Honorable Mention in the category « Portrait »

Children of Ceará

In a small fishing village in Ceará, Brazil, the children move between sand and sea as if there were no border between them.

Their world is the deserted beach in front of their village, their playground the fishing boats pulled onto the sand, stray donkeys, an old wooden boat ramp, the endless tide.

When I crouched to their height, they came toward my camera without hesitation, curious, fearless, amused.

I chose to shoot these images in black and white, to emphasize the unique faces of these children, emerging from light and shadow, marked by wind and sun, not yet influenced by the rapidly spreading consumer society.

Photographing the children of Ceara, I felt immense gratitude witnessing such rare purity and freedom.