José Prendin Costa | Curitiba, Brazil 🇧🇷

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

My name is José Prendin and I'm a 22-year-old urban cyclist in love with photography and with the fixed gear culture. I like experiencing new things and feeling the city in its essence. Whether it's the traffic behavior or people themselves, everything happens simultaneously. I like fish 'n' chips (all my friends are well aware of it) and I use my track bike for everything. I've been taking pictures for a long time now, but it's been only a year and a half since I started focusing on it. I enjoy getting in contact with different ways of thinking and try carrying that to how I see the city, either the one I live or any other I might visit.

Where do you live?

I've been living in Curitiba, Brazil since I was six. They call it the "Brazilian London" because of the similar climate: it changes all of a sudden and rains a lot. People are also not as warm if compared with people from most Brazilian states.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you come to photography?

I started photographing with my cell phone about 8 years ago, with the idea of documenting my days. The passion increased, and I started to look for ways to improve my photos. About two years ago I bought a used DSLR, and that's when I realized that photography is part of my life. I have 3 brothers, two of which are my twins (yes, we're triplets). One of my brothers is very urban and he is a skateboarding photographer. Whenever I had doubts, he taught me. I take him as one of my urban photography references (@joaoprendin).

Where would be your dream destination for cycling in Brazil and why?

Recife still holds much of the architecture and Brazilian colonial history, being part of the first Brazilian region explored by the Portuguese. Being a coastal capital and extremely hot, the city has an ideal setting to enjoy a good afternoon of sun near the sea. However, there are more than 3 thousand km between Curitiba and Recife, making the climate and culture between the two regions very different and the cost very high.

What do you love about cycling culture?

I think it's the way I've come to look at the city more closely. People, structures, routines, gears that make the city work. And the friendships that come with cycling as well, simply because you are also on the streets, for having chosen to use clean transport, a healthy way of life. It's amazing the interaction that cycling provides.

Best photo/cycling moment so far?

Well, I don't think I can point out a single favorite moment that i captured, but there's one moment that definitely sticks out for me. It was during 2016's Fixolimpiadas (yearly, every time in a different city, there's this event with a bunch of different fixed gear related competitions). In the middle of the fixed gear cyclocross a train crossed the track and I was really glad I got to capture what I felt when the riders were crossing the train tracks. It was a moment that really resonated with me, it was awesome.

Life-Motto?

Love. Do it for love and with love! Whatever you set out to do. And always have empathy for one another. These are the things that I carry with me always.

What makes you stop and take a photo?

The fact of freezing moments that will never happen again, I think. And after many years, I can go back and remember everything, as if it were yesterday.

Favorite two photos you have taken recently and why?

I think it would be these two pictures. One represents love, both for cycling and for one another. In the other one we can see a friend of mine, he represents a new moment for me and new goals, accomplishments that I never thought I'd achieve. Achievements like having this interview, creating with people around the globe and sharing my passion with people just for the sake of it.