A series dedicated to photographers on their photography.
An artist’s work, it can be said, begins before the actual craft work begins in earnest. In the years preceding the conscious effort to make a living, we should be able to regard a silent labor going on in every person for whom art is to become the purpose for being.
Fabio Piva was born, lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, and one of the world’s major metropolises. Before turning his focus to the lens, he was a mountain bike athlete.
He started when a first issue for a magazine put out calls, hired him, and he never looked back. He still mainly shoots outdoors and athletic photography, which remains as close to his heart as it always has been.
In no particular order, Fabio’s 5 photographs that stand out
- While Fabio insisted that none of his 5 chosen pictures were numbered, this one stood out the most for him. It was a dream photo for him, taken via a rigged drone and in a single take, with skateboarder Sandro Dias appearing as an apparition on the Estaiadinha Bridge.
Below we can see the São Paulo traffic, and begin to wonder whether the image is a trick of the eye, or the shot of a lifetime.
- Surfers Ramon Navarro and Sergio Laus on the Amazon, the river quiet, both banks in view, with the sky streaming above at first light. The surf they were chasing that day was a tidal wave that was yet to break.
- This is a continuation of the same day with Navarro and Laus in Amapa, Brazil. Now we see the surfers on the wave, ripping down the Amazon. The sight of surfers riding a wave on the river is uncommon, almost jarring in its improbable composition. With the images brought back to us, we are all witnesses to the union of surfer and natural phenomenon, in a place where surfing usually takes a backseat.
- This photo was taken during the Red Bull Valparaiso Cerro Abajo in Valparaiso, Chile. Going around that day on a location scout, Fabio became enamoured with this location. The shot brings together all the elements of the city, on a single frame, and shows us a participant mid-race on a downward descent.
This photo was made possible by a generous resident who allowed Fabio to shoot from their window.
- Nearly everything went wrong at this short event in Brazil. But against the odds, in the last few minutes, Fabio pulled off the shot he was there for. The event was for amatuer mountain bikers, and we can see the last couple riding to their glorious finish.
Fabio’s advice to aspiring photographers, and on overcoming creative blocks
Simply, study hard and practice photography more than you would imagine to be necessary. Develop your visual identity, don’t lose it over time, and keep adapting to the constant changes in the field. And finally, keep challenging yourself.
Creative blocks are not something that Fabio has had to deal with. His approach is one that relates more to problem solving in his projects. This means research, creatively thinking about issues that may come up, and finding alternatives to keep the process moving forward.
In his twenty years as a photographer, 16 of those have been with Red Bull, he’s felt that pushing his own boundaries has been what has propelled him to improve the most.
See and discover more of Fabio Piva’s work at pivaphoto.com.