I woke up this morning to hear Fidel Castro is gone. I only photographed him twice during my time in Cuba in the late 90’s , here donning an uncharacteristic suit and tie as he honored a visit by Pope John Paul. Fidel was mostly hated in Miami by Cuban exiles and mostly loved in Cuba. For sure a controversial world leader who successfully defied the U.S. during his entire regime. He never gave up on his socialist ideals. I will return to Cuba in February to get a feel for Cuba now. I haven’t been on the island for 10 years. When people ask me to choose where I love photographing the most, for sure Cuba rises to the top of the list. While Fidel for sure always kept his anti US rhetoric on the front burner, at the very same time was wide open to international foreign visitors including Americans. Like many Cubans Fidel loved Americans albeit not the government after a time . After all it was the US who helped him crank up his revolution in the first place, later turning on him when he nationalized banks and businesses and forced many Cubans to Miami. It’s complicated to say the least. In any case Fidel never backed down and was never was overthrown. A hero in most of Latin America and yet his death is celebrated in Miami by those who were forced off the island during his revolution. All I know is that I’ve never met anyone who didn’t cherish their visit to Cuba.