Sidney Erthal, is a photographer I met earlier this year at Bedouin Tech who instantly became a close friend. Originally from Brazil but  a citizen of the world, Sidney has the charisma and open heart to befriend anyone anywhere in the world.  He is known internationally for having spent the last decade engaging and photographing 'Burning Man" but has experience in fashion, travel and portraiture productions.

His work has been featured in GQ, Lonely Planet and Architecture Digest to name a few and has exhibited his work all over the world.  More recently he released best seller " Burning Man Art On Fire" which was released in 2014 and was just published in Japan.  He is currently living and working between San Francisco and Dubai but can be found in the most random places around the world, where he will likely be making friends with someone you know..

What are your greatest inspirations or influences?

I definitely have some well known photographers as inspirations / influences, like Sebastiao Salgado, Annie Leibovitz, Scott London and Lisa Kristine.

But honestly, my greatest inspiration is regular people on their daily lives. I love just sitting still and watch human beings just being themselves. It is very entertaining and I always get inspired. 

 What makes Burning Man so special for you and how do you describe what is Burning Man.

Trying to explain BM to someone who has never been to the event, is like trying to explain the color blue to a blind person. There is no way to describe it. You can watch hours and hours of footage and see thousands of pictures but the only way to really feel / understand it, is to attend and immerse yourself in the whole experience.  My first year was 13 years ago and I haven’t skipped a single year since. It became part of my life and even though the event became extremely popular, it is still magical and can be a life changing experience. In my humble opinion, Black Rock City is the most amazing city on earth. It’s a place where people can be whatever they want to be and a place where the creativity has no limit. We’ve been using the hashtag #itsnotafestival lately. A lot of people still think it’s a festival, but it is way more than that. 

What did you think of Bedouin Tech and your time in the dunes?

Bedouin Tech is with no doubt, the best festival I’ve attended in my life. The whole thing happened to me in such an unexpected magical way. I attended the event for the first time this year, and when I arrived, I’ve only knew one person, my dear friend Firas Fayaad. At the end of the event, I had 200 + new best friends, including you Leila,  + a job offer in Dubai that I ended up accepting which has completely changed my life.  The level of intimacy and the quality of people / music I found there is beyond words. 

Favorite websites, publications or other social media handles you follow?

I really like Instagram. I love seeing how people see the world and how they capture it on camera. Although I am minimizing my time on the internet, I am a fan of social media as it’s a good tool to connect with friends and family and also a great platform to expose my work. Constellation.art is my new obsession. I love reading about people’s dreams and seeing them connecting with other dreamers. 

Most interesting or memorable project you have worked on so far?

That’s is a hard question. In order to be part of a project, it has to have a meaning, it needs to inspire, bring joy or educate. The two books Burning Man Art on Fire, that I published with my pal Scott London is definitely a highlight in my career. I am now going deep on Constellation, this beautiful and meaningful project connects people and empower dreamers to become achievers. 

Anything else you would like to share with our audience?

YES! A few things - 

1 - Don’t be afraid to express your creativity. Whatever others think of you, it’s their problem, not yours. Your problem is how you react to it.

2 - Art comes in many many forms and sometimes you may not like it. It’s not because you don’t like it, that it’s not art.

3-  Anyone who takes a picture is a photographer. Some people became professional photographers and some people are not mindful and become annoying photographers. Sometimes leave the phone aside and take pictures with your eyes.  Our devices are powerful tools that can help us to express our creativity and communicate with other humans. It’s also, extremely important to be mindful when it comes to use our phones to take pictures, make videos or even phone calls. We all love our devices, but there is nothing like living the present moment, where the point of power really is.