Photographer Donna M Kross was compelled to capture this image amongst a busy open market in Camagüey.
Donna M Kross
Photo: Donna M Kross

For the month of September we chose this photo by photographer Donna M Kross because of our love of street photography in Cuba. Taken at an open market in Camagüey, on her sixth trip to Cuba, Kross came across the scene amongst plenty of buying and selling action. Yet, in it all, the peso collector and smoker behind this wall of onions popped out to her and compelled her to capture the image.

Kross has loved photography for as long as she can remember, but after her first trip to Cuba in 2015, she tells Startup Cuba, “I knew that I found my calling in Street Photography.”

“I have been to over 30 countries and I have never met more friendly, sincere, warmhearted, genuine people anywhere. Los Cubanos have an appreciation and an indomitable zest for life that is both inspiring and humbling and that keeps me coming back for more.”

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“Street photography in Cuba is unlike any place else. If you are out looking to capture the action and if there is not much interaction going on between people in front of you, you can do one of two things. You can either turn in another direction or simply just wait a few minutes.”

It’s common to find relationships between colors of what people are wearing and the colors around them that complement each other, like those that are positioned exactly opposite from one another on the color wheel. During all times of the day, people are interacting on the streets and are usually talking and laughing or busily working. If it’s not that, then they are coming over to talk with the person holding the camera, initially asking where they are from, leading into lively conversations. 

Donna has been to Cuba seven times since 2015 and looks forward to returning in early December of this year. 

For more information about Donna, and to see her work, please visit her Instagram account. And also want to give special thanks to our friends from the quarterly photo zine CubaSeen for introducing us to Donna and her work. We invite you to view a free issue of CubaSeen.

Do you have a photo from Cuba to share with us? Each month we’re using this space to share one of your Cuba photos, so if you’re interested in sharing one of your best, please let us know.

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Hola todo el mundo. Sometimes our stories are sourced from multiple people on our team. Or, we like to keep you guessing... You know... anonymous. And, for that, soy el escritora; "El Equipo." We exist to amplify the voices of writers, photographers, and content creators in the space between the United States and Cuba, and we also feature stories from Puerto Rico, Latin America, and the Latinx community in the US. Topics of interest are personality-driven and include pop culture and music, featured current events, climate and the environment, and travel and tastemakers. Oh, and of course we're always 100% independent. No governments, businesses or other influencing factors play a role in our work.

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