LIFESTYLE & TRAVEL

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, has a vibrant pulse and natural beauty that makes it one of my absolute favourite places on earth. For this portrait project we cast a variety of talent: The young girls and two boy twins who live in Cidade de Deus, a “Baiana” dressed in all white from Salvador, Bahia, a samba dancer who trains all year to perform at Carnaval, and a variety of others, including filmmakers, musicians, attorney, students, actors, and tourists. You never know people’s stories until you connect and get to hear their backgrounds directly from them. And storytelling is at the heart of all I do: to create visual moments that resonate, linger and ultimately connect with the viewer.

Two young Brazilian Black girls with long hair posing at Ipanema beach with the Atlantic ocean in the background in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One is braided hair and is looking at the camera and the other is looking away.
A Black Brazilian woman dressed in elaborate Carnival costume with pink feathers, jewelry, and a tiara, sitting on rocks by the sea with blue sky in Ipanema beach, facing in profile in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A Black Brazilian woman in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, smiling woman wearing a yellow and white headscarf, white off-the-shoulder blouse, and layered yellow, blue, and white beads, standing outdoors near water with an overcast sky.
A Brazilian shirtless man with dark wavy black hair standing on a beach, looking to the side with a contemplative expression, ocean and sky in the background in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Portrait of a young Brazilian woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes standing on a beach with blurred ocean in the background, wearing a white dress looking at the camera in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A shirtless, fit young, Black Brazilian man, black curly hair, and a colorful Rasta headband standing on a beach with cloudy skies in the background in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A young, white, Brazilian woman with curly red hair and freckles smiling with her hands on her cheeks, outdoors by the ocean at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A young, white, Brazilian woman with curly red hair and freckles smiling at the camera, is throwing her hair in the air, set against a beach and ocean background with a blue sky at Ipanema beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Close-up of a woman with red curly hair and freckles, looking to the side with a serene expression, outdoors with a blurred blue background at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Two shirtless young Black Brazilian brothers with dreadlocks standing outdoors by the ocean with clear blue sky, one smiling at the camera and the other looking sideways, during daytime at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A white Brazilian woman and dark wavy hair smiling outdoors against a blurred background of water and clear sky at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A young Black Brazilian girl and braided hair smiling while facing to the right, with a blurred sky and ocean in the background at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A young Black Brazilian girl with brown curly hair and a slight smile, outdoors with a blurred blue and white background at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Close-up of a young girl with curly blonde hair and blue eyes outdoors with ocean in background at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Two young Brazilian Black boys with shaved heads and no shirts are touching foreheads with their eyes closed, standing in front of a calm Atlantic ocean at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A Black Brazilian woman with dark curly hair and a large pink flower in her hair, smiling softly with bare shoulders, against a soft blue background at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A young Brazilian man with curly brown hair and light skin, resting his chin on his hand, looking at the camera with a slight smile, shirtless against the Atlantic ocean at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Close-up of a middle-aged white Brazilian man with gray hair and white skin relaxing outdoors, resting his arms on a surface, with a calm and contemplative expression, on a blurred light background at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A young white Brazilian man with dark, straight hair and light freckles gazes at the camera against a backdrop of blue ocean and sky against the Atlantic ocean at Ipanema beach in in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Close-up of a smiling Black Brazilian woman with curly brown hair looking to the side with an outdoor ocean backdrop of the Atlantic ocean at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Close-up of a smiling white Brazilian man with tousled dark hair, outdoors against a blurred sky background and the Atlantic ocean in at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A white woman with dark brown hair in a braid, sitting outdoors at the beach, smiling softly with her hands near her chin, looking to the side in Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.