Andre Magarao
July 2025 - Rio de Janiero
About the Image(s)
Title: Rio de Janeiro
This shot has a cool story. This was shot in Rio de Janeiro. This mountain is over 2,000 feet tall, so in order to get the proportions right with a lens that's long enough to compress the image and look cool, I had to be very far away from the shore. This is the place I grew up in, so I'm pretty comfortable here. I had to swim almost 2 miles out to get this angle.
It was shot with a Canon 1dx Mark II and a 70-200 at 70mm f4.5 and 1/3200.
9 comments posted
Andre, your images never cease to amaze me. My style is very different in that I want to show the subject close up with no background other that a crowd or other participants. I try to get a connection to the subject, the fear on his face, definition of the muscles, sweat. I want the viewer to wonder what was the result of the situation. You are a very artistic person, and I am not. It is great to see your presentation and learn your story behind the shot. By the way are you a soccer fan? I have taken teams to Rio de Janeiro twice and stayed at Barra Beach. My wife met Zico there playing soccer Volleyball. Bruce Posted: 07/06/2025 21:30:58
Sorry I forgot to add my suggestion to your image I thought that cropping a bit from the right and bottom did not remove any important areas and got a bit closer view of the kite surfer. Bruce Posted: 07/06/2025 21:34:01
Thank you so much for the kind words, Bruce.
yeah. I'm a soccer fan. Maybe not enough to cry for it like a good portion of Brazilians but yeah. I'm a fan. It's awesome to hear that you went to Rio. Did you like it? did you have a good time? Were you a soccer coach? Zico is huge in Rio as you probably know. If your wife was living in Rio she would be telling that story every day.
As for the style of shooting. A lot of the times when I shoot these action sports I'm being paid by the brand that manufactures the gear the athletes is using so we actually think of ways to show the product well. In that sense both the athlete and I have a really good idea of what is going to happen. So it's not like a soccer match that the outcome is completely unknown. In this shot in particular, I told the rider to do this one particular trick right there because it would show the bottom of the board well and it would align with the mountain. So there is no real reason for me to focus on his face you know? That tension doesn't exist. To him that's an every day trick him and I know he will land. (that's also why I can be there because if it was a harder trick and he doesn't land maybe he lands on me. haha) Posted: 07/11/2025 20:57:40
yeah. I'm a soccer fan. Maybe not enough to cry for it like a good portion of Brazilians but yeah. I'm a fan. It's awesome to hear that you went to Rio. Did you like it? did you have a good time? Were you a soccer coach? Zico is huge in Rio as you probably know. If your wife was living in Rio she would be telling that story every day.
As for the style of shooting. A lot of the times when I shoot these action sports I'm being paid by the brand that manufactures the gear the athletes is using so we actually think of ways to show the product well. In that sense both the athlete and I have a really good idea of what is going to happen. So it's not like a soccer match that the outcome is completely unknown. In this shot in particular, I told the rider to do this one particular trick right there because it would show the bottom of the board well and it would align with the mountain. So there is no real reason for me to focus on his face you know? That tension doesn't exist. To him that's an every day trick him and I know he will land. (that's also why I can be there because if it was a harder trick and he doesn't land maybe he lands on me. haha) Posted: 07/11/2025 20:57:40
Andre, again the only thing I can say is WOW !!
Did you have the camera in a housing with the 70-200 mm
To swim 2 miles out is not a walk in the park. Agree with Bruce's crop.
Essa imagem me deixou de queixo caído e ainda estou me recuperando..... Posted: 07/09/2025 00:06:42
Did you have the camera in a housing with the 70-200 mm
To swim 2 miles out is not a walk in the park. Agree with Bruce's crop.
Essa imagem me deixou de queixo caído e ainda estou me recuperando..... Posted: 07/09/2025 00:06:42
Thank you very much Isaac.
Yeah, I have a housing for a 70 200.
A lot of the times these far away swims leads to very good shots. Most of the time is because I can shoot on 200 and really compress the background. This one time it was more because the mountain is so tall.
that's some awesome Portuguese! have you been to Brazil as well? Posted: 07/11/2025 20:59:17
Yeah, I have a housing for a 70 200.
A lot of the times these far away swims leads to very good shots. Most of the time is because I can shoot on 200 and really compress the background. This one time it was more because the mountain is so tall.
that's some awesome Portuguese! have you been to Brazil as well? Posted: 07/11/2025 20:59:17
No, I have never been to Brazil. Actually, I can speak Portoñol (a little Portuguese and a lot of Spanish). Google translate does an excellent job. Posted: 07/22/2025 22:10:12
Agree with Isaac and Bruce. The angle of the shot really makes it unique and I love the composition of the shot. I disagree on the crop as I like the current frame. The curve of the water for me adds to the shot. There's some additional depth there with the peak of another mountain just above the water on the right. Per Isaac, how did you capture that shot with your DSLR? Was it in waterproof housing? Posted: 07/10/2025 13:52:32
Hey Don, thank you so much for the comment.
yeah, most of the shots I've posted so far were with water housings. It's a very essential tool for me. I have a lot of different ones to allow different lenses. I don't think I remember the last time I actually shot from land. like you said, I tend to lean towards these more open shots because it really shows I'm in the water. And I find that the water out of focus on the foreground looks cool. Posted: 07/11/2025 21:02:48
yeah, most of the shots I've posted so far were with water housings. It's a very essential tool for me. I have a lot of different ones to allow different lenses. I don't think I remember the last time I actually shot from land. like you said, I tend to lean towards these more open shots because it really shows I'm in the water. And I find that the water out of focus on the foreground looks cool. Posted: 07/11/2025 21:02:48
It's one thing to visualize an image, but I guess it must quite another thing to execute it by swimming two miles with camera gear to get the perspective correct. We appreciate your effort.
I also like your presentation better than Bruce's crop. I think your version is better-proportioned and helps show the height of the mountain. Posted: 07/29/2025 05:14:16
I also like your presentation better than Bruce's crop. I think your version is better-proportioned and helps show the height of the mountain. Posted: 07/29/2025 05:14:16