I was born in Havana, Cuba and have lived in Miami, Florida since 1961. Exposure to the film and television industry since I was very young formed the underpinnings of my personal style – at once direct and immediate, and informed with a sense for the dramatic in lighting and choice of subject.  I credit the influence of my uncle, a television and film director in Cuba, with priming my curiosity for the beauty in the novel and grand, as well as in the commonplace, and even the vulgar.

I find that the best way to approach a subject is to first close my eyes, then let my other senses form an image with the sounds, the smells and the flavor and texture that hangs in the air. My photographs are, in a sense, conversations that start with the subject — the closer attention I pay, the more rewarding the exchange.

Carlos Cardenes
01-30-2019