The Exhibition

Cuba is a hot topic right now. Time has stood still in this controversial Caribbean paradise since the Castro-led revolution 54 years ago. But now, with the US lifting the embargo, things really are beginning to change.

When we think of Cuba, we think of vintage American cars, colourful salsa dancers, mojitos and cigars. During my visit to the country last Christmas, I wanted to capture a more in-depth observation of this fascinating country’s people; a flavour of real Cubans in their living and working environments. And I wanted to capture them in a very different way.

Armed with a fisheye lens, I decided to break the rules and see how I could produce interesting portraits without the distortion qualities of the lens being unflattering to the subjects. The images on display do exactly that with some unique and very surprising results.

The Photographer

David Cotter has been taking photographs professionally for over 7 years. He left the corporate world to embark on a more enjoyable and fulfilling career in photography and has never looked back.

Following 4 years as in-house photographer for communications agency, AB Publishing, David went freelance and has successfully expanded his clients to include household names such as John Lewis, ITV, Jamie Oliver, Britsh Gas, Royal Mail and Transport for London.

“Most of my commissions are environmental portraits, ie. people in their place of work doing their thing! That is what I set out to re-create on my travels in Cuba."

Originally from Galway, Ireland, David now lives in North London and travels all over the UK for photography and video commissions.

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