A great photograph can change the way you see the world. It can help you form opinions you never thought you had; it can change the way you feel, and it can change your mind in an instant. A great photograph can change the course of modern history. The right image at the right time is a very powerful thing. Photography is how we communicate today; it’s our modern language, and John Partipilo has a lot to say.

These images are nothing short of stunning. Colorful, atmospheric, full of lyricism and humor. That did not happen by luck or accident. They are the work of a master craftsman who has sharpened his skills over years of on-the-street photojournalism and a lifelong dedication to fine-art photography. They are the result of hours of waiting patiently for the right expression, the right look, the right collision of light and movement. Then and only then does the shutter click.

Partipilo sees things through a lens that most of us will never experience. He has that knack of blending, chameleon-like, into the scenery. An unnoticed spectator, he captures people at their most natural and unaffected. And by doing so he introduces us to a world we are often way too busy to truly see—the world of subtlety, nuance, and empathy. And much like an art masterpiece painstakingly drawn to perfection, there is so much to absorb in one of his photographs that you have to return several times to fully understand the depth of the work.

I’ve never been to Cuba. Wish that I had but I just never got there. I have now. Through these images I have probably gotten to know the place more intimately than if I had actually gone.

So come a little closer, strap on your seat belt, and take an unforgettable journey with one of the world’s top photographers through rural Cuba and the streets of Havana, a city thriving and throbbing with the rhythm of life. Rich in color and texture, white-hot and spicy, it is a city in transition, honoring its past and looking straight down the Malecón towards the future. This is Partipilo’s Cuba.