Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

Colourful Cuba: Photographer Salvador Cueva captures candy hued architecture

I've professed my love for Cuba many a time, but in my defence there really is so much to love. From the vintage cars to the friendly people and the variety of architectural styles all mixed up together, it's a design lovers paradise.

Written By:
Colourful mid-rise residential and commercial buildings in shades of pink, white and green beneath a clear turquoise sky, with a white Rex storefront at street level in Havana, Cuba

This sentiment is obviously shared by Mexico-based photographer Salvador Cueva. In his recent series C for Cuba, C for Colour, he has documented the amazing array of buildings, which boast sugary sweet hues.

He explains: "When I went to Cuba I did not expect to find something specific, I just wanted to go to the city to take pictures. Whilst there, what caught my attention the most were the colours, even more than the old cars, the explosion of colour was in every street and in the clothes of the Cubans.

"We have already seen so many photos of Cuba, so I did not want to portray the same thing, that is why I wanted to focus on something different, the architecture alone attracts attention but the colours were what caught me.

"The camera I used was a Canon 6D with a Canon lens 24-105mm. Most of the editing I do in Lightroom and in Photoshop, and I only correct minor details."

Discover more at salvadorcueva.com.

All images courtesy of Salvador Cueva

Colourful colonial and modern buildings in Havana, featuring a pink and blue façade with decorative details next to a purple and turquoise striped high-rise tower
Green and cream neoclassical building with arched windows and ornate wrought-iron balconies in Havana, Cuba
Weathered colonial building with white columns and arched doorways, turquoise lower section and peeling paint, with blue bins and a person walking along the street
Bright turquoise apartment building facade with curved balconies and rows of white-framed windows from photographer Salvador Cueva's Cuba series
Peach-coloured colonial building facade with three storeys of symmetrical windows and weathered stonework in Havana, Cuba
Colourful residential buildings with turquoise balconies and white facades cluster together under a clear blue sky in Havana, Cuba
Weathered colonial building facade with mint green lower storey and cream upper storey, featuring symmetrical arched doorways and tall wooden-framed windows with ornate ironwork railings
Colourful residential tower blocks with coral pink balconies contrasting against cream-coloured facades under a bright turquoise sky with white clouds
Pink neoclassical building facade with four arched windows, decorative moulding and a filigree iron balcony, photographed by Salvador Cueva in Cuba
Cream-coloured neoclassical building with arched windows and ornate balustrades against a bright blue sky in Cuba
Pink colonial building facade with rows of wooden shuttered windows, ornate balconies and white decorative columns against a turquoise sky
A white vintage car parked in front of a cream-coloured neoclassical building with arched windows and columns in Havana, Cuba
Cream-coloured colonial building facade in Havana with turquoise shutters, arched ground-floor openings and ornamental balconies across multiple storeys
Pink neoclassical building with ornate balconies and white trim against a bright blue sky with white clouds, from Salvador Cueva's Cuba photography series
Symmetrical mint-green and turquoise apartment building with balconies and a narrow central tower in Cuba, photographed by Salvador Cueva
Pink colonial building facade with five vertical sections, each featuring white shuttered windows, ornate balconies with red railings, and open doorways, with laundry hanging from one balcony
Art Deco building in Havana with pink and cream facade, arched windows and teal green awnings, featuring a Havana Club sign
Share