Sandor Rodríguez Castro was born in Caibarien, Cuba in 1982. In school, he had an aptitude for languages, particularly English. He went on to study at the University in Santa Clara and earned a degree in teaching; however, his travels took him to Havana. His language skills landed him a job as a guide for the Historian’s Office and the San Cristobal Agency. A proud yet realistic Cuban, Sandor’s love for history and relaxed yet informative explanations of his country made him a popular guide at San Cristobal.

At the same time, The Santa Fe Photo Workshops started bringing three groups a week for nine weeks a season as well as producing trips for National Geographic Expeditions utilizing the guides of San Cristobal, Sandor among them. Naturally observant and curious, he began attending image reviews and teaching sessions to understand his new clients better.

This was unique from the rest of the guides, and he attracted the attention of the group leaders and instructors with his questions and interest in photography. When he purchased a digital SLR camera and started shooting with the clients, he was encouraged to submit images for review. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Authur Meyerson as well as Cuban photographers Raul Cañibano, Jorge Gavilondo, Leysis Quesada, Arien Chang, and Claudia Corrales, combined with his willingness to explore new horizons, Sandor’s learning curve and development was meteoric. In a short time, he has become an accomplished photographer with an eye for sophisticated images and challenging subjects. Sandor has taught workshops here in Cuba for the Santa Fe Photo Workshops and the Norfolk Academy, has images in numerous private collections, and participated in shows in Fototeca de Cuba. 2017 he participated in the 1st Photography Hall of the Academy of Art and Photography Cabrales del Valle, earning two honorable mentions.

Sandor’s life partner is Claudia Corrales, who comes from a family of photographers and whose gallery features the work of her grandfather Raul Corrales. Being a part of the gallery and helping to curate it and host its visitors has helped to involve Sandor even more in the Cuban photographic culture. He and Claudia also use the gallery to promote the work of young and emerging photographers. Coming out of the pandemic, Sandor and Kip Brundage (the former director of Santa Fe’s program in Cuba) have combined their skills in organizing trips utilizing their abilities to recognize photo-rich environments to develop unique photographic journeys to capture Cuba “en pueblo.” Sandor and Claudia are essential partners in this new venture, EyeCuba; their gallery is the center of EyeCuba’s activities.