Fidel Castro’s precarious health condition prompted AOL photo editors to develop a documentary focusing on the Cuban-American community in Miami, the city with the highest concentration of Cubans within the U.S. Initially, we thought we would pose the basic question, "What is going to happen within the Cuban community after the death of Castro?" and document the answers we found through photography and audio recordings. That original idea soon evolved into a broader, general exploration of the Miami Cuban community in four areas: 1) Cuban multi-generations, 2) Cuban families, 3) the Cuban community (from a "man on the street" perspective), 4) Cuban artists.
I had a hard time pre-visualizing what kinds of photos I would be shooting, although I figured that a majority of my pictures would be portraits. I knew I would be conducting interviews with elderly people in Spanish. Instead of working in vibrant outdoor sunlight or a darker, rapid-motion nightclub, I found myself in blind-drawn apartments. I patiently waited for moments. The faces of these elderly helped tell the story -- the melancholy that grandparents felt toward their homeland, the pride they felt for their families -- was vividly projected through their expressive, creased faces. For these portraits I cropped tightly.
The younger Cuban-Americans allowed for more diversity within my images. I shot the music group, Del Exilio, in a press-kit style, while the young girls from the political organization, Raices de Esperanza, allowed me to show their friendship in a youthful moment of vanity. I played with artificial light on the beach, neon lights at a concert, and sharp midday light on the side of the freeway.
Although the situations I documented diverged, and the people I worked with ranged from an 8-year-old in pink spandex to a 90-year-old with a walker, I concentrated always on the individual. It takes intimacy to document a society. Speaking the language was critical. The personal connection made before gathering valuable information was essential. I shared a cry with a restaurant owner, a garlicky lunch with some grandparents, a martini with a pop band. Without crafting a relationship with subjects, a visitor will never be welcomed to tell a community’s story. And although I feel I only revealed the surface of the Cuban-American community in Miami, I'm honored to share the multiple slices of life I experienced there with the AOL audience.
Check out all the photos in the Cubans in Miami photo gallery.
-Rachel Been
