brasil: Penta Campeão
5 Time winners of the Copa do Mundo -- brasil knows it's futbol. Cariocas (residents of rio) really know how to party.
Through a bizarre "small world" chain (i worked with a french guy in singapore who met a brasilian in another s. american country who gave me the number for some of his friends), i met up with some cariocas and watched the game at their place. the game was 8:30am sunday morning -- by the time the game finished the whole country was partying and it didn't stop for days. being of german descent i guess is evident in my face and many people would ask me if i was german. to this i replied "alemans no esta con nada" (basically translated, Germany Sucks!) here follows the colors, the hype and all that is Penta Campeão.
watching the game was intense. you could sense the whole country was riding on those few players with fast feet. when Renaldo scored mid way into the second half a huge collective sigh of relief passed through the country. the parties started and people relaxed a bit. still weary of the germans, but confident in their team all eyes were still glued to TVs across the nation. when Renaldo scored his second goal of the game people lost their minds. they, and probably the rest of the world, knew no team could come back to beat Brasil sitting on a 2 point advantage.
Canons started firing in the hills, the air around the city was thick with firecracker smoke and at times you could barely hear the remaining portion of the game due to all the noise. people in the streets tied together the ends of black trash bags, knowing that the sun's warm rays would carry them up up and away like miniature hot air balloons -- a small floating tribute to their heroes.
by the time i got back to copacabana on the other side of town the party was in full swing. i was tired and didn't feel like meandering through the streets now filled with a jubilant population whose fanaticism with futbol ranks it above religion in importance. i decided it would be a travesty to miss the excitement so camera in hand, i wandered out into the partying masses.
immediately people assumed i was press covering the celebration. people posed, invited me up the various party vans pumping out tunes on the street and watched me curiously as i made my way, shooting one group then another. they asked which magazine i worked for and where when would the pictures be in a newspaper.
Read MoreThrough a bizarre "small world" chain (i worked with a french guy in singapore who met a brasilian in another s. american country who gave me the number for some of his friends), i met up with some cariocas and watched the game at their place. the game was 8:30am sunday morning -- by the time the game finished the whole country was partying and it didn't stop for days. being of german descent i guess is evident in my face and many people would ask me if i was german. to this i replied "alemans no esta con nada" (basically translated, Germany Sucks!) here follows the colors, the hype and all that is Penta Campeão.
watching the game was intense. you could sense the whole country was riding on those few players with fast feet. when Renaldo scored mid way into the second half a huge collective sigh of relief passed through the country. the parties started and people relaxed a bit. still weary of the germans, but confident in their team all eyes were still glued to TVs across the nation. when Renaldo scored his second goal of the game people lost their minds. they, and probably the rest of the world, knew no team could come back to beat Brasil sitting on a 2 point advantage.
Canons started firing in the hills, the air around the city was thick with firecracker smoke and at times you could barely hear the remaining portion of the game due to all the noise. people in the streets tied together the ends of black trash bags, knowing that the sun's warm rays would carry them up up and away like miniature hot air balloons -- a small floating tribute to their heroes.
by the time i got back to copacabana on the other side of town the party was in full swing. i was tired and didn't feel like meandering through the streets now filled with a jubilant population whose fanaticism with futbol ranks it above religion in importance. i decided it would be a travesty to miss the excitement so camera in hand, i wandered out into the partying masses.
immediately people assumed i was press covering the celebration. people posed, invited me up the various party vans pumping out tunes on the street and watched me curiously as i made my way, shooting one group then another. they asked which magazine i worked for and where when would the pictures be in a newspaper.