I had taken this shot in a bar in Porto Alegre, Brazil after traveling the city during the day and being too lazy to drop off my camera gear in my hotel room. It was winter, and during the 2014 World Cup, so the venue was packed with warmly dressed tourists, each exchanging volleys in a variety of languages and accents.
A few hours before this photo was taken, the bar was empty and quiet. George, a friend I was traveling with, had discovered this spot after sifting through a few places on Google Maps. The interior resembled a restaurant converted into a British pub, with tables and booths lining the walls. Behind the bar they had some tapioca chips and polvilho biscuits for sale, but nothing in the air to hint that any food was being cooked. Though In good taste, the owner displayed flags from different nations in observance of the World Cup, hung from the ceiling like fresh sheets on a clothesline. And above the flags, adding to the ambiance, were speakers playing Brazil’s top 40. The bar wasn’t anything special, but it was exactly what we needed after a day on our feet.
George and I settled in with our first round of beers, then a second. A few moments later, we found ourselves mingling with a friendly group of ladies from Porto Alegre. They were university students and good conversations kept us engaged. The phrase, “time is an illusion”, has never been more accurate for me in that moment, as the next thing I knew a few hours had passed and the bar was humming like a bee hive.
Reassessing the scene in a different light, the bar's energy was also distracting. The music had been turned up several notches since we'd entered and people seemed to be talking over each other just to have a conversation. Could anyone actually hear whom they were speaking with?
I went outside to the bar’s patio to take a quick breather and the noise quickly dropped to a murmur. From outside, surveying the room through a window, I realized I was witnessing an interesting moment. With people trying to talk over one another, and the music amped up to the highest octave, people literally had to yell in someone’s face in order to chat with them. The noise inside made it impossible for any voice to carry, so screaming in a friend's ear looked no different than children sharing a secret.
Then, instinct took over. I quickly pulled out my camera, adjusted the settings for the low light, and took the shot.
I rarely bring my camera to bars. The idea of mixing expensive equipment with alcohol never seemed wise. But as it turned out, interesting scenes can unfold anywhere, and I was glad I made an exception this time. It allowed me to capture one of my favorite travel shots. When I noticed the scene unfolding before my eyes, all I wanted to do was capture it.
Shot June 2014