I was born and raised in Cuba; there would be plenty to say with that line alone. Apart from politics and years of social controversy, I was fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful landscapes and a multicultural influence, which reflects in different artistic expressions. Since I was little I was attracted to arts, I was mesmerized by all the ways a person can communicate emotions. I smile every time I replay the images in my memory. It is like a picture that brings me back to the roots of a never forgotten land.
As I grew up my interest led me to study film, those years allowed me to finally get in touch with a longing dream of understanding the process behind everything I saw on magazines and catalogues. Until now, it never ceases to amaze me how powerful an image can be, and how is it possible to preserve an emotion, to freeze a memory through a lens.
I arrived to the United States after a journey that up to this day seems uncertain in a way. As many immigrants I was leaving behind a life of fear, sadness and disappointment to rewrite a story here. The land of unparalleled opportunities seemed the right path to follow. Like the famous beginning of MLK’s speech, “I had a dream”, I too had one and decided to believe that every man has the right to simply transform its own reality despite its circumstances. It has been a rewarding journey at every step of the way. I am constantly learning through failures and accomplishments since all the experience is needed in order to move forward.
Photography has allowed me to connect with people beyond the artistic expression; it has acted as a way to interact without words.Through the lens I act as a mirror, looking for the essence, the inner beauty, the ugly, the courage, the sadness, the happiness, the serenity, the wrath, the divine and everything that make us who we are.
Image by Humberto Ochoa
