Yes, I was born in Cuba and I savor a good, strong coffee. My father loved fishing and my mother the beach and waterskiing. Consequently my life, to a certain extent, revolved around the ocean (I was also into baseball and football). Snorkeling and scuba diving were my first love though it wasn't long before surfing grabbed my attention and what I dreamt of every night. Maybe it was from the exhilaration of riding a wave but more so, I believe, because surfing offered a natural, healthy and nomadic lifestyle.
Photography was never taught to me nor was it an aspiration. I did aspired to follow in the footsteps of people like Jacques Cousteau and Bruce Brown, the documentary filmmaker of Endless Summer, but not because of their work behind the camera but because of the lifestyle they were portraying in their films. I wanted to be where they were, but how? Obviously the answer was photography though I never imagined that I was capable of following that path.
When finally a camera was placed in my hand and the first rolls of film were exposed, processed and printed I became hooked with the magic of photography. And much to my surprise there was an eye waiting to explore this world. Surfing, being the world that I was living in, became the subject of my eye. Furthermore surfing was taking me to exotic locations and soon I discovered more to this world than perfect waves. I sensed new adventures, sights and cultures and explored and documented them. The further I dwelt into the unknown the deeper I took my photography. I soon learned that my eyes would never tire from the inexhaustible visuals one can conjure behind a camera.
After a life-long path and career in photography I have lost little of the passion that's guided me. I wish to continue discovering and to better my eye. There are no pinnacles to reach, just reaching as far as you want or are capable of before time brings the journey to a halt. In the meantime I will soak in as much sun, sand and water as I did as a child, continue to be delighted by the push of a wave and be surprised as I ever was with the magic of imagery.