Meet the FvF Contributors: Fran Parente from Sao Paulo - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

Meet the FvF Contributors: Fran Parente from Sao Paulo

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To provide you with a better picture of who the people are behind Freunde von Freunden, we want to introduce you to our international team on a regular basis. Some of them have been with us even before the very start of FvF and others joined the crew along the road throughout our captivating global adventures.

Longtime friend and photographer Fran Parente is responsible for introducing Brazil to the FvF map. Having relocated from Sao Paulo to New York a couple of months ago, Fran has provided us with a number of portraits and introduced FvF to a diversity of creative scenes. He will continue to do so now while living in the Big Apple. Our first contact with Fran was in 2011, after featuring his work on our blog. We were extremely happy to meet him in person on our round the world trip for a client production.

Freunde-von-Freunden_Fran-Parente-contributor

As a qualified architect, Fran started to photograph interiors and architecture in 2007 and is responsible for producing FvF portraits of artist Bruno Novelli, architect Marko Brajovic, artist and architect Guto Requena and many others. Besides being an integral part of our team, Fran publishes his works through renowned media outlets such as Architectural Digest Spain, Hapers Bazaar Brazil and Casa Vogue. We are delighted to have Fran as part of our FvF team and look forward to expanding our coverage of Brazilian creatives in the upcoming year.

What’s your favorite daily ritual?
Coffee stops during the day, that’s my favorite routine, since everyday is different from the last one.

What do you do when you are not working with FvF?
When I’m not photographing for FvF, I’m either working for my clients, magazines and also developing my personal projects.

Where do you go when you want to relax or get inspired in your city?
I just get leave my building where I live and walk a lot, always taking a camera with me. I don’t have a specific spot in town, but during the walks there must have a coffee place on the way.

How has technology influenced you?
What I feel the most about technology is how fast information runs and how quick everything is done and consumed. Many times I see myself checking emails every five minutes and refreshing my Instagram feed instantly. I try to police myself and control technology so it doesn’t control me. The real world continues and sometimes we forget to live it.

Best travel memory?
It’s definitely my trip to New Zealand on my honeymoon vacation. Amazing scenery, incredible food and wine with the perfect company.

Your latest artistic discovery (musical, art or design)?
The Art Library in Williamsburg, with the Sketchbook Project. Artists from all over the world send their sketchbooks with drawings, poems, collages and you can access all of these works for free. It’s a very good place to research and get inspired.

What was the last great meal you ate & where?
Last week with Brazilian friends who came to visit me in New York. We had a very good Argentine parilla at El Almacén restaurant in Williamsburg. The restaurant was suggested by Delfina Baldassarre whom I photographed for FVF.

Three websites – more or less – you visit daily?
Yatzer and Archdaily daily and a few weekly, CoolHunter, The Selby, FvF, Architizer. Also I go online daily on Facebook, Tumblr and Google.

Who would you like to see featured next on FvF?
Rick and Michael from the Mast Brothers.

You lived in Sao Paulo and NYC – what are your favorite things about these two cities?
I’ve lived my whole life in Sao Paulo and moved five months ago to New York. Both of these cities are huge and share some similar aspects. You really have to push yourself to gain a spotlight on what you do since there is so much competition. My favorite things in Sao Paulo are friends and family, nice weather and the familiarity with the city. In New York my favorite things are: the possibility to walk around with my camera, the connections you make and people you meet by chance.

What’s your favorite thing about being a photographer?
My favorite thing is the freedom I have to create images and moments. I don’t call my profession a job, it’s a passion. There’s a famous Chinese quote that says : “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That’s the idea!

Thank you Fran for all your support! We are looking forward to our next collaborations together.
For more information on Fran’s extensive body of work, have a look at his website here.

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