Photos

These are brazilian cops. Part of the police force academy(there are a few different segments).

I met them while driving up in the Rio hills hunting for nice spots to photograph.

I kindly asked them if I could take a picture. They agreed but naturally and spontaneously, they started posing and they behaved as if my picture could be shown (and therefore compromising) to their superiors, so they try to look as serious and tough as they were expected to be, on any circumnstances.

When I was a teenager, I could eaasily drive up to the hills to enjoy the view or even to spend some romantic time with girlfriends. There was no need for rangers. There was no danger.

But nowadays things have changed quite a lot. A teenager cannot go up to the hills fully safe, without taking some risks. So up there, we find these sort of cops to patrol the touristic landmarks.

These rangers have a tough life. They earn less than US300/month to risk their own lives and to protect citizen. Most of them are trainned to survive and to do whatever it takes, first of all, to stay alive, to protect others and accompplish their task.