Rio de Janeiro has inspired generations of photographers, filmmakers, writers, and musicians. It is a city instantly recognized around the world for its dramatic landscapes, vibrant beaches, and unmistakable rhythm. Yet beneath those familiar images lies another Rio—one that reveals itself not through landmarks, but through the everyday lives unfolding in its streets. For photographer João Catolé Demetrio (@j.catole), that is the Rio worth documenting.
Rather than searching for perfect compositions or iconic vistas, João is drawn to the tension that exists between movement and stillness, beauty and disorder. His photographs invite viewers to slow down and discover the quieter narratives hidden within crowded sidewalks, celebrations, and ordinary encounters.
As he describes it, Rio is far more complex than the postcard many people imagine.
“Rio is usually described as this postcard, vibrant, bossa nova place. I tend to think of Rio as a perfect balance between chaos and beauty, and it shows in its layers: iconic landscape tensioned by the intense energy of the streets. This combination says a lot about what I want to express in my work.”
That perspective didn’t emerge overnight. Long before he carried a camera through Rio’s streets, João was learning to observe cities through another discipline entirely.
While studying architecture, he was introduced to the work of photographers whose images documented Brazil’s urban transformation. The photographs themselves left a lasting impression, even before photography became part of his own life.
“At architecture school, I had my first contact with the work of great photographers such as Gautherot, René Burri, among other photographers who documented Brazilian urban development during the ’60s. I remember being really struck by these images even though I didn’t photograph at the time.”
Those early influences taught him that cities could be read almost like living organisms, revealing layers of history, identity, and social change. But it would be another artistic passion that ultimately brought him behind the camera.
Cinema had always fascinated João—not simply as entertainment, but as a way of constructing narratives through visual language. Watching how cinematographers used composition, movement, and light to tell stories gradually changed the way he thought about images.
“I have always been passionate about cinema, especially the work of cinematography in telling stories. In 2022, I took a workshop on documentary filmmaking about cities. There I had my first contact using a camera to express ideas and trying to tell stories through it. Since then, I’ve become fascinated by how many layers you can work within a single frame.”
Although photography became his primary medium, creativity had long been part of his life. Growing up, however, artistic careers weren’t part of the family tradition.
“I don’t come from an artistic background. Almost everyone in my family has worked as a merchant.”
Even so, João constantly found ways to nurture his creative interests. Drawing and illustration accompanied him from childhood, eventually leading to freelance illustration work in 2022. Music also played an important role during his adolescence, giving him another language through which to explore expression before photography entered the picture.
When he finally committed himself to photography, the journey was largely self-directed.
“Regarding photography, I am self-taught. In the beginning I spent a lot of time researching camera settings and techniques online, and I continued learning through practice over time. I think working with analog photography also taught me a lot about light, since you have to be much more precise and think well the parameters you’re using with every shot.”
That process of experimentation eventually led João to discover that photography was offering him something much greater than technical knowledge. It was changing the way he moved through the world.
Today, he doesn’t see photography simply as a way to preserve memories or collect beautiful images. Carrying a camera has fundamentally altered his relationship with the places he visits and the people he encounters.
“Photography, to me, is a way to discover the world. We talk a lot about how cell phones and social media saturate us with images, but I really think it’s a different thing. When you’re with your camera on the streets, trying to think about what story you want to tell, this automatically changes your relationship with the world.”
Instead of reacting instinctively to whatever catches his eye, João has learned to approach each scene with a different question in mind.
“You’re not just trying to record something to remember or because it’s simply beautiful, but asking yourself, what’s the hidden message in this frame?”
That question continues to shape every photograph he makes.
The Street as a Place of Discovery
For João Catolé, the street is not simply a physical space—it is where stories collide. It is where unpredictability becomes part of the creative process, where the photographer must remain open to what appears in front of the lens.
Although he is still exploring and refining his personal visual language, João already understands the environments that draw him in most. He is attracted to places where there is movement, noise, and contradiction.
“I think I’m still searching for something unique about my style, but if I had to describe my favorite environment, it’s being in a place where there’s a lot of noise and I have to find something unique in all this confusion. I like the street, especially when there’s a lot going on and I have to improvise.”
That instinct for improvisation is at the heart of street photography. Unlike controlled environments where every element can be carefully arranged, the street demands patience and intuition. The photographer has to anticipate moments without knowing exactly when they will arrive.
His connection to Rio also challenges some of the perceptions outsiders often have of the city. Internationally, Rio is frequently associated with violence and insecurity, a reputation that can overshadow the warmth and humanity found in everyday interactions.
For João, one of the most meaningful parts of photographing his city has been experiencing the opposite.
“The country itself is a broad experience, but when it comes to Rio, we have this idea of it being a very violent place. In fact, the real reward, for me, is going out and seeing that there are more people smiling at your camera than trying to harm you.”
These encounters have become an essential part of his photographic practice. The camera, rather than creating distance between himself and his subjects, often becomes a point of connection.
Before heading out to photograph, João usually begins with an intention. He does not necessarily create a strict plan, but he likes to have a theme or idea guiding his exploration.
“Normally, I try to define a theme before going out, almost like a hypothesis. Even if it only exists in my mind, I try to follow that idea, and if I’m discovering something new on the way, even better.”
That balance between preparation and openness reflects the way he approaches documentary photography. A theme provides direction, but the unexpected moments—the ones that cannot be planned—often become the photographs that remain.
One of the projects that best represents this connection between personal experience and collective emotion came from one of Brazil’s most passionate cultural forces: football.
For João, photographing the celebration of Flamengo’s Libertadores title was not simply about documenting a sporting victory. It was about capturing the emotional release of thousands of people who had carried years of hope, frustration, and expectation.
“I am a Flamengo fan, so it was incredible to capture other fans like me expressing all that cathartic emotion and being part of that day, making it eternal somehow.”
The photograph became meaningful because João was not observing the celebration from the outside. He was part of the same emotional landscape as the people he photographed.
“I also really like the outcome. My idea wasn’t just to capture the joy of winning, but the scream of relief. It felt like everyone was overcoming the ghosts of the past, and I think I was able to document that feeling well.”
In that moment, photography became more than documentation. It became a way of preserving a collective memory—a feeling shared by thousands of people at the same time.
This approach appears throughout João’s work. He is less interested in isolated moments than in the emotions and stories underneath them. Whether photographing football supporters, street celebrations, or everyday life in Rio, he searches for what a single image can reveal about a larger human experience.
His most personal turning point as a photographer, however, came from a much quieter moment—an encounter with a child riding a bicycle through a small town in São Paulo that would eventually change the direction of his creative journey.
The Photograph That Changed Everything
Every photographer has a moment when the relationship between seeing and creating shifts—when an image becomes more than a photograph and starts to represent a new chapter.
For João Catolé, that moment happened not in Rio, but in a small town in the countryside of São Paulo.
“In 2023, I was more involved in creating short documentaries and was invited by a friend to go to a city called São Luiz do Paraitinga, a small town in the interior of São Paulo. He was developing his graduation thesis about this city, and the film was the final product.”
At the time, photography was still a personal practice rather than something João imagined sharing publicly. He did not have an Instagram account dedicated to his work, nor did he see himself as part of a larger photography community.
He was simply observing.
“In the meantime, between interviews, we used to take some photos of the city because I found it very picturesque. At the time, I didn’t have an Instagram account or any media to share my images and just took photos for fun and my HD. But as soon as I showed this picture of a kid passing in his bike between the large green doors of a bar to my friends and family, they encouraged me to post my work online.”
“Once I started publishing my work, I discovered a huge street photography movement online and got in touch with a huge online community focused on street and documentary photography.”
Publishing his photographs opened an entirely new world. Through online platforms, João discovered a global community of photographers working within street and documentary traditions. That connection helped transform photography from a personal exploration into a more intentional artistic journey.
Today, João thinks of his work as an evolving portrait of Rio de Janeiro—not a single project with a fixed ending, but an ongoing attempt to understand the many identities that exist within the city.
“I like to think of my project as an ongoing series about multiple pieces of Rio de Janeiro, where I explore themes such as street Carnival, life on the beach, and other street “rituals.” I think images like this tell a story over a long period, through systematically documenting and, someday, refining them to find something unique that creates a single story.”
“During the last Carnival, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the portal @midianinja, and I was able to propose some stories to them. During the Carnival days, I interacted with a lot of street vendors and heard many of them talking about the struggles of working on the streets, the challenges of being under the sun, and carrying heavy loads to earn their money.”
As he spent time photographing vendors throughout the festivities, the project revealed another side of Carnival—one defined not only by joy, but by effort and resilience.
For João, these conversations changed the way he looked at the celebration itself. Behind every parade, party, and gathering exists an invisible network of people whose work allows the experience to happen.
“I think Carnival is usually described only as a time of celebration, but there’s a lot of effort behind it. What I think is valuable about these images is that they create a strong connection with the people I’m photographing.”
Building a Visual Language and Looking Beyond Borders
One of the projects he plans to continue exploring is his work with street vendors, expanding beyond Carnival and examining their presence throughout Rio de Janeiro’s public spaces.
“I am planning to continue the project I started during last Carnival about street vendors, exploring more this line of work in different contexts.”
For João, the project is not only about documenting a profession. It is about understanding the cultural and social role these workers play in shaping the everyday experience of the city.
“I want to explore street vendors from a social and cultural perspective, focusing on their presence in the streets of Rio, their use of public space, and the role they play in the city’s everyday life.”
The next stage of the project will also include a more personal approach, bringing conversations and interviews into the work so that the people he photographs can share their own experiences.
“I am also interested in conducting interviews to better understand their experiences and the challenges they face while working in public spaces. Later, I’d like to expand the project to other parts of Brazil.”
This desire to go deeper reflects a broader shift happening in João’s own artistic development. He describes this moment as a period of transition—one where he is learning to move from simply photographing what attracts him toward intentionally building a body of work.
“I feel like I’m going through ‘puberty’ as a photographer, trying to focus on the things that make more sense to me now.”
A conversation with a friend and mentor helped him think about this evolution through different stages of photographic growth. According to the advice he received, photographers often move through a process: first photographing everything, then gradually understanding what deserves their attention, and finally becoming more precise about what they want to communicate.
“A friend/tutor once told me that photographers go through three stages: first, you photograph everything; second, you start to refine what you want to frame; and third, you focus only on what you really want to portray.”
Although João is still reflecting on whether those stages apply universally, the idea has influenced the way he approaches his own practice.
“I don’t know if these stages apply to everyone, but I think it’s important for every artist/photographer to think which subjects attract you the most and be more precise on how you tell this through your work.”
That search for clarity is also the advice he would offer to photographers who are beginning their own journeys. In a world where images are constantly being produced and shared, João believes that technical ability alone is not what defines an artist.
“Focus on what makes your work unique, even if it’s not perfect at first. Anyone can make a good picture these days. What makes you an artist is what you build over the long run.”
For João, the future of photography lies not only in creating individual images, but in developing a perspective—a way of seeing that becomes recognizable through time.
And when imagining his dream project, his vision extends beyond Brazil.
He has long imagined a journey across Latin America, following a single theme through different countries and exploring the connections that exist between cultures that are often discussed separately.
“I always had this idea of making a long trip where I would document a single theme across different places in Latin America, and the final result would be a series that reflects the sense of cultural unity between our countries through this theme.”
The challenge, he says, is finding the subject that can carry such a large story—something universal enough to connect different communities, yet specific enough to reveal meaningful details.
“I am still trying to figure out which topic could possibly represent this sense of unity while also being something both simple and complex… maybe street vendors?”
It is a fitting possibility for a photographer whose work has always focused on the people who give places their character.
From the streets of Rio to small towns in São Paulo, from football celebrations to Carnival workers, João Catolé’s photographs are not simply about documenting what exists in front of him. They are about discovering the invisible connections that hold communities together.
In a city defined by contrasts, he continues searching for the moments where chaos becomes beauty—and where a single frame can reveal an entire story.
To Learn More Visit:
Soledad Quartucci, PhD, CEO, Latina Republic
Latina Republic’s cultural reporting highlights the artists, storytellers, and visionaries shaping the creative heartbeat of Latin America and its diaspora. Through in-depth interviews and narrative features, we celebrate the traditions, identities, and everyday histories that define our communities. Our work uplifts emerging and established voices, giving space to the cultural movements, personal journeys, and artistic expressions that inspire connection and deepen understanding across the Americas.
