Claudia + Wind, La Habana del Este, Cuba, July of 2012

Incomparable is one adjective I use to describe her, there are many others. In my three years with her she has never provided me with anything but her fullest energy, her unyielding creativity. Dozens of rolls have been exposed on her behalf, never the same expression nor the same emotion.

She is the quietest of girls away from the camera, keeps to herself and has a select, small circle of friends. In her neighborhood she rarely steps outside of her home, rather she stays inside and works on her paintings.

We met for the above image at a small house rented by the family for a few days on the beach. Three families were sharing the humble structure, displaying for me a level of affection and generosity rarely seen back home.

Immediately upon our arrival she and her parents offered their time for portraits. Here they were, enjoying themselves on the beach away from the city and all of its madness... yet they were able to remove themselves from the sand and go with us in search of a proper location.  We jumped into Alejandro's 1954 Chevrolet and headed up the road.

We stumbled on a beautiful mound, and decided it a perfect place to separate her from the environment, to highlight her exquisite ability to shine in front of the lens. This was her first time working photographically in front of her parents, and she cherished every moment of it. She was powerful, strikingly emotive and filled with creativity. She moved from one expression to the next effortlessly, surprising even her father standing next to me watching it all unfold.

We ended the session after an hour and headed back to the house, where we talked for a bit more before bidding everyone farewell. As we drove down the narrow path to the main road, she walked diagonally across a grass field back to the beach. She walked with a bounce displaying her happiness, and waved to us as her smile faded into the distance.

The images below show the exact location of the above image, with the mound to the left of the 'X.'

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