El Monte de Manuel Almenares.

For a decade, I have portrayed the streets of Centro Habana to capture their spirit and the stories of their people. I am guided by small details: a light, a gesture, or a trace that narrate with intimacy and empathy the dignity and grace that endure...

El Monte de Manuel Almenares

Ten years ago, I began photographing the streets of Centro Habana to document the neighborhood where I live and work. Over time, I have come to know hundreds of people and thousands of stories. By connecting with their world, I strive to humanize them and convey the general spirit of the street through the small moments and details I observe.

Sometimes, a fleeting instant attracts me. The light at the top of a staircase. A handprint on a wall. The lines on a cracked glass pane. I follow the fading light, a fleeting shadow, reflections, unusual shapes and symbols, children playing, a sleeping dog… all of it catches my attention and tells a story in a captivating way. I want my photos to communicate without language; to feel the presence and feelings of the subject and to speak with intimacy and empathy. I act as a witness and try to bring the viewer into a world where people often struggle in difficult circumstances, yet maintain an essential grace and compassion.

The existing lights and shadows shape, define the texture, and often become compositional elements in my photographs. For me, the analog technique remains more organic than the digital one. I work with medium format black and white film on a Rolleiflex camera, and I develop and print my rolls at home. By being directly involved in the entire process and seeing my images as they appear, first as negatives and then as prints, photography remains magical and a constant source of inspiration in my life.