CubaPLUS Magazine

For Andro Liuben, a talented photographer but originally a designer, pursuing both professions has been a challenge, an effort, as he told us in a recent interview for our publication. Design and photography have not co-existed for long in his life, as he graduated from the Instituto Superior de Diseño in 2003, but did not dabble with a lens until 2018.

“While my professional life in general has been particularly intense, he said, these five years combining both professions have broken all the clocks. I have no doubt that an effort of this magnitude has been the fruit of passion and love for what I do, but it has also required a lot of organization, keeping a schedule, setting deadlines and meeting them. Without that, nothing would be possible.”

In 2018, he took his first snapshot as a professional, almost by chance: “It was a sudden opportunity that came up while I was designing the Travel Trade Caribbean (TTC) magazine, the edition dedicated to the World Travel Market in London. I was scheduled for an interview with the British ambassador and we didn’t have a photographer until the day before. It was then I felt it was time to start without as many preparations, just to start, to break the ice.”

 Two hundred years after the first photos in the world, and with technology developing in leaps and bounds, these professionals need to be creative and for Andro this is important. “Creativity is more than relevant because it is what allows us to see what is not visible to the average person and capture it and thus generate new proposals, new messages, new stories yet to be told... this is when the photographer has to be more imaginative, more sensitive and professional as well.” Choosing a theme to convey ideas and styles is a necessity for any artist and Andro is no stranger to this. “Finding work quickly, even without having the necessary experience, was an opportunity that I decided to take advantage of immediately. This was not the result of luck or chance, but of an intense activity that I had been carrying out on social networks for a long time before and still do today. This is how I began to collaborate with one of the first marketing agencies in Cuba, Gerbet, which put me in front of the professional challenge of gastronomic photography and I accepted it.

 But that’s how you learn. From 2019 to date I have done 32 sessions in 16 restaurants; 25 sessions in as many rental houses and 52 travel sessions for tourists who want to take a souvenir of their stay in Havana. All this I think defines me as a commercial photographer (if there is such a qualifier), probably influenced by my training as a graphic designer, where I not only practiced advertising intensely, but also learned to appreciate it with passion and dedication,” he explained.

“Photography is booming and in great demand. The internet and, above all, social networks have undoubtedly contributed to this. Also the accelerated progress in photographic technologies and others that support it. These conditions facilitate the work from the perspective of its execution, but, on the other hand, it is now harder to stand out among so much quality; now one has to be more creative and impactful than ever before.”

 This is the criterion offered by this designer turned lens artist, when asked what he thinks of photography and where it is heading. In the face of so much competition and such a diverse world of contemporary photography, he offers the following suggestions to those who are just starting out: “The photographer, like the designer, has to know a little about everything and, of course, master the technique and art of photography to be able to exploit it conscientiously, not mechanically. In fact, for me, design has helped me a lot. I also strongly recommend daily practice. Without that, theory is useless. Learning and practice must be lifelong. The last tip is to show your best work. If no one sees what you do, you don’t exist.” And to conclude this pleasant interview, a thanks, demonstrating the personality of this creator: “I would like to thank CubaPLUS Magazine for the great pleasure and the opportunity to be in a magazine of such relevance and prestige. I would also like to thank my friends from a photographic club to which I have belonged for years and which has been a school for me, Safari Habana, masterfully directed by none other than a designer, Abel Cancino.

 Also to the luxury of having my family that have supported me through thick and thin to be able to do everything I do. To all of you, thank you!.”

Contact
Tel: +53 5379 8725
Correo: androliuben@gmail.com
Instagram: @fotografocubano