Rafael Vilela
Photographer / Based in São Paulo
vilelaovilela@gmail.com Rafael Vilela is an independent Brazilian photographer currently reporting on social injustice and the environmental crisis in his country. He was one of the founders of Midia NINJA , an initiative that today...
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Focus:
Documentary, Photography, Assignments, Storyteller, Environmental Stories, Breaking News, Social Justice
Skills:
Research, Translator, Graphic Design, Color Correction, Photo Editing, Branding, Copywriting, Multimedia Production, Photojournalism, Retouching, Fundraiser, Drone Pilot, News Writing, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop
Clients:
National Geographic
The Washington Post
The Guardian
National Geographic
The Washington Post
The Guardian
About
Available in: São Paulo
Focused on:
Documentary, Photography, Assignments, Storyteller, Environmental Stories, Breaking News, Social Justice
Skilled at:
Research, Translator, Graphic Design, Color Correction, Photo Editing, Branding, Copywriting, Multimedia Production, Photojournalism, Retouching, Fundraiser, Drone Pilot, News Writing, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop
Coverage Regions:
Latin America
Languages Spoken: Portuguese, English, Spanish
Years of experience: More than 10
HEFAT certification? yes
vilelaovilela@gmail.com
Rafael Vilela is an independent Brazilian photographer currently reporting on social injustice and the environmental crisis in his country. He was one of the founders of Midia NINJA, an initiative that today has more than 8 million followers. His photographs are part of São Paulo’s Museum of Modern Art (MAM-SP) permanent collection. In 2014 he was invited by Magnum Photos to be one of the Brazilian photographers in the OffSide Brazil project to report on the World Cup. Rafael was also nominated for World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He has collaborated on international publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, VICE, The Intercept and National Geographic. In 2020 he was selected by National Geographic's Emergency Fund for Journalists covering Covid-19 and his work with Covid Latam won the POYLatam and the FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo. In 2022 Vilela was shortlisted on Leica Oskar Barnack Award and awarded the Catchlight Fellowship and the National Geographic Explorer grant. In 2023 he was the lead photographer for the Washington Post's "The Amazon, Undone" reporting series that won the Overseas Press Club Winner, the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Rafael Vilela is an independent Brazilian photographer currently reporting on social injustice and the environmental crisis in his country. He was one of the founders of Midia NINJA, an initiative that today has more than 8 million followers. His photographs are part of São Paulo’s Museum of Modern Art (MAM-SP) permanent collection. In 2014 he was invited by Magnum Photos to be one of the Brazilian photographers in the OffSide Brazil project to report on the World Cup. Rafael was also nominated for World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He has collaborated on international publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, VICE, The Intercept and National Geographic. In 2020 he was selected by National Geographic's Emergency Fund for Journalists covering Covid-19 and his work with Covid Latam won the POYLatam and the FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo. In 2022 Vilela was shortlisted on Leica Oskar Barnack Award and awarded the Catchlight Fellowship and the National Geographic Explorer grant. In 2023 he was the lead photographer for the Washington Post's "The Amazon, Undone" reporting series that won the Overseas Press Club Winner, the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Clients
National Geographic
The Washington Post
The Guardian