Santiago de Cuba: Street Portraits that Moved Me

The sun was hovering just above the horizon when we approached the tiny fishing village on the banks of the Caribbean Sea. A few shy but curious youngsters approached our group of five and studied our faces intently. A woman dressed all in pink came out to greet us with a smile. ‘You’re lucky,” she said in Spanish, “the fisherman caught a shark today. They are cleaning is right now on the dock.” Our excitement over the photographic opportunity that this presented grew immediately. We walked the narrow dirt path a little further in and a picturesque scene opened up before us: three fisherman side by side, each cleaning a chunk of a newly caught fish, their silhouettes illuminated by the setting sun… The sky was just starting to blaze with faint shades of orange, the waves of the sea calmly lapping against the shallow shore.

We got to work immediately, shooting from all different angles, chatting and laughing with the fisherman all at once. A few more villagers came to watch the spectacle of our group of gringos, strangely excited over their daily catch and their little boats ready to be docked for the night. But we knew this to be a very special moment – to be able to witness and photograph a glimpse of life on this enchanting island that was for so long closed off to its largest neighbor. The light, the people, the quaint atmosphere surrounding us came together to create the rare opportunity to be a part of something bigger, even if just for an instant. I felt excited and at peace all at once and at that moment I knew that this, this was precisely where I was supposed to be and do exactly what I was doing. In this moment, the rare feeling of being aligned with the universe and with my greater purpose came over me like the tranquil waves lapping against the shallow shore.

I was on my third trip to Cuba and by far this was my best. I traveled to Santiago, located on the eastern part of the island as part of Peter Turnley’s photography workshop. I didn’t really know Peter before this, but I was familiar with his work and I knew that he was exactly the teacher I was looking for. It was also a trip heavily focused on portraiture and street photography, which is something I am always looking to make more of and improve on. It was definitely a perfect fit for me.

For six days I spent my time photographing in one of the most picturesque places in the world, mentored by one of the finest photojournalists in the world who pushed me to go beyond my doubts and self-imposed limitations and helped me see the world in a new way, translating that into my photographs. I was surrounded by kindness and light and hospitality from people I barely knew, but who were willing to open their hearts and help me create the images I wanted to create. I’m proud of the work I’ve made and I have been waiting eagerly to share it. I did something different this time – I created a slideshow of the best images instead of just putting them into this blog post. I also added music.

Cuba has taken a very special place in my heart. I feel lucky that I live so close to its borders and I’m planning on seeing it again. If you’ve ever had any doubts whether you should take the leap and visit the country, I highly encourage you to do so. Cuba to me is an absolute visual delight, to say the least. It’s a place of no doubt many hardships and adversities and life for its inhabitants is not easy. Yet despite all that, the spirit of Cuba and the Cuban people shines on every corner and invites you in. I feel honored to have been able to experience it again.