This is a beach I return to regularly for compositions. The social bustle of beach life in this area of Rio de Janeiro has a distinct character from a visual perspective. There are few single sunbathers; something that adds a perpetual energy to the composition. Towards the sea, in the background, figures gradually become abstract shadows, an effect created by the intense sunshine and unique atmospherics created by the surf. These highly contrasting tones are one of the aspects of Ipanema that draw me back.