Reviews

Sensual Havana looks amazing. Beautifully and elegantly photographed."
MICHAEL CHINNICI, author/photographer of Vanishing Cuba

Yes, the models in this luscious book are stunning, but I was immediately drawn to the color-dripping photography. Christopher Baker melds sensual beauty in intriguing environments with grace and respect. It is photographic alchemy. Of course, Havana is magical."
NEVADA WIER, multi award-winning National Geographic photographer and photo instructor.

No one knows Havana like Christopher Baker. I know—I’ve been there with him!  He is a swashbuckling travel adventurer who, it turns out, also has a fine eye for photography and feminine beauty. 
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN television show host, SiriusXM radio program host, and syndicated columnist for The Philadephia Inquirer.

I’ve known and followed Chris Baker’s work for two decades. His appreciation and dedication for the visual and the mot juste are astounding, and Sensual Havana proves it!"
MICHAEL CONNORS, author of Cuban Elegance and Havana Modern: 20th-Century Architecture & Interiors

Chris’s skill as a photographer has resulted in a body of work—and what a body!—that could so easily have been tawdry titillation but instead captures the sensuality of Cuban women with good taste and sensitivity. His use of light provides a masterclass in composition and location photography. The result is a magnificent tribute to the women of Cuba.”
ROBERT HOLMES, five times ‘Travel Photographer of the Year’ and author & photographer of Passages: Fifty Years of Stories, Journeys & Images

Christopher Baker is a legend and has always looked squarely at Cuba—at what catches his interest, his heart, and his eye. In this seductive coffee-table book he has one eye on Havana past, described with tinges of longing, while also showing us sensual Havana right here and now—shabby, yet still sublime—through its alluring, self-possessed women."
NANCY STOUT, author of Havana: La Habana and One Day in December: Celia Sánchez and the Cuban Revolution

The sensuous beauty of Cuba overflows onto the page as Baker masterfully composes an array of stunning images that captivate the senses and compellingly reveal the unique magical mystique of the nation. Artfully composed, they represent a masterful reflection of the island’s sensuality. Sensual Havana is Baker’s best book yet!"
MARK DOWNEY, acclaimed photographer for National Geographic, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Time, Travel + Leisure, etc., and 2004 SATW ‘Travel Photographer of the Year.’

Sensual Havana is an elegant, respectful tour of the female body and Cuban capital--a city alive, despite palpable deterioration, with slender and attractive bodies. Baker's artistic perspective highlights black and mestizo women, an important and commendable nuance that reflects the national ethnos and confirms his close relationship with Cuban culture."
RAFAEL ACOSTA DE ARRIBA, professor at Havana's Instituto Superior de Arte and author of La seducción de la mirada: Fotografía del cuerpo en Cuba (1840-2013)

In this stunning collection, Baker presents Havana as both muse and stage, where fearless women move with unashamed self-confidence, seamlessly becoming part of the layered elegance of their surroundings. Each artful portrait tells a story: From a woman sitting in a windowsill, gazing over the distant dome of the National Capitol of Cuba, to a ballerina in a cherry-red tutu strutting through the graffiti-sprayed cobblestone streets, these images capture an intimacy between place and person—celebrating the joy of living sensually, freely, and with pride in a city that sings through both beauty and chaos."
WENDY PRAMIK, travel writer and photographer for the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Food & Wine, and USA Today, among others.

The importance of this kind of work is the trust and respect between models and photographer. In Sensual Havana there is never any intention of vulgarity. It is gracious and deferential."
ROBERTO SALAS, Cuba's pre-eminent photographer, author & photographer of Epigramas: Desnudos artísticas and Tabaco: El erotismo de un aroma

Sensual Havana captures all the allure of one of the world's most beautiful, romantic, and erotically-charged cities."
TONY PERROTET, author of ¡Cuba Libre! Che, Fidel, and the Improbable Revolution that Changed World History

Thrilling! In Sensual in Havana, Baker captivates with his imaginative juxtaposition of architecture, nature, light, and magnificent celebration of the female form. This coffee-table book is such a remarkable page turner, you may suffer papercuts as you eagerly whip through it. Sensual Havana is an amazing medium to showcase Baker’s phenomenal array of talents as a writer, photographer, set designer, and lover of Cuba!"
ELAINE LEE, editor of Go Girl... and Go Girl 2: The Black Woman’s Book of Travel and Adventure; award-winning travel journalist for Black Enterprise, Essence, New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, etc.

Wow! What an opus! Everything that defines Cuba is in Sensual Havana: The old town, art deco, street life, modern Havana, the old Chevys and Harleys, the lush Caribbean colors, style and decay… everything that makes up the legendary background of Fidel Castro's revolution, like a gigantic stage set for a great theatrical performance. And Cuban women are at the center of this performance, projecting sensuality with their fascinating, natural, and enviable self-confidence! So much beauty, so much grace, so much aesthetics! Baker's book is a great pleasure!"
SVEN CREUTZMANN, Havana-based photographer for Der Spiegel, Getty Images, the New York Times, and Reuters.

The female human form as a design feature set amidst crumbling urban beauty has rarely been as lovingly presented as it is in Sensual Havana. Prepare to swoon.”
T.J. ENGLISH, author of New York Times best seller Havana Nocturne

Scrolling through the pages of this beautifully crafted book, the real estate adage 'Location, location, location' immediately jumped out. Chris has scouted some of Havana’s most stunning spots, pairing them with brilliant talent and masterful use of light. The result? A collection so striking, the women of Cuba will proudly declare from the rooftops, '¡Soy Cubana!'”
JEREMY WOODHOUSE, award-winning travel photographer and photo tour leader; his photo books include Cuba Through My Lens.

Christopher has combined two of my favorite subjects: Cuba and nudes. Sensual Havana is a stunning tribute to the vibrant energy of Cuba and its beautiful women. With a masterful eye for both composition and emotion, Baker elevates the genre of fine-art nude photography into a celebration of sensuality, confidence, and cultural pride. The juxtaposition of Havana’s decaying grandeur with the radiant confidence of his subjects creates an enchanting narrative that captures the spirit of this extraordinary island and its women. This is more than a photo book—it’s a work of art that honors the strength and sensuality of women with profound respect and grace.”
LORNE RESNICK, 2005 'Travel Photographer of the Year' and author/photographer of the award-winning Cuba: This Moment, Exactly So.

The first time I saw Christopher Baker’s nudes, one of José Martí’s 'Simple Verses' came to me: "As if by wings set free, I’ve seen women’s shoulders rise: And beauty emerge from debris In a flight of butterflies." Poor Havana, so full of lust, so devoid of care, used up but never emptied out, surviving on the inexhaustible energy and infinite beauty of its incredible women. Baker has a gift for projecting the steely confidence of these women and the ecstasy of their own being, and the result is witchcraft. Beauty erupts from the city’s ruins with such heat the pages practically smolder and the colors boil over. There is art in every frame, made all the more stunning for the backdrop of decline and decay that is Cuba’s capital. Bravo!”
ANTHONY DePALMA, author of The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times and The Man Who Invented Fidel.

Not only is Christopher an authoritative writer on all things Cuba, he’s also an immensely talented photographer, with a true artist's eye. Sensual Havana was a dream project for him, and I'm thrilled to see it come to fruition as a masterpiece of atmospheric, sultry, and yes, wistful beauty. Not only a celebration of the female form and sensuality, but also a homage to a transcendent Cuba of the past. It feels almost like a Cuba of the artist’s subconscious. A unique book of great imagination, power and beauty, and a resplendent and sumptuous journey through an astonishing and spellbinding country.
MARLIN DARRAH, multi award-winning filmmaker of Cuba Today! and other travel documentaries, plus suspense-thriller travel-adventure feature films Monsoon Lover, An Egyptian Affair, and Amazon Queen.

This work is extraordinary! Lush with sensuality, and rich in color and faded glamour."
KATHLEEN MANGAN, editor & award-winning travel writer for Islands, Men's Journal, National Geographic Traveler, Robb Report, etc.

The author’s play of light and classic poses amidst timeless environments plants this collection of stunning nudes firmly among the premier league of photographic fine art."
MARCUS McADAM, Practical Photography ‘Photographer of the Year’ award, and one of the UK’s leading landscape and travel photographers, with two decades’ experience in Cuba.

Sensual Havana is simply delicious! As a photographer, my own two passions are Cuba and artistic nudes, so when I saw that Christopher Baker was publishing a book of nudes in Cuba, I was anxious to see the results. An award-winning writer and photographer, he has the eye, skill, and appreciation of beauty requisite for his grand photo book undertaking. In Sensual Havana, he captures all the elements of Cuban beauty perfectly and tastefully! His color work is unparalleled, bringing out all the sumptuous glory of the Cuban experience in a single publication.”
JACK KENNY, author/photographer of Cuba—Photography by Jack Kenny, and the first foreigner to have a one-man nude photo exhibition in Cuba, at Fototeca (February, 1997).

With Sensual Havana, Chris Baker succeeds in sharing the radical trajectory of Cuba’s quest for independence and self-determination. The sleazy exploitation of female bodies during the Batista dictatorship of the 1950s is here replaced with gorgeous compositions of proud and liberated women. One can almost feel the heat and humidity radiating from the pages.”
LINCOLN CUSHING, Cuban-born artist, archivist, and author of ¡Revolucion! Cuban Poster Art.

An erotic artwork in an exotic location. Chris Baker has produced a lavish book that lovingly and tastefully reveals the charms of Cuba’s delightful women and their fascinating island home.”
NIK WHEELER, former war photographer for UPI, Time, & Newsweek; 1988 'Travel Photographer of the Year'; National Geographic assignment photographer; & co-founder of Travelers Companion travel guides. In 1978 he photographed Fidel Castro with actress Shirley MacLaine in Havana.

Wowwww! Amazing! Sensual Havana is a sumptuous, artful, and heartfelt rendering of Havana and the female form.”
AUDREY BROWN, Cuba tour manager and tour leader for Classic Journeys and InsightCuba.

Chris Baker's Sensual Havana looks beautiful! Its exquisite and buoyant photos stand out starkly against the sad reality of Havana today, auguring a better future.”
ELIZABETH NEWHOUSE, Cuban-born former senior editor and Director of Travel Books for National Geographic; author of National Geographic’s coffee-table book Cuba; and since 2014, Director of the Center for International Policy’s Cuba project.

I’ve known Chris and admired his work for four decades. Returning from his first trip to Cuba, I recall him speaking with intense passion and admiration for both the island and its people. Sensual Havana is the latest iteration in his enduring love affair with a place that’s too often overlooked or misunderstood; and his way of paying artistic homage to, and making more revealing (literally and metaphorically), one of the world’s most alluring cultures.”
JOE YOGERST, award-winning travel writer/photographer, former Contributing Editor for Condé Nast Traveler and Island; editor of National Geographic’s "50 States, 5000 Ideas" book series; and co-author of Traveler’s Companion Cuba.

Christopher Baker’s latest book brings a new and distinctive vision to a unique island that often confounds visitors’ hopes, dreams, and illusions of what they’d like it to be. In Sensual Havana, he shares his own vision—an ajiaco [Cuban stew] of exquisite female beauty amid the city’s exotic time-worn architecture. We are fortunate to have his work."
WALTER LIPPMANN, journalist, political activist, and Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews news group.

Sensual Havana is more than just a book of nudes—it's a powerful tribute to the strength and spirit of Cuban women! Baker's gorgeous photos capture their pride and confidence, offering a fresh, unique view of both the women and the beauty of Havana."
CATHERINE KARNOW, National Geographic photographer and photo instructor; her work has also appeared in GEO, Smithsonian, etc.

In Sensual Havana, the colors give life to images that superimpose colonial-era Havana's  evocative sepia tones, like the irresistible waft of delicious coffee aromas; this is how it feels when you look at the female forms so exquisitely framed by the art of Baker’s lens."
ALIN PÉREZ, Director of Havana's Tropicana cabaret.

Christopher Baker's photography captures the unique beauty of two centuries of Havana's distinctive architecture and its female denizens."
PETER MORUZZI, architectural historian and author of Havana Before Castro: When Cuba was a Tropical Playground.