Karel Rod was born and raised in Camaguey, Cuba. He had intensive training at The National School of Art in La Havana where he studied all styles of dance. This led him to work solidly as a professional dancer all over the world. It was during this time that photography became of great interest. Using his ability and experience of the aesthetic of dance, he started exploring how movement could be portrayed visually through the lens.
Experimenting with his images, Karel found there was a natural progression from dance to photography. Combining the two arts, Karel realized he could illustrate the strength, grace and beauty of the human form from a different perspective, and create something surprising and unconventional.
As Karel ventures in to an alternative style of photography, dance is always in the forefront of his mind. His knowledge of space and movement is often reflected in his photographic work.
Karel currently lives and works in Paris.