Raul Corrales shows a group of workshop students his famous Che portrait.
One
of the more enjoyable days in Cuba was the afternoon we went to visit Raul Corrales
at his home in Cohiba. Corrales was a news photographer at the time of the revolution
and was selected to be one of the photographers to document the historical changes
that were occurring. He is energetic, has a great sense of humor, and seems
content with his life. After he talked for awhile explaining how he got started
in photography, he then talked about his life as a principal photographer for
both Fidel and Che. He then took out a couple of large envelopes and showed
many of his most historical images. It is always exciting and informative to
learn what particular images a photographer considers to be their best. After
about 2 and a half hours of chatting and looking at his photos, we relaxed with
a glass of single malt scotch I had brought him. It goes without saying, that
all of us-students and faculty-were spell bound by this man.
