About Conrad

Conrad Louis-Charles is an independent photographer and cameraman currently based in Philadelphia and São Paulo, Brazil. He has worked as a fashion, product, and commercial photographer and did assignments for corporate clients such as SAP America and Brazil, Rhodia Farma, and others. He worked as cinematographer for the short film "Next Tuesday" aired on WYBE's Channel 35 in Philadelphia. His current body of work is travel, documentary, and editorial photography. Conrad's stock photography is represented by Getty Images.

Conrad has exhibited at Pentimenti and Taller Puertoriqueño Galleries in Philadelphia, Penn State University's Robeson Gallery, FNAC Gallery in São Paulo, Brazil, and has also shown in Dominican Republic and Paris, France.

Throughout the years, assignments have taken him to Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and Antarctica. He worked on an Antarctica photo project with Brazilian navigator Amyr Klink sponsored by SAP Brazil. In another SAP sponsored project, Conrad photographed the problems facing street children in São Paulo, Brazil. A book was published "The Dream", for the children foundation of Brazilian race car driver Emerson Fittipaldi. Conrad's work was also published in a photography book called "Terra d'agua" sponsored by Rhodia Farma Pharmeceudicals, which involved a medical research expedition in the Amazon of Brazil.

Conrad's passion now is photographing Brazil where he travels extensively around the country. Currently he is planning for shooting a documentary film and photo book on religious pilgrimages in northeast Brazil.

" I started playing around with photography when I was 14 years old. My father had lent me his old Nikon F camera and once in my hands, photography became an obesssion. During my late teenage years, I spent most of my summers traveling so I could experiment with photography and experience new cultures. In college, I decided to change my major from pre-medicine to photography and cultural anthropology. Traveling and photography consumed me and after getting my first assignment for CARE in Haiti, I knew this was what I wanted to do as a profession.

Travel and documentary photography has allowed me to observe and experience the world in a profound way. When traveling, I immerse myself in the culture so this way I can do my photography with a different perspective and fresh eyes.

With an interest in cultural anthropology, I use photography as a way for me to learn and understand the cultural dynamics of wherever I am traveling.

Cinematography and painting have influenced my photographic approach and creative process. Painting helps me to understand the use of directional light, color, and contrast while cinematography allows me to approach photography with an awareness of perspective and movement within a frame. Light, color, texture, composition, movement, and content are all elements I try to balance and play off each other when making photographs.

My photography is devoted to the documenting of customs, beliefs, and humanity which hopefully will help bring about a further understanding, awareness, and appreciation of our ethnic and cultural diversity in the world. "

Conrad