A Village in Bahia, Brazil

In collaboration with AEC-TEA

2009
This series is of a small rural town in Bahia, Brazil, called Capim Grosso (about five hours inland from Salvador). I spent six weeks there volunteering with the non-profit, AEC-TEA, where I taught English and co-led photography classes that culminated in a student exhibition and book. The town is slow-paced and rather peaceful, but with limited economic opportunity and poverty, and many young people eventually leave for the city. The images, captured on 35mm film, show typical marketplaces, family homes and sunset light settling over the barren dirt roads. The town’s name literally means “long grass,” but there is very little grass to be found in such an arid climate. Even with its struggles, it’s rich with color, and strong community is its backbone.