I first laid eyes on the work of Stéphane Missier when I stumbled upon a photo series he did here in New York City featuring residents of the Bronx enjoying a hot summer day. With his travel imagery he manages to capture the same rawness and joy in his subjects. Check out this series of images taken in Havana, Cuba.

Trapped under tropical socialism, Havana is a city of numerous contradictions and paradoxes. Havana juxtaposes cultural richness and necessity, colonial splendor and dilapidated beauty. It’s a vibrant place where joie de vivre collides with hopelessness, and where resourcefulness hide out the flagrant lack of infrastructures. I’ve spent 7 days in La Havana and this is the result: