Behind the prickly pears

Praia do Arpoador - Rio de Janeiro- RJ- Brazil

Arpoador literally means "the harpoon thrower", probably because once whales used to be harpooned in this area. It is considered to be both a beach and a rock and is located in a small rocky peninsula between Ipanema and Copacabana.
This beautiful corner of paradise is the right place for surfing-lovers, since the waves break againts the outcropping rocks and the promontory is interested by a strong riptide.

source: Wikipedia

I tried to create a contrasting effect in this photo: I wanted to fix the waves' continous motion in the background, damped by the shadowy horizon line, as a stream behind the solid fixity of the plants (in this case the prickly pears). The black prickly pears' thorns should express a sensation of "hardness",and emanate, in a certain way, the heat of the place; the light waves, instead, should give an impression of "fluidity".

Photo available also here