WHAT A PAIR. This was my first photo session in Cuba and I was like a kid in a candy store. Ishak & Felix’s natural love and vibrancy set the tone for the whole trip. We snapped these at sunrise before their trip to Paris (which was the first time on a plane out of Cuba for Felix). Their infectious smiles and kind spirits shine through in these portraits.

I met Ishak and Felix the night before this session. We were at this darling rooftop restaurant and they happened to run into Amanda while at dinner. Amanda had the greatest idea to snap some portraits of them before their romantic getaway! We wandered Old Havana together and wound up on the rooftop of our little hostel. It was extremely easy to photograph These two because, although it was Ishak’s first time being professionally photographed, Felix is a well known Cuban model. You can follow his Instagram here and check him out in this New York Times Article about Cuban culture. I think Felix’s confidence and poise made Ishak feel like a natural on camera. 

Although Cuba is definitely a city of passionate love, what broke my heart about this session was that, while we were shooting, Ishak and Felix were heckled by a few passerbys for expressing their love. Although same-sex marriage is recognized and practiced in 26 countries, the world still has a long was to go in practicing tolerance and acceptance for all love. On-lookers be damned, these two are proud of who they are and I am super honored to be able to capture an authentic love like theirs. Below are my favorite images from our sweetheart session in Old Havana.