Omar Havana – Granada, Spain. 1975.
Professional Photographer based in Brussels, Belgium.
I discovered early on that a camera was my way of understanding the world. Since 2005, photography has been my profession and my passion, taking me across continents and into the lives of people who have changed me forever.
For nearly two decades, I have lived and worked across Asia and Europe—the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, France, and now Belgium—each place shaping my vision as much as the people I’ve met along the way. As a freelance photojournalist, I have documented life in Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Egypt, the Netherlands, Greece, Romania, and beyond. Every assignment, whether in bustling cities or remote villages, has taught me something new about resilience, humanity, and the power of an image.
Since 2013, I have been a regular contributor to Getty Images, later joining Associated Press (2023) and Reuters (2025), allowing my photographs to travel the world faster than I ever could. They have appeared in many of the international publications I grew up admiring—National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC, TIME Magazine, The Guardian, Le Figaro, El País, The Washington Post, Le Monde, Al Jazeera, The Wall Street Journal, Stern, Corriere della Sera, Financial Times, Paris Match and countless others.
Humanitarian work has always been at the heart of my career. Over the years, I have collaborated with organizations such as UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross, ActionAid, International Medical Corps, Four Paws, the International Labour Organization, Greenpeace, WaterAid Nepal, and many more. My images have supported the missions of Médecins Sans Frontières, UNHCR, IOM, Handicap International, and Amnesty International, helping to raise awareness for the people and issues that matter most.
In 2016, I published Endurance with FotoEvidence—a tribute to the strength and resilience of the Nepali people after the earthquake. It remains one of the projects that has defined both my career and my life.
My career has also led me into the worlds of business, politics, and culture. I’ve photographed global events, covered some of the most important summits in Europe in recent years, and created portraits of leaders such as Emmanuel Faber, Benoît Cœuré, Markus Beyrer, Yann Couellan, and Roberta Metsola. My work appeared in Nike’s official campaign celebrating Team USA’s victory at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup—a moment I’ll never forget.
Today, based in Brussels, I spend much of my time covering political events—especially NATO and EU meetings—for Getty Images, Associated Press, and Reuters, while working with clients across the European capital, such as Bloomberg, Amfori International, European Digital Rights (EDRi), and Teneo, among many others. This city has become both a home and a crossroads, a place where my work continues to evolve while allowing me to devote time to what matters more than anything: my two kids.
I speak English, Spanish, French, and Italian, and can get by in Portuguese and Khmer.
Photography has taken me far, but it has never been just about the travel. It is, and always will be, about people—their struggles, their triumphs, and the moments in between that define us all. From political events to humanitarian missions, I focus on creating images that tell stories, spark awareness, and connect people globally, capturing both the extraordinary and the intimate moments that reveal our shared humanity.
