Pedro Oliveira on His Return to Brazil

Pedro Oliveira became a photographer by accident. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would become a world-renowned photographer. Pedro grew up in his hometown, Pedro de Toledo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a family of four with two siblings and his mother. Although he had seen the hardships of living as a homeless person, Pedro enjoyed his childhood swimming in the river, playing football with his friends, hiking in the forest, and going on fishing trips. He had to leave Pedro de Toledo to seek academic education and to make money for his family.

Pedro's non-photographic career

Pedro joined IBM in Sao Paulo as a computer scientist, but he soon realized that computers were not his call and he was longing for something else. After long conversations with his friends about career paths to follow, he decided to move to the US and take up Communications and Advertising bachelor's degree. It was during this time that he chanced upon photography and fell in love with the idea of capturing emotions.

After publishing a few of his photos in local newspapers and magazines in Portland, Oregon, Pedro decided to start an independent project that portrayed the lives of homeless people in the US. That gave birth to his world-famous project, "Careful: Soul Inside."

Pedro's return to Brazil

Although he became widely popular after completing "Careful: Soul Inside," Pedro's heart ached to go back to his hometown in Sao Paulo. Even though Pedro had won multiple awards for his first project, he didn't get an opportunity to capture the beauties of his own land. He finally made his way back to Brazil as an award-winning photographer.

But his visit was not just to meet his family and friends. Pedro wanted to start a photo essay. Like his world-famous photo essay, Beyond the 60th Sense, on women empowerment, Pedro started something similar to portray the lifestyle and culture of his hometown. He named it "Ribeira: A Brazilian Tale". In this photo essay, Pedro captured not only the beautiful sceneries of his hometown but also the people in his neighborhood.

Pedro wanted to convey the stories of the people in his country. His photo essay aimed to depict Brazil as one of the most beautiful places in the world. Most people think of Brazil as a politically-corrupt country with poverty reeking in every colony. But Pedro, instead of focusing on the negativity of his land, captured the big heart of Brazilians. He wanted people to see that Brazilians always found a reason to smile, irrespective of their conditions.

His two-week project took him to many parts of Brazil. Although he shot most of the photos in his former neighborhood, he also explored other places like Rocinha that conduct Rio de Janeiro's largest favela.

Pedro's projects never fail to touch his audience. His way of storytelling through his photos resonates with viewers as they can connect with the message that he wants to convey. From Careful: Soul Inside to Ribeira: A Brazilian Tale, Pedro has maintained a specific style of photography that tells the story of his subjects subtly. Pedro doesn't make a penny from the photos he captures. His aim is to share the stories of people who can't voice their opinions in society.