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local Tuesday 13 sepTember 2022
Interview with photographer Hubert de Cuba
“Taking pictures makes me very happy”

“I dropped from the pan so I chose scenery. I did cialize in animal photogra-
into the fire.” Everyone a course online for scen- phy is his experience taking
who is active in paintball ery photography, by Tim pictures of sport activities.
for more than 15 years and Shields from Canada. I was “The technique is similar.
invests in the latest paint- getting homework to do, In sport, it’s not just about
ball guns knows how much and based on these works, going on the field and pho-
investment it requires. But I received a certificate.” tographing a batter from
these days, Hubert de every angle. You can’t
Cuba (54) decided to shoot This is how Hubert devel- get on the field; you need
with a different object, and oped his interest for Aru- a long lens with which to
his weapon is a camera. ba’s scenery, including the reach the players from a
sea. And from one comes distance. In wildlife it’s the
“I am not a professional the other, because part of same. You can’t just come
photographer. I consider the scenery is our animals, up to a bird, it will fly away.
myself an advanced ama- great and small, on land, What’s beautiful about
teur”, he told our reporter. water and in the air. “And I such a picture is that you
Hubert de Cuba began in fell in love with macro pho- need to filter the frame, for
the world of photography tography, where you take the picture to be neat. For
back in 2010, after com- pictures of very small ani- such an image, you need
pleting a basic course with mals and insects, that don’t a camera that shoots very this style of photography. cy work is very dedicated
Ron van Kessel. His goal catch your eye right away. fast and big lenses.” He can get a group of 400 to sports photography. “He
was to take pictures of You can let people appre- together, make them smile always told me, sports pho-
sports activities. But during ciate their details.” There is a reason why Hu- and get a gorgeous pic- tography is like fishing. You
the pandemic, particularly bert became one of the ture. I respect him.” either catch a fish or you
during lockdown, every ac- Different photography, dif- most outstanding photog- Stiven lives in the Nether- don’t. This always stayed in
tivity was stopped. “I want- ferent techniques raphers for his images of lands but travels all around my mind.” This means that
ed to do something else, What allowed Hubert spe- the animal world. He’s not the world photographing Hubert became very criti-
professional, but the effort events. cal of his own pictures, and
he puts into his skill, tech- only wants the perfect pic-
nique and the investment Aside from expensive ture. This means deleting if
in cameras is professional equipment, a scenery necessary, between 150 to
level. “I follow a lot of in- and wildlife photographer 170 pictures until he finds
ternational photographers needs patience. And there ‘the one’.
who specialize in sports. are times when a GoPro it-
And at the end, they all self is enough. A turtle right Thanks to his eye, patience
say the same. They say that under the surface of the and auto criticism, Hubert
whoever wants to go in sea, before reaching out was among 100 photog-
sports needs a suitcase full for a breath; a fish scared in raphers from around the
of money.” the air before being eaten world chosen to partici-
by a pelican; and a seagull pate with three pictures in
This is why he decided to cleaning its guts in the air the virtual wildlife photog-
launch his website now, are some of the impressive raphy exhibit organized by
printsofaruba.com, with all images that Hubert took Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin
his pictures, and those in- with his GoPro, which gar- Limited Edition.
terested can buy and have nered international atten-
these printed. His pictures tion. “It’s about being on This is the direction in which
now have already gone the right spot at the right Hubert wants to go, to con-
around the world, particu- time.” However, Hubert is tinue participating in inter-
larly because of the pos- convinced that his own national competition to
sibility of printing, even on camera and lens would stimulate his own develop-
aluminum, makes the im- produce even better pic- ment as a photographer
ages stand out and even tures, and he is ready to in- and also to bring Aruba’s
inspire others in their own vest once again in special nature on an international
art. equipment to take pictures platform. His pictures and
under the sea. paintings hang around the
The person who got Hu- world, and the possibilities
bert into photography was The passion to take pic- are limitless.
his daughter, Kimberly de tures of sports activities is
Cuba. “Kimberly started still alive. Last weekend, And even though De Cuba
photographing parties, but Hubert was in Colombia to was able to leave his paint-
after a disappointment, take pictures. Regrettably ball guns aside, everyone
she stopped. Myself, I nev- in Aruba the challenge to in photography knows that
er felt like taking pictures at take a good image is the the investment in lens, other
private events, being wed- bright lights at sports facili- tools, and time that’s need-
dings or baptisms. There ties, which lower the quality ed costs a lot of money.
might be money in it, but it of the final product. “There Even more than paintball.
doesn’t attract me. I don’t is a lot of noise in the pic- But the results bright a lot
feel comfortable to ask tures.” of joy to many, particularly
people to take their pic- the photographer. “I am
tures. My son Stiven, on the His mentor is Anthony Carlo, super happy.”
other hand, is very good in who aside from his advoca-