Our group spent our first and final days in Cuba in Havana. In a state of decay, one can only imagine how incredible this city (2.5 million pop.) looked back in the 30s – 50s. The classic architecture is reminiscent of ornate Italian and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were referred to as the “Rome of the Caribbean.” There are thousands of old GM cars from the Mafia days before Castro…but, there are no emission controls, so the air is not what we are now accustomed to here in the states. Since there are no car parts stores, Cubans make their own parts, refill lighters, recycle and resell old plumbing parts on the streets.
I’ve come to know of the resourcefulness of the Cuban people, but became aware of “The Special Period” on this trip. I mean, did anyone in this country give any thought to what was happening in Russian satellite, Cuba, when the Soviet Union collapsed? I know I didn’t. After explaining to one of our younger photographers why there was a Russian Orthadox Church in Havana, our guide also told us of what is referred to as “The Special Period.” Basically, one day things were great, the next day….nothing: fuel, food, clothing, toothpaste, water, transportation, soap, etc., etc., etc. Everything came to an end for 7 years! To this day, Cubans clear their plates, have become the most resourceful and soulful people on the planet, also, the music is incredible. As mentioned earlier, Cubans make their own car parts, but did I mention that first they had to design a machine to make the part!!? It’s true.
I walked around most of the time with my 50mm. Hand holding a single fixed focal length made me feel like more of a photo journalist. It was quite liberating to leave the heavy camera bag at home!
I’ll be posting images from last year’s and this year’s trip throughout the year, but here’s a gallery of images from Havana, and the small, incredibly photogenic seaside cities of Cienfuegos, and Ernest Hemingway’s hangout, Cojimar. Already, I’m looking forward to returning for another tour next Jan, which will be here in no time!
Click on the first image, then use the arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate to the next or previous image, or press on the arrows at the right and left side of the frame.
Thanks for taking time to read the blog!
Feel free to leave a comment and we’ll see you online.
Tony
Thx a lot, Bren. I’ll get over to youtube today. I’m envious of you going back in April. You should have a good memory from this trip to get deeper the second time around! It was great seeing you and let’s try to make the next visit within 5 years! You probably know this, but we are running out of 5 year plans!!
Great collection, Tony! I did a quick post of my images in a slide show/youtube, but I am not done with them – I have plans to ‘treat’ them as you have done to give them a special feel…the place just cries out for that! This work you did is just wonderful…
Thx a lot, Dave!!
Great images Tony! The shot of the church, viewed through the spiral of the wrought iron fence, stopped me in my tracks. I hope I can get there one day.
Thx Josh. You should go, man!
Striking images!
hmmmm…not a bad idea, Stephen! Thx!
No Snap Art, but used the new jixipix ArtistaOil macApp. A little different, but has the same basic feel as Alienskin. Thx, Dan!
Thx much, Ray. I really appreciate your heartfelt comments. It really is an amazing place….becoming more amazing on each subsequent visit.
Not bad, Bob! Great to hear from you!! Cuba is incredible and we are planning on conducting annual photo tours as long as we’re ambulatory!
Absolutely shot a ton of textures, Steve! Hope to see you in the coming year!
Thx much, Betty! Really looking fwd to getting back there next Jan!
Thx much, Jo!
What can I say… but WOW! What a terrific lead-in story and then a feast for the eyes! Love the rich colors, the textures… and of course, the compositions. This collection, along with the story behind your photo journey, have the makings for a terrific book.
I keep repeating myself, but the work is beautiful. I especially like the #1585 as it reminds me of the street scene paintings of G. Harvey. Does it have a “Snap Art” layer applied?
Tony Sweet, this one really touched my heart. The intro leading up to the picture gallery, just incredible. After that it only gets better… one captivating image after the next. One can almost feel the daily struggle…. and see beauty at the same time.
Thanks for this journey, I’ll be waiting for more.
Great images, Tony. Looks as though you had a great trip.
Tony, I hope you took some close-ups of the buildings to use as textures and overlays! Man, they are fantastic. I did that in Rome, and got plenty of strange looks, and they are really quite rewarding. I also really like the image of the bike with the yellow bag. I did a similar image in Florence.
Who knows, perhaps I’ll join you guys next year!
such a great, great set…and I love the blog post and the way you set the stage by describing the conditions in Cuba. They are extremely resourceful as you mentioned in your post – they have had to be – ever since the collapse of the soviet union as you pointed out. While the photography opportunities were fabulous (and endless), I think it was the people that impressed me the most…their spirit and warmth was amazing.
Stunning gallery TS! Particularly love the old cars…my first was a powder blue ’52 Ford…aha, memories. The background history was intriguing.
Thx bossman. You’re the last one!! Let’s see what you got!!…..so, I can begin selling everything!
Thx much, Steve!
A fabulous gallery Tony.
Wow. Great stuff Tony!