Issue #4

Jaguar Field Notes
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Hola, Reader.
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Right now, it’s raining in Berlin. Thunder rumbles in the distance. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, light a candle, and let the world quiet down for a moment. Rosa Passos is playing in the background, filling the room with rhythm and warmth as I write these words to you. Sutilezas.

Life Lately

Honestly, it feels like I came back much longer ago than just two months...

City life has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? You end up living several lives at once. Moving fast, staying agile, excited, slightly overwhelmed, and occasionally convinced that answering emails counts as a personality trait. Or at least, that’s how it feels in my case.

But finding balance is everything.

For someone like me, who feels most comfortable when I’m useful, active, and busy, slowing down can be surprisingly difficult. I’d even say I sometimes treat it like an enemy.

Slow down? Now? When everything is so exciting? Why would I do such a thing?

And yet, if we never slow down, it’s a bit like driving at full speed through a beautiful landscape without ever stopping to look outside the window.

So in this newsletter, I want to talk about the most beautiful landscape of all:

Friends.

My friends, are creatures of magic. The kind who sing with me when the Brazilian pandeiro comes out, who turn ordinary evenings into celebrations, and somehow make every place feel a little more like home.

However, I have to admit something...

A lot of the strength I have to keep creating. Especially in a city like Berlin, where loneliness can quietly sneak into the corners of everyday life, comes from my friends. And yet, I often take that friendship for granted.

How do we find the balance between chasing what we want and caring for what we already have?

I’m lucky. My friends love me despite the fact that I’m not always easy to find. I have such a hunger for life, for projects, for ideas, for the next thing, that I sometimes let shared dinners, conversations, and evenings together slip through the cracks.

Does that happen to you too?

Do you ever stop noticing what’s already right in front of you?

This month has been especially intense. Work, deadlines, projects, ideas. All moving at full speed. And what has kept me grounded is something surprisingly simple: closing my laptop, saying out loud, “work is over,” and hopping on my bicycle to meet the people I have the privilege of calling my people.

Take care of what takes care of you.

We still have plenty of time to become whoever we want to be in this life. But perhaps the real beauty is not having to do it alone.

And every time I sit around a table with friends, sharing stories, laughter, and the occasional existential crisis, I’m reminded that some of the most important things in life have been there all along, quietly waiting for our attention.

Some of the photographs I've made over the past months

Moving from one person to the next, listening, observing, and creating portraits along the way

These are the photographs I get paid to make. The reason I proudly call myself a freelancer in this city.

Each person is a world of their own. Every portrait begins with a conversation, with curiosity, with making space for someone to be seen and heard. But I’ve realized that I can only offer that space when I have first created it within myself.

None of this happens by accident. It comes from the small habits that hold me together: taking care of my health, moving my body, putting cream on my face, sleeping enough, and tending to all those tiny details that seem insignificant until they aren’t.

But lately, I’ve discovered that it’s not only about routines and discipline.

It’s also about allowing myself to be held.

To be listened to. To be seen.

And that is a rare kind of treasure.

A treasure that only exists when we offer the same gift to the people who welcome us into their lives with love.

The truth is, I couldn’t do this work without them.

I couldn’t keep showing up, telling stories, and building this life as a photographer in Berlin without the people standing beside me.

So my personal commitment lately has been to care for them better. To thank them more often. To remember that while many of the challenges have felt lonely, they were never truly faced alone.

Because when I look back, there was always someone on the other end of the phone, across the table, or waiting with an open door. Listening, encouraging, and pushing alongside me.

And maybe that’s what friendship really is: realizing that the dream was never carried by one person alone.

In fact, one of the most beautiful projects I’ve ever been part of was made with friends.

Back then, I was part of A Panda do Sol, and we had the incredible privilege of being filmed by none other than Vincent Moon​

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So this newsletter is dedicated to the people who stay in our lives despite our busy schedules, our distractions, and, in my case, my occasional talent for disappearing into work.

And of course, I can't write about this without mentioning my family, especially my parents. They've been there from the very beginning, and a good part of what I've been able to build comes from their support, encouragement, and trust.

If there's one thing I've been reminded of lately, it's this: don't overlook the people who make your life possible.
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Life moves quickly. It's worth taking a moment to appreciate them, and to make sure they know it.

Thank you for joining me for this month’s stories. See you in the next one!