In the Tupi indigenous language, Paranapiacaba means “place where you can see the sea”.
Paranapiacaba is a small railway village located in the Atlantic Forest, in the city of Santo André – State of São Paulo – Brazil, has a population of approximately 1000 inhabitants, and was founded in the 19th century by english engineers of the São Paulo Railway Company Limited.
The Paranapiacaba Portfolio is a series of photographs of the genre” Street Photography “, produced between 2017 and 2019 in the Village of Paranapiacaba.
My objective in creating this series of photographs was to show the relationship between the people and the environment of the bucolic Village of Paranapiacaba, some photographs in this series can be classified as photographs street minimalists, that is, compositions that highlight lines, shapes, diffused lights, shadows, contrasts and silhouettes. The fundamental in minimalist street photography is the meticulous composition, solitary subjects, silent settings and dramatic lighting that unite to give life to the images.
During the execution of this series of photographs, I developed a planning in relation to the climatic conditions of the Village of Paranapicaba, and decided to photograph only on rainy days and with fog. My purpose was to use diffused light, glare and the reflections caused by the rain, and the fog to isolate and highlight the human element in the compositions.
About Miguel Melleiro Junior
I am Miguel Melleiro Junior, and I am currently living in Jundiaí – State of São Paulo – Brazil. I worked professionally as a product photographer for 10 years (2000 – 2010). In 2010, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so I decided to interrupt my professional career as photographer, to take care of my mother full-time, as I have once a month, I go out to photograph in cities near Jundiaí.
