Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Young Ballerina, Santa Maria del Mar, Cuba, 2015


Happenstance is the best word to describe how this young boy ended up in front of my lens. A walk through Havana one afternoon placed me in front of his home, inquiring about the fruit on display in his home. His mother was sitting next to the fruit with some prices written on white paper. Asking about the fruit was my way to get acquainted with the family, and to then ask for her portrait.

This wonderful woman allowed me to photograph her next to the fruit. After the photograph was made we began talking about my work, and how it includes the ballerinas of Cuba. Her neighbor then pointed out that two of her children were ballerinas, at Cuba's esteemed Ballet Nacional de Cuba. I noticed that the mother was a bit hesitant, and that her neighbor had quite the personality. As we talked more the mother became more comfortable and called her children over from the neighbor's apartment. I was struck by the beauty of the children, and we arranged to photograph them the very next day.

It has been over three years since those first photographs, and we now include this family in our photography every summer. They are simply exquisite, and incredibly talented. Their manners are exceptional and reflect very much that of their mother. I look forward to this summer and hope that we can once again collaborate a few times once again.



Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination.

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