Borba works with a variety of artistic vehicles, often merging metals, woods, digital artwork, ceramics, and whatever other materials he can mold and shape into a mixed-media masterpiece. His surreal artwork and regional renown are what originally caught the attention of photographer André Costantini and artist Burt Sun, who are now in the process of finishing Bel Borba Aqui, a documentary film about Borba and his work.

“Burt and I had talked about doing a documentary film about an artist,” says Costantini. “We threw around the names of some mutual people we knew, but nothing ever really came of it. Then Burt started buying apartments in Salvador and was spending some time down there. He met Bel and called me, saying, ‘I think I found the guy.’”

The first real “social” street graffiti started popping up in Salvador, Brazil, in the ’80s, according to journalist Gerson Sousa (www.jfparanagua.com.br/eng/_materia_neon.php). Messages of political, cultural, and religious protest could be found scattered on walls around the capital of Bahia, amalgams of social commentary and artistic expression. It was during this time that Borba became the father of Salvadoran mosaics, earning fame in his hometown and beyond for his efforts at beautifying the city landscape.

Borba was born and raised in Salvador, so he has a close personal connection to the community that he’s adorning with his “street art.” “He started doing something he calls ‘urban intervention’ about 25 years ago, doing lots of work on the streets and in the community,” explains Costantini. “That’s one of the ways he got to be known. He’s also an affable character—somewhat of a local celebrity. Wherever he goes, people know who he is, whether he’s doing work for private commissions or working in the community as part of his urban intervention initiative.”

While Costantini is used to being behind the viewfinder of a film camera or DSLR, shooting Bel Borba Aqui wasn’t his first foray into the world of filmmaking. “I’ve done documentary work like this before,” he explains. “Some of it, for example, has been for Doc to Dock, an NGO (non-governmental organization) that collects medical supplies and delivers them to developing countries. I’ve gone to Africa to work on some documentary projects for them.”

To capture the many sides of Bel Borba, Costantini not only brought his video camera, but also his DSLR and Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens for some more intimate documentary-style photography to complement the film. The 28-75 allowed Costantini to capture everything from the “big picture” environmental aspects of Borba’s projects on the 28mm end to more intimate portraits on the 75mm end. At f/2.8, Costantini could achieve the smaller depth-of-field he needed to make the already larger-than-life Borba stand out from his backgrounds in portraits. Plus, thanks to its XR technology, the 28-75 proved to be a lightweight traveling companion as Costantini tracked Borba during his daily sessions.

When shooting documentary-style photography, it’s helpful if you can really get to know your subject and observe him in his environment before and while you’re shooting (even if you’re not afforded the luxury of multiple long-term visits as Costantini was). “I went down to Salvador three times: last September for a week, last December for 20 days, then this past March for another 16 days—about a month all told with him on this project,” he says. “We’d usually get up in the morning and just follow him around. What we did with him on a daily basis would depend on what he had going on that day. Sometimes we’d see each other every day for a few days, then there’d be a bit of a break.”

Trying to effectively capture the essence of Bel Borba through both mediums was the challenge Costantini faced. “With a camera, you’re able to document the artist by examining the process and the results,” he says. “When you’re making a film, you can add sound to that. To be able to hear someone talk about the artistic process, their relationship to their work and the community—that adds a whole other dimension.”

If you’re simply concentrating on documenting the artist with your camera, there are ways to make your stills stand out. “Show a sense of the place he’s in,” says Costantini. “A lot of what Bel Borba was doing had to do with where he was working, especially when he was doing the street art. People—especially children—would often congregate around him while he was working. It doesn’t distract him: If he sees people he knows or even strangers, he’ll talk to them. By incorporating the people, or other physical elements that are near him while he’s working, you can get a sense of where in the city he is and the local characters he’s dealing with.”

The best way to showcase the artist, however, is to capture him deeply ensconced in his art. “Photograph him in either the creation of one of his pieces, or show him with the results of his efforts,” says Costantini. Because the artist is on his turf, available light (with no supplemental lighting) is key to keeping everything natural and authentic. “A lot of the shoot has to do with the action that’s happening,” says Costantini. “You have to just look for the light and tell your subject, ‘Stand over here—this is where the good light is.’”

Shoot from nontraditional angles. Costantini took one shot from above Borba as he lay sprawled on the ground, composing one of his ceramic mosaics. By shooting from up high, Costantini was able to give a sense of scale of the project Borba was working on and to highlight Borba’s total immersion in his craft. Or incorporate him into one of his final works, such as a shot Costantini took of Borba standing tall on a passenger plane he had painted (www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ca7r49SQT4), following the graceful line of the plane wing with his eyes.

Capturing more personal portraits of the artist can complement the work-in-progress and final-results shots to compose a well-rounded documentary-style series. A black-and-white or sepia shot can lend a documentary-style feel to the portrait. “Some of the portraits I took of Bel are quirky and funny; some are more formal,” says Costantini. “They show all his different sides.” In one image, Borba pulls on the corners of his mustache, the background beautifully blurred to isolate Borba’s tomfoolery in the foreground. In another shot, Borba peers through a circular opening, a mischievous grin belying the intense thoughts that are behind whatever project he’s working on at the moment.

Costantini was even able to take a few shots of Borba at a local fashion shoot. “There’s a Brazilian designer who makes mosaic-like clothing, so someone decided to team this fashion shoot with Bel,” says Costantini. “I happened to be down there when this all came together, so they asked me to shoot it.” Capturing a dapper Borba outside of his usual element, surrounded by stunning Brazilian models, provided an interesting contrast to the usually casual artist toiling away on the streets.

Merging the two mediums (photography and filmmaking) was made possible by creating time-lapse videos of Borba at work on a wall mural (www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXOh1GvyD50) and on the previously mentioned airplane. “We’d use the intervalometer in our regular cameras to go into time-lapse mode,” explains Costantini. “This way, we’d get high-res moving pictures when we pieced them all together. It’s an interesting way to use a still camera to bridge the two mediums.”

Costantini hopes Bel Borba Aqui will be completed by the end of the year. “The principal filming is done,” he says. “We’ll have a selected scene edit by September, then go back to Brazil to finish filming any loose ends so we can finish it up.”

In the meantime, Bel Borba diligently perseveres with his artwork under the steamy Brazilian sun. “For me, every day is a surprise,” he says in the movie trailer for Bel Borba Aqui (www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Av7Vo72zY). “It’s better if I don’t know where I’m going.”