Here are 21 photo spots in Minas Gerais for you.

About the location

Each town is offering atmospheric cobblestone streets, beautifully preserved mansions, and baroque churches rich in detail. Places like Ouro Preto, São João del Rei, and Tiradentes feel like open-air film sets where every corner has a story and every façade reflects the artistry of Aleijadinho, one of Brazil’s most iconic sculptors.

Beyond the architecture, the State of Minas Gerais also rewards photographers with unique movement and character. The famous steam train Maria Fumaça, also called Smoking Mary, connects Tiradentes and São João del Rei and adds a nostalgic touch to any photo series with its billowing clouds of smoke and slow rhythmic approach through the countryside. Combined with the rolling hills, misty mornings, and warm light that often drapes the region, Minas Gerais becomes a rich canvas for anyone seeking authentic Brazilian culture with a strong visual identity.

Best timing

The best time to visit Minas Gerais for photography is during the dry season from May to September, when skies are clear, humidity is low, and the iconic rolling hills take on warm golden tones. This period offers stable light throughout the day and crisp sunsets that enhance the baroque architecture in towns like Ouro Preto and Tiradentes. Early mornings are especially rewarding, with frequent layers of mist settling between the hills and creating a beautiful, soft backdrop for landscapes, churches perched on ridges, and rural scenes with grazing cattle.

The rainy season from October to March brings lush greenery and dramatic cloud formations, which can be fantastic if you enjoy photographing moody atmospheres or waterfalls at full strength. Afternoon showers are common but usually brief, leaving behind reflective streets in colonial towns and beautifully refreshed landscapes. If you don’t mind unpredictable weather and want more contrast and dramatic skies, this season can be equally rewarding.

Photography tips for Minas Gerais

For photography in Minas Gerais, focus on the interplay between architecture, landscape, and light. Colonial towns like Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, and Diamantina are best explored early in the morning when soft light enhances the textures of cobblestones and baroque façades, and you can capture streets without crowds. A wide-angle lens works well for church interiors and town panoramas, while a short telephoto helps isolate ornate balconies, sculptures by Aleijadinh,o and hilltop chapels framed by rolling valleys. In the countryside, aim for sunrise sessions to capture mist drifting through the mountains of Serra do Cipó or Serra da Canastra, and bring a polarizer to deepen the greens and blues common in this region. If you enjoy wildlife or waterfall photography, the rainy season boosts flow in the many cascades scattered across the state, so pack a tripod and ND filter for long exposures in shaded forest areas.

Other languages

Here is how Minas Gerais is called in other languages:
CS Minas Gerais DE Minas Gerais EL Μινας Ζεράις ES Minas Gerais FI Minas Gerais FR Minas Gerais HI मिनस ज़ेराइस HR Minas Gerais IS Minas Gerais IT Minas Gerais JA ミナスジェライス州 NL Minas Gerais NO Minas Gerais PL Minas Gerais PT Minas Gerais RU Минас-Жерайс SV Minas Gerais TR Minas Gerais ZH 米纳斯吉拉斯