Renata Vale hails from the northeast of Brazil. Vale’s fascination with art set her apart from her business-oriented family. For her, photography came to represent a passionate quest for her authentic self.

Now based in São Palo, Vale photographs places, both near and far, striving to record cultural diversity in all its forms. “The Offering” is an image taken in Laos, where Vale became interested in the Buddhist monks. It is a meditation on the lives of those people who are also committed to their quest for authenticity.