Authorship and Collaboration

Since I was a little kid, I was always passionate for photography. From playing with father’s old 35mm film camera to his early digicam’s from the late 90’s, I started trying to replicate images I would see on television or magazines. Travel photography and National Geographic content would amaze me and for sure shaped the way I begin to see the world on my early days. It was only when I was 22, I had the chance to fly for the first time inside my home country Brazil. It was a work trip, but I carried with me my first digital camera, a 5 megapixels Samsung. I remember my personal challenge was trying to take ‘nice pictures’ that on my mind would be similar to those images that inspired my childhood and teen aging. 

*Panoramic picture taken in China back in 2010 with a Sony Hx1.

From that moment on, I boarded also on my photography journey.  On the following year I started to fly to other countries and continents. By now, 2023, I had the privilege of travelling to more than 40 countries and experiencing so many different cultures and places. I have exchanged cameras a lot through the years but looking back and reviewing my photography my foundation and methodology kept mostly the same. Being critical to my work today I would classify my work as travel photography and photojournalism.

Definitely my practice was influenced by photographers from these genres, and I can’t deny so many of them inspired me to become the professional I am today. I consumed so many magazines, photo books and especially with cable TV and later on YouTube, I have watched a countless number of videos and documentaries related to travel and nature and culture. This deeply impacted my work.

*Picture taken in China in 2010 with a Sony Hx1.

As I grew older and especially got involved with social activities, humanitarian aid and community development, my images became more humanized and see a slight change focusing more on portraits and pictures that display somehow all the needs that I was contemplating and engaging with. In 2013, I left Brazil with family and moved to the Middle East to start my own community development projects among Syrian and Iraqi refugees. I opened my organization and partnered with several others, which led to the investment of more than 2 million dollars in the region in almost 10 years of hard work. Today we have 12 ongoing projects, mainly in Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. I lead a team of 30 people from different nationalities, languages, and backgrounds. 

Photography became a very important part of my daily work, not only for documenting my own activities and projects, but also for displaying the lives and hearts of so many needy people fleeing from persecution and conflict. It became a strong way of connecting them and their needs with the world. To live among these people has helped me also to develop my own unique style of photography, which started to be more focused on B&W. I have been particularly inspired by photographers like Sebastião Salgado, Fan Ho and W Eugene Smith.  

I never intentionally collaborated with other photographers to produce my personal work, but I definitely recognize the influence and inspiration I had from different media and photographic genres. 

When it comes to photography, the line between collaboration and plagiarism can be subjective and can vary depending on the specific circumstances and intentions involved. Collaboration typically involves multiple individuals contributing their unique ideas, perspectives, and skills to the creative process. It implies a shared vision and joint effort in creating the final work. But not necessarily this will always the case as there are scenarios where parties will not be fully involved or even aware of their collaboration. 

On these cases the boundaries can become blurred, and context will matter deeply. Some photographic styles, such as homage. parody or pastiche, intentionally reference or imitate existing works, but with the intention of paying tribute or creating something new. However, even in such cases, proper acknowledgment and respect for the original creator’s work are crucial. Credit should be given to each person for their contributions, ensuring transparency and respect for their creative input. 

Direct plagiarism occurs when someone uses another person’s work without obtaining permission or providing proper attribution. It involves claiming someone else’s creative output as one’s own, which is considered unethical. Plagiarism typically involves copying or closely imitating someone else’s work without significant alterations or additions. It fails to incorporate originality and distinctiveness, essentially reproducing the original work without appropriate acknowledgment. 

Ultimately, understanding and respecting the creative rights and contributions of others while fostering open collaboration and communication are key to maintaining ethical practices in photography.