AURORA - Members of Gishen Mariam Church, one of Colorado's largest Ethiopian Orthodox congregations, light a bonfire for the annual Meskel celebration. Meskel is known as the finding of the true cross.
DENVER - Twelve hours after Lindsey Frank's first contractions, the pain becomes unbearable. She is at home surrounded by two midwives and a doula who support her through the pain. Frank will not have any access to painkillers while attempting a homebirth. A birthing tub is used to help soothe the pain. This image is part of a story on natural birthing choices for women who have experienced unwanted cesarean operations.
HAVANA - Two boys hang out at the barbershop after a fresh cut. In Havana, where resources are limited, style is less about clothing and expressed more through hair, making the barbershop is an integral part of life in Cuba.
DENVER - JR Keupper served in the Marines and US Special Forces from 1998 to 2011 is now studying to become certified as a welder at Emily Griffith Technical College in Denver. Behind him from left to right are veterans Nicholas Housley who served in the Navy from 2003 to 2006, Anthony Verheaghe who served in the Navy from 2003 to 2008 and Conor Robertson who served in the Army from 2012 to 2015. This image is part of an ongoing series about veterans in Denver and their next steps after military service.
HAVANA - A little girl sits patiently on the streets of Havana while her mother makes a call from a pay-phone. Havana is a city where children are free to gather and play in the streets throughout the day and evening.
DENVER - At Boettcher Concert Hall, Destiny Acuna (left) and Ariana Lomeli celebrate their graduation from Emily Griffith High School which serves “second-chance” students who have either dropped out or been expelled from other schools but elect to return and earn their diploma.
HAVANA - Boys dive off of El Malecón on Havana's coast to escape the summer heat.
DENVER - A student in the auto collision certification program at Emily Griffith Technical College in Denver learns how to paint different parts of a car in a painting chamber.
HAVANA - Children dive off of El Malecón on Havana's coast to escape the heat of the summer. In downtown Havana there are few parks, making the streets the preferred playgrounds for kids.
DENVER - Justin Garcia, a student at Emily Griffith Technical College training to be a barber, checks out the haircut he received from a classmate. Students in the barbering program practice by giving haircuts to each other. In this photo a mirror is reflected by another mirror and the student is lit by a set of strobes.
LA PALMA, CUBA - Spectators aggressively yell during a cockfight. At the peak of a match, the volume of yelling becomes so intense it’s deafening.
LA PALMA, CUBA - At a small cockfighting arena in a rural area 20 minutes outside of La Palma, roosters are weighed in before being handed through a barred window where the birds are held in individual lockers until they are pulled to fight.
LA PALMA, CUBA - Cockfight owners check the scale as their birds are officially weighed in. Occasionally, arguments ensue between the rooster owners and the fight officials over the recorded weight of the bird. One-tenth of a kilogram can mean the difference of being assigned to a higher weight class and fighting a larger bird.
LA PALMA, CUBA - A man waits for the cockfights to begin.
LA PALMA, CUBA - An artificial spur is wrapped tightly to the rooster’s leg where the animal’s natural spur had been clipped. Although most roosters do not die during cockfights, this spur has the ability to deal a lethal blow when landed in the neck of its opponent.
LA PALMA, CUBA - A cockfight owner and two handlers step into the ring in preparation for a fight.
LA PALMA, CUBA - A man prepares to make a bet during a cockfight in a rural area outside of La Palma, Cuba.
LA PALMA, CUBA - Two roosters attack each other in an arena in a rural area of Cuba. Although cockfights are a well-known Sunday activity, they do not attract the average Cuban. Cockfights are violent and tend to draw mainly hard core fan who enjoy the intensity of the sport and the gambling.
LA PALMA, CUBA - Between cockfights, a bookie steps into the ring to collect bets. Gambling and cockfighting go hand in hand.
LA PALMA, CUBA - A man celebrates after his rooster wins the fight.
LA PALMA, CUBA - A rooster stands over his defeated opponent.
