‘The road transforms into a makeshift beach’: Pablo Albarenga’s best phone picture

The Uruguayan photographer on snapping a sunbather in Sao Paulo, Brazil

After moving from Uruguay to Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the pandemic, photographer Pablo Albarenga revelled in exploring his new home by bike. It felt like a safe, freeing way to familiarise himself with its vastness; the Brazilian city is the fourth largest in the world, and often referred to as a concrete jungle.

On a 60km ride one hot November Saturday, he passed through a colourful residential area with an elevated highway. At weekends, it is closed to cars. The road transforms into a makeshift beach," Albarenga says. Locals meet friends, hang out and sunbathe. They take the city for what is and make it work for them ... and they make it look good.

Times are universally hard," he adds. We all need moments of self-reflection, peace and stillness like this. The image - and the person - remind us that we don't have to hike Everest or swim in the ocean to find a little serenity in the madness."