Bruno Bicalho Carvalhaes

“I try to observe and get inspired by ordinary things and activities in life, simple and relatable moments”

Intercru: Where are you from? Where do you live and work now?

Bruno: I’m from Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais, Brazil. I’ve spent the last 12 years in Paris though, and I’ve recently moved to New York.

How did you get started in photography?

I always liked photography, but it was during college in my hometown, that I started diving a bit more into it. My stepdad installed his old lab in a tiny room we had in our place, and gave me his old Nikon FE2, which I still use today. Once inside our home lab, it felt like magic and therapy at the same time to play with those negatives, liquids, etc.

It was only a few years later, when I was already working in advertising in Paris that the passion for it became evident to me. So I started shooting some of my own projects and campaigns, which really made me love this part of the process. From advertising photography, I slowly started focusing more on people, which quickly brought me to portraiture and fashion photography.

Where do you find creative inspiration?

I try to observe and get inspired by ordinary things and activities in life, simple and relatable moments. But movies are probably my biggest inspiration I have to say.

Who are some of your favorite photographers and artists?

Irving Penn is the first name. Alessio Albi is a younger name whose work I admire a lot. And finally, Hassan Hajjaj because I just came back from his exhibit at Fotografiska NY and just love how vibrant his work is.

What’s your favorite movie of all time?

I do have a list of favorite movies but instead I’m going to name my best “movie theater experience,” which is Enter the Void by the Franco-Argentinian Gaspar Noé. It took me one week to digest it and realize how much I had actually liked it.

What’s your biggest fear?

Being in a forever lockdown. And heights.

What’s your favorite season of the year?

Spring, when life and smiles are back.

Who’s your favorite band or musician?

Once a year my Spotify doesn’t let me hesitate: Bob Marley.

What was your first job?

Back in my hometown, I worked in the marketing department of a supermarket chain. The only link to photography was that once a week I had to put promotional catalogues together. So I would take one of those old point-and-shoot digital cameras (the only one available at the office) and shoot whichever product we didn’t have an image of. It was only about doing it fast- good lighting was not an issue.

How would you describe your work?

I don’t know how to describe my images, but I do like when they feel real and the model’s personality is also part of the story.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?

This is the trailer of The Marathon Walker a pro-bono campaign I directed and shot in Gambia, Africa, for the English association Water For Africa. At the time, I was working in advertising as an art director, but because of very limited budget, the agency decided I should be going to Gambia and shooting the campaign myself.

While in Europe, accomplishing a marathon is quite a big deal, in many countries in Africa, people (especially women) have to walk the same distance to provide their family with clean water. So we decided to bring one of those women, Siabatou, to Paris, where she would walk the marathon with a sign that said: “In Africa, women walk this distance every day for clean water.” People liked the campaign and donated money, so we could go back to her village in Gambia and build a borehole with fresh water in front of her place.

This is probably my proudest accomplishment. Being surrounded by the Gambian people for 15 days, with their joy and warmth, was the most touching and also best life experience I’ve ever had. And we wrapped the project with a 26-minute documentary broadcasted on Sky TV, in Italy.