Who am I?

Hey! I'm Rafael. Yes, like the ninja turtle, or the archangel… You choose. I am a Brazilian photographer, writer, and art director born in Sao Paulo and currently based in Galway, Ireland.

I was a weird kid, definitely not friends with everyone in the room, so instead I buried myself in movies. They were just way more exciting than real life. I grew up watching stuff like Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars, things which made me very keen on the idea of jumping on a ship and pissing off somewhere unknown, kindling the biggest of my passions: traveling.

The first time I was in Ireland, I was just minding my business and I kid you not, an opportunity to audition for a little indie TV show called Vikings fell on my lap. The luck of the Irish? Magic? Call it what you want. I call it my biggest frustration because I had to leave back home in the AUDITION WEEK. That bugged me, the feeling that it was possible to do what I love most for a living. Be out there, in the movies, instead of in an office. I got my diploma in film, and the most valuable advice from a teacher I could’ve ever gotten: If you want to make movies, start by taking photos. Learn how to use them to tell a story. And so I did, fell in love with it, and never stopped ever since. Now my mission is to make you feel like the star of your movie.

I started as a portrait photographer, but as I took the leap and moved abroad, my photography naturally shifted to include documenting travel and landscapes. Now, I combine both styles to capture the best moments of your travels and vacations.

My love for photography goes beyond just the places I go, but the people I meet through it. That’s my drive. At the same time I’m telling a story with my lenses, I am getting to know yours, and this is such a deep, enriching experience that has brought me not only clients but friends from all over the world that I will take with me for life. 

I’ve photographed people from so many different nationalities and backgrounds, in over 10 different countries, and I’ll go anywhere to ensure you have the photoshoot of your lifetime.

I’ve come up with the name “Størmbørn” quite naturally since this whole idea was born in Galway. Galway is located right in the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way, a 2500 km tourism trail that spans the West Coast of Ireland. It takes its name from being bathed by the North Atlantic Ocean and being home to unrivaled cliffs, paradisiacal beaches, castles, and islands, but also from the strong storms coming in from the sea. It’s like a little pirate town in the modern world—what’s not to love?

“My life has been the poem I would have writ. But I could not both live and utter it.”

- Henry David Thoreau