

For caves, waterfalls, rivers and ecoturism,(and also underwater photography)

Bonito (Mato Grosso do Sul state)

"Bonito" means beautiful in portuguese, so you guess how it's like...

Videos with what you'll find in Bonito:

www.agenciaar.com.br/index.php?idcanal=34

 

To check some awesome brazil`s pictures, see below:

http://www.araquem.com.br/

[rosangela_traven_olo]

Hi Thomas, you can bet all of our country is a wonderful place to take beautiful photos.

 

Porto de Galinhas, Fernando de Noronha, Ilha do Mel, Recife and Curitiba are my favorite places.

 

if you can learn Portuguese will be easier for you but don?t worry so much because in all those places you can find many people who speaks English.

 

If I can help you any way, please just let me know.

 

Have a very nice trip and welcome to Brazil.

[felipe]

This is an old thread but in case someone wanders here in search of advice.

 

All suggestions are good (you can't go wrong in Brazil) but you can't see all of them. The country is bigger than the lower 48 and flights are expensive. Getting to some of the areas mentioned (Pantanal, Noronha) are costly and takes a day or two at least.

 

In any city/area be very mindful of your surroundings, especially if you're planning to do street photography. Getting robbed at gunpoint is not an unusual experience in Brazil, moreso if you are flashing photo equipment/clothes/jewelry. I'm not exagerating. Any Brazilian has had it happen to at least one member of the family.

 

Time of year matters a lot. The winter (June through Sept) is usually dry and can get cold (40s, maybe 30s) in the south (from São Paulo onwards). Summer (Nov-Mar) is hot, humid and rainy. If you're unlucky it could rain the whole time (Jan/Feb are worse). And contrary to what was said São Paulo can get VERY hot (100+) and, sorry, but it's nothing like NYC. I should know as I lived in SP for 24 years.