Wow, wow, WOW! Cuba was terrific, and while it lacks easy internet access or cell phone service to the USA, and many other infrastructure items that we are so used to, such as water in the shower, or hot water…it’s a wonderul place full of character and lots and lots of things to photograph. My only complaint? Not enough time to do it all even in a 10 day trip!! So I’ll be heading back in April to lead my second tour there with Jeremy Woodhouse – a tour which is presently full – and then again in January 2014 partnered with Strabo Tours. (Go to my Cuba tour page for more info although everything is still being finalized on that trip).

It will be very interesting to see how my vision changes with each trip – which I’m certain it will. A first visit to anywhere usually has one photographing everything that you see that catches your interest – the second trip you get a bit more selective, usually,  and by the third trip you actually remember you already photographed ‘that blue car or that person’ and can hone in on the scene more deeply. I am making a ‘shot list’ of things that I think would be meaningful to photograph and that will help me look for those while I’m wandering and taking it all in…

Aside from the old cars, which are very fun to photograph, the people and the stay of decaying façades and rows of colorful houses in villages, and the daily life activities are great to photograph. Life is so often lived on the streets and with wide open windows and doors and you walk down the street peering into people’s living rooms whether you intended to or not! But the cool thing is that you are invited in, frequently. The people of Cuba offer a warm generous welcome to visitors.

This image is of a living room in Cuba. “Making do” is their motto. Notice the electrical outlet that the old TV is plugged into – a fire hazard/nightmare to many of us! Behind the curtain is a bedroom, that contained simply three beds, and another door behind me contained another two beds. There were 7 or 8 people living in this tiny house. I returned home with a fresh perspective on the place I call home!