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InspirationPhotography

The dreamy pastel hues and crumbling facades of Cuba's "illusion"

There’s a gorgeously painterly feel to the work of photographer Helene Harvard.

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All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

Bursting with pastel, saccharine brights, her colourful travel photographs show a natural eye for tone and composition; as exemplified in this recent series shot in Havana.

She aimed to capture Cuba’s “urban decay side,” she says. “I strolled in the streets and fell in love with the unique atmosphere, the colours, and the shape. I chose to edit those pictures the way I perceive this amazing place.”

She adds: “It was fascinating for me to discover how people live under communism...I felt the population had probably a dreamed of a better world with communism, but it was an illusion.

“This is why I decided to change the colours, to show that the communism is an illusion to make this city to look like a fairytale, like a dream and in a surreal way. To show beauty where there is nothing left but ruins."

Based in Tahiti, Harvard has worked as a photographer for the past eight years, usually specialising in weddings. She studied photography at the EFET photography school in Paris, and over the years has picked up awards including earning a place in the 100 best wedding photographers of 2018 by ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers).

Much of this acclaim has been down to her pioneering use of drones, which she began shooting within 2016. Discover more of her work on Behance. Or follow her on Instagram.

Weathered storefront with turquoise and cream paintwork displaying signs for Carnicos, Mercado Aguila and Comedor, with boarded windows and metal security grilles on a crumbling Havana building
Vintage pink Chevrolet parked in front of a turquoise and aqua colonial building with arched doorways and peeling paint in Havana, Cuba
Young person skateboarding in a sun-drenched Havana street lined with pastel-coloured colonial buildings and local residents
A vintage motorcycle parked on a street in front of colourful Havana buildings with pastel pink, red and turquoise facades and weathered wooden doors
Weathered Havana street frontage with turquoise and pink facades, red wooden doors, metal grilles and white balustrade railings showing signs of decay
Colourful colonial building with pastel pink, turquoise and cream facade, featuring a curved corner section and ornate balustrade, set on a Havana street
A vintage white Volkswagen Beetle parked in front of a pastel-coloured colonial mansion with crumbling facades and overgrown vegetation in Havana, Cuba
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