Lian Marrero has an unusual job. When a customer arrives at his studio, he takes their photograph in whatever they happen to be wearing. Then, he fires up photo-editing software, so his subject can leave looking smarter in print than in person.
According to AP, many people in Cuba want to look presentable in their passport photographs. But wearing a suit in the Cuban heat isn’t much fun, and for many people buying a three-piece in the first place would be an expensive decadence.
To overcome the problem, Marreroo initially offered his clients a real suit to wear for the photoshoot, but apparently they didn’t dig wearing used clothing. So instead, he started photoshopping smart clothes onto the photographs of people wearing their regular scruffy T-shirts.
He now apparently finds himself part of a circle of photographers who trade images of smart clothes amongst themselves. And as a result, passport photographs across Cuba all look super-sharp.
