Photographing Cuba

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I recently was given a great opportunity to vist Cuba with a group of photographers picked by David "Strobist" Hobby. He's known as the master of off-camera flash photography on the web, and he's extremely well versed at budget/DIY solutions for photography enthusiasts. Sans all that, he's a hell of a photographer and a really nice guy. Other people attending were heads from Google, Square, TED, various academic circles and little old me. I was by no means at the caliber of the guys who attended, so what I went into the trip realizing was that it was a great opportunity for me to learn, grow, and develop as a photographer. Especially as a scene/cultural street photographer. In recent years I've become much more of a control portrait/concept photographer so this was a "step out of my box" moment for me.

I loved the trip, and if there was one lesson that summed the whole thing up for me, it was patience. I often treat street photography like hunting. There are two types of hunter in my mind, those who go out and hunt and those who lay traps and wait. One is the aggressor and the other is the strategist. This became an important distinction in my awareness of how I shot. Going into places around Cuba not with the mentality of "I'm going to get this" but rather I would wander into curious spaces and see what came to me. This turned out not to be too challenging in Havana because I'm covered in tattoos from chest/neck down my arms to my wrists and I'm over 6' tall. I sort of stood out, and people weren't shy about approaching me. I'll took that as a personal compliment that I was projecting trust and friendship.

As the trip went on, and I started becoming the more strategic type of image hunter I realized that it was a different analogy all together. I was no longer hunting, I was fishing. I would pick a spot for a short period of time, throw out a line, and see if anything bit. If it didn't, you reel in your ideas look around, and cast out again. If that doesn't work, move to a new spot if you want. My whole world changed as a photographer, this was so not me.

Towards the end of the trip we were asked by the people who sponsored our attendance and provided our visas if we could pick six images each to share that we thought represented our time in Cuba so far. By this time I had thousands of images, how would I cull it down to just six? In the ends I picked a portrait orientation for my format, it's my personal preference anyway, and I tried to offer a series of images that reflected the people, things you might not expect, and street scenes of Havana. If there was anything I'm learning by looking through all the images, anything you assume Havana/Cuba to be is wrong.

Cuba is a beautiful place. Havana is a wonderful city but I was really taken away when we got out into the countryside with more rural areas. The people were so kind, polite, and gentle with us all. Minus a few street hustlers trying to earn some extra cash, I found the culture to be something extremely beautiful and refreshing. I haven't talked to so many strangers openly and happily in probably most of my life. If you get a chance to go to Cuba, legally of course, I highly recommend it.

Enjoy.

As we wandered the streets of old Havana we came across a door way that entered into an open courtyard. On all walls of the courtyard were tiny apartments that clearly housed many families per apartment. It was humble and very reclusive from the main street. As I walked into the courtyard one family smiled, they lived nearest to the entrance so I supposed they are accustomed to being the first to meet visitors/intruders. This old man, "Dario" was a great character to have met so casually. His smile infectious, he radiated kindness and a welcoming demeanor. If I understood him and his daughter correctly, he's approaching ninety years old. His daughter was sitting on the steps beneath him. A theme in Cuba for sure was sitting on the steps and watching the world go by. They had a degree of patience for time and the world passing by that I found envious by the end of the trip.

I gestured to Dario with my camera and a smile as if to say, "may I take your picture?", he smiled and nodded. His daughter asked if I wanted to go in their home but I said no. It was something I didn't feel comfortable doing for most of the trip in Cuba, I'm not sure why. A camera is often invasive enough, I felt like shooting in the homes of these people was too far for my level of intrusion. I snapped this shot of him, and a few others, and afterward we shook hands preparing to part ways. Dario complimented my tattoos and I asked if it was okay to give him a gift.

On the trip the advisors had said that it was a good idea to give gifts instead of money, and that the people would appreciate just about anything. So I brought bags of crayons for children, toothpaste and mouthwash for families, shampoos and conditioners for young people and some miscellaneous other specialty items to give away.

When I asked if I could give Dario a gift, I hadn't thought to check what I had left in my bag for this day's walkabout. All I had left was some toothpaste. I pulled it out and offered it to him, he laughed and I felt like an idiot. Apparently I was about twenty years too late because he was missing all his teeth. He laughed outloud shaking his head, but he said his children and grandchildren would get good use out of it. We shook hands, and I walked on.

I don't think I'll ever forget his smile. When you go so long without experiencing this sort of welcoming character, this kindness, you almost forget how it feels to be introduced to this. Sure we have friends that treat us this way, family, long-lost acquaintances, etc. But this was a stranger I'd never met, in a place that was clearly of poor conditions, and yet he was delightful in every respect. For certain in my heart, I'll never forget the experience, which is true for much of my experiences in Cuba.

All over Havana there are dogs. I mean there wasn't a single street I walked down that didn't have a dog in it. They roam free mostly and yet I never saw two dogs fight. An experience I did have however was a few dogs, the one in this shot included, that would only bark at me if I lifted my camera and pointed it at them. So as I walked down the street, scanning and being observant, I saw this dog sitting in a beautiful looking window with spanish exterior accents. The dog looked at me, all was fine, but when I lifted my camera in it's general direction. "bark, bark, bark". I'm paraphrasing of course.

So I waited, put my camera down, showing I'm no threat. Eventually the dog heard a loud sound down the street and looked away, and I quickly snapped a shot then moved on. This was it, one shot, but I didn't get bit and patience prevailed again.

One of our excursions in an effort to connect us with unique and special people in Cuba was to the National Ballet School. It was being run by the daughter of the world famous ballerina Alicia Alonso. Her daughter is Laura Alonso.

One thing that quickly became apparent is something I had always taken for granted. As a photographer when you book a shoot, you're told what it's going to be. "We're going to shoot young ballet students in their school, dancing". Your mind starts pre-visualizing as a means to prepare you for what conditions you'll be working in. And so, I imagined a theater with a stage, lights, curtains, and classrooms all around this bigger hall with mirrors and more. Like everything in Cuba, my assumptions were wrong. It's true there was a stage of sorts for all to see, but this was a makeshift pavilion that exposed the dancers to the heat outside and the bare sun in parts. The music played through a makeshift PA / home stereo system. It was humbling to see such passion, determination, and quality could arise from conditions that most parents in America would shudder to send their hopeful future ballet dancing children to. And yet here in this space, the dancers from young to old were spectacularly talented, and clearly very passionate. Cuba, in one motif, can be described as "doing the best, with much less".

Our guide, and local photographer, Ramses instructed us that he could organize any sort of shot we want to take with any of the dancers. But, we needed to be prepared to offer some compensation through him and that if in any way we upset the Director of the school to smile and take her abuse. I was pleasantly surprised by her character. She was powerful, confident, demanded respect, and got results. I waited at times to be screamed at, maybe even see a chair thrown, but she was a wonderful host. A queen of hospitality and very funny with a quirky humor.

I asked Ramses if he could get a dancer for this long outdoor hallway. The light was lovely, and they had allowed her to dress out in one of the performance outfits. Most of the others were wearing sweatpants. I loved the colors, her pose, the light, and the perspective. She gave me many laughs and seemed to be entertained by my want to take pictures of her posing. It was a great experience.

This beautiful lady was sitting on the steps in Plaza de la Catedral. A large open courtyard with a cathedral at one end. She sat on the steps, small and quiet. Using the pillar as both a means to hold her upright and protect her from the sun. Like many people who are "asking" for change from tourists in Havana, she was silent. She did nothing more than peacefully wait hoping for a bit of kindness to cross her palms with some coins she could put in her cup.

An iconic looking face was hers, and it caught my eye immediately as I was always scanning the horizon in Havana for things to take pictures of. I heard her addressed by two totally different names, one was "Loura" and the other was "Maria", I'm not sure which was accurate, but by this time we had looked at each other in the eyes a few times and I felt compelled to meet her. As I walked over I had no guide/translator with me so I smiled. She casually raised her eyebrows and minimally nodded her head. This didn't feel like the time to give one of my normal gifts (toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc...). So I reached in my pocket, found a couple of CUCs, and I put them in her cup. I gestured to her and asked if I could take her picture. "Por favor, fotografia?" She lifted one hand, and pulled back the hair that had fallen out of place and was covering her face. She took a deep breath, I think in an effort to improve her posture. Like our guide/facilitator had told us "on this trip, be ready. set your focus, set your exposure, do it all in advance...". And so I already had, so when I saw her take the breath, I quickly snapped off a few shots. When I saw her slowly squelch back down into her earlier position, I knew we were done. I told her thank you many times and I kept smiling at her repeatedly. She called me an angel, and then blessed my children. I felt an overwhelming emotion and I shed a few tears. Perhaps I missed my children more than I realized, but I think she gave me more charity than I had given her.

The resourcefulness of the Cuban people is astounding. There are ultimately two types of people in Cuba. Those that are letting life happen to them, and those who are making the most of anything/everything around them. This man wanted to be a hairdresser/stylist. So he has taken an alleyway behind/between two buildings and setup a few makeshift shop lights, a stereo system, a shelf for barber supplies, and a single chair for customers. I asked him if I could take pictures while he worked and he agreed. I started with a handshake and shot close, slowly working myself away from the scene. I learned later from David Hobby's advice that this could be perceived as introducing and then escaping. But if I start far and work my way in, it shows that I trust them and can ease my way into their space more intimately. This was great advice, and something I'd never realized I did until I was observed by someone of his experience.

Apparently many people get their hair cut by this young man, I saw styles like this one on young men all over the area, I think he is kept very busy. I realized in my bag of gifts that I had some Paul Mitchell shampoo and conditioner. I left a few with him, he was very appreciative and thanked me a few times. I walked away thinking, "he's really running a business out of an alleyway". His determination and persistence to succeed and work at something he loves, was certainly a positive inspiration for those of us who aren't challenged in such ways.

Something I clearly need to work on is shooting wider scenes. I don't mean wider as in a person with a little background, but whole scenes that have layers and depth to their story. Although there aren't many layers in this image, it was very story-centric and contextually accurate to what I saw daily in Havana. Young people hanging on corners all over the city just watching the world going by waiting for something to do, or react to. Move to the subtext of that and the buildings look european with vibrant colors and decaying textures that offer a polar-contrasting feel for what would normally not be juxtaposed together in a scene. In America I hunt for such scenes, and in Havana it is the complete opposite experience.

I camped and waited for this corner though. I set my camera values with everything locked in manual. I watched the scene for a few minutes, and shortly thereafter, I looked back up to see the pedicab and the young male just stopped at the corner. Their poses seemed posed, but this was them, who they were in that moment. It was the scene I had been looking for to start my growth in how I saw things on this trip.

I'll be posting more of the other images on various sites like Flickr, my blog, etc. If you're interested in seeing more I suggest following me on twitter: @lifebypixels and you can receive updates of when these images and others will be posted.