Point of view: I couldn't resist

March 8, 2004

As I travel the world on news or features assignments, I am constantly looking for faces to keep. Much of my time is spent photographing the people being interviewed for a story. But I'm always seeing images I can't pass up, images I have to collect in my camera to share.

In 1991, this little girl in a pink dress walked into my life. It was a sunny day in Remedios, a sleepy little town in Cuba. A writer and I were doing interviews for a story on Cuba's economy. Since it was a Sunday, she was dressed in her fanciest clothes. I couldn't resist capturing the timeless and universal image of a beloved child, big red bows in her hair. Despite her youth, she projected confidence by her stance and gesture as she paused to allow a stranger to record her beauty.

I rediscovered her recently as I selected photos for a group exhibition on Cuba. You've never seen her before; she hasn't been in the paper. Sometimes our favorite photos don't make it into print for some reason or other. But here she is now, as beautiful as ever. I'm glad she reappeared in my life so I could share her with you.