Brazil is an upcoming hot spot, as it’s hosting the World Cup this year as well as the Summer Olympics in 2016. And let’s face it, it’s just a hot spot in general, which is obvious in Minneapolis-based advertising and editorial photographer Adam Hester‘s recent work— a gallery in which sand, sun, and smiles abound.
This was a self-produced project, as Adam is looking to create a more concrete travel portfolio. The work not only adds to his travel but also compliments his lifestyle work. He said that the Brazilian people were all very gracious and welcoming, with the language barrier being his biggest obstacle:
The language barrier turned out to be much more difficult than I had thought. I’m comfortable with Spanish and was hoping that would work for me. Fortunately, I was traveling with a colleague who was working on a writing project. He had taken some Portuguese courses online and was very helpful in getting us into and out of more interesting places. Being able to make friends with the locals playing dominoes on the street is very helpful when you need a cab at two in the morning.
Adam fully enjoyed the project, saying that he continues to learn the importance of “going with the flow” as a photographer:
I’ve learned from this trip and others that the specific place you have in your mind as the very best to make pictures may not turn out that way. Maybe it’s the logistics of the day or the weather affecting the light but I’ve had a few places that I assumed would be excellent turn out to be just alright. It always seems to be somewhere or something that you stumble upon that turns out to be the best image or series of images from a trip like this. I’ve learned to be less calculated and more open to images happening organically. Which is how I started making photographs in the very beginning.