Narratives On Cuba: Semblances of Colour: Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes): 05-NS-Cuba-ALO

Eventually, I step out of my dream, and each new step leads to an unpredictable moment; an unexpected photograph. A photographer, like myself, asks if I want my picture taken. As he is developing the negative, he begins to tell me that he has been photographing, in this spot, for 22 years. His fingernails are stained from years of exposure to the developer, the stop bath, and the fix. He photographs in the sweltering heat, day in and day out for $2.00 a photo with a camera that he has made to accommodate the trays of chemistry used to process the photographic paper. He has never taken the time to photograph for himself.

Eventually, I step out of my dream, and each new step leads to an unpredictable moment; an unexpected photograph. A photographer, like myself, asks if I want my picture taken. As he is developing the negative, he begins to tell me that he has been photographing, in this spot, for 22 years. His fingernails are stained from years of exposure to the developer, the stop bath, and the fix. He photographs in the sweltering heat, day in and day out for $2.00 a photo with a camera that he has made to accommodate the trays of chemistry used to process the photographic paper. He has never taken the time to photograph for himself.