Surf photography

The break decides the method. Arpoador in Rio de Janeiro is photographed from the rock and the sand with a long lens, which keeps the photographer out of a crowded lineup. The beach breaks of Florianópolis, such as Joaquina and Praia Mole, and the bays around Pipa in Rio Grande do Norte suit water shots when the current allows. Itacaré in Bahia has small coves where a photographer can stand close to the peak, and at Fernando de Noronha the north swells that reach Cacimba do Padre arrive mainly in the southern summer.

Every session is confirmed against the forecast the day before. If the swell is flat, or so big that the break is unsafe for your level, the session moves to another day at no charge, which is why it is worth booking early in the trip. Water shots are added only when the photographer judges the current, the crowd and the visibility safe; when they are not, the session stays on the sand. A drone angle is a separate drone booking, flown under the rules of the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) and the Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo (DECEA), never over a crowded beach.

Beginners get as much out of it as experienced surfers. A lesson on a gentle beach break produces the first picture of you standing up, and for beginners the session is timed with the surf school while the photographer works from the shallows. Experienced surfers get sequences they can study, frame by frame, for stance and timing. The gallery is delivered within 5 days, sooner than the portrait sessions, so the pictures arrive while you are still on the coast.