The textures and shapes of a big little city.

There is no real standardization to the sidewalks, every few meters the terrain changes.

Without getting far into details about Belo Horizonte, I think it’s imperative that I give you a small bit of background information on the city. Belo, or BH as locals affectionately (and sometimes passionately) refer to it, could be best characterized as a HUGE little city. This characterization is due to the fact that, although with a population of massive proportion, the city has been able to retain a personal aspect; locals, no matter how far apart the address or social class, always seem to know someone in common. This leads to ever expanding social circles that make the people of this city seem like one big family, comprised entirely of odd cousins. Aside from the social intricacies, Belo also has a plethora of textures, shapes, colors, dispersed through a rough and irregular field of steep and narrow roads, crossed by wide and flat avenues. Take a look at a road-map, add to it the huge volume of passenger buses on the streets, constantly dodging pedestrians and other vehicles, and you will most certainly see the beautiful urban chaos that seems to be particular to this town. More examples after the break!

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Hello, and welcome!

Well, this is obviously the first post on this blog so I should use it to tell you a little bit about myself and the purpose of this project.
I am originally from New Hampshire, USA and have been spending the last four years living in Belo Horizonte and over the last few months of my stay here I’ve been working on my photography considerably. Brazil, in general, provides a photographer, be it a casual snap-shooter, or professional/commercial artist, an astounding volume of subject matter, ranging from the vivid daily lifestyle and interactions to the well-known (or unknown) tourist spots.

Belo Horizonte, MG

I’ve decided that rather on scouting out recognizable landmarks or “stereotypical” Brazilian scenes like carnaval and the Christ Redeemer, my photography should reflect and explore the day to day life of a city that, although accommodates nearly 2.6 million, is very little known outside Brazil’s borders.
I will post photographs, including ones taken in other parts of the country, along with a short blurb to give the image some context. I will also use this blog for sharing some particular views on photographic subjects, tendencies, equipments, etc. Stay tuned and I hope you enjoy this project!