Earlier this year, I traveled to Cuba to create a travel guide for the Spring Issue of Resource Magazine. Of course, I had fantasized about the thrill of riding in old cars, walking the color-filled streets, and tasting the flavorful rum and cigar combinations. But after spending 31 days traversing across the country in a 1995 Volkswagon Jetta, what I left cherishing the most was the people I met and the experiences that you don’t see on magazine covers or news websites.
Once you get out of the tourist triangle (Havana, Trinidad, Vinales Valley), you will discover an entirely different version of the country; one without tourist shops, currency exchanges, and locals who speak English. This was the Cuba I fell for.
Cubans cherish their cars like they would their first born. Anytime of day or night, you will see a Cuban tinkering under the hood, often creating Frankenstein-like cars that contain parts from every manufacturer out there. Cubans know how to make cars run with very little original parts.
I traveled to the island nation with a ton of photography gear, but throughout the trip, I found myself constantly reaching for my Apple iPhone 6s Plus. Often it was just quicker and easier to access than digging into my bag for my camera. Sometimes, I would take the scene in front of me with both my iPhone and Sony camera, using the iPhone versions to post to my Instagram. They always just came out clean, and didn’t require me to take time to edit RAW files on my laptop. And really, finding free time in Cuba was hard—we were constantly ending up in someone’s home, exploring the endless streets and alleyways, or diving into a local bar for a humidity-busting cocktail.
To be honest, it really had been years since I relied so heavily on my iPhone for photographs. With the advent of built in WiFi in cameras, I would typically transfer photos from the camera to my iPhone, rather than taking the photos on the iPhone itself. But in Cuba, once I started shooting with the iPhone, I couldn’t stop. It was FUN. Simple fun. I didn’t have to think about settings or exposure levels. I could just document my experiences cleanly and beautifully with no worries.
On top of the El Bolo Vista Gourmet restaurant in the tourist town of Trinidad, you will find one of the best sunset vantage points in all of Cuba.
Photographing Cuba with an iPhone helped re-energize my love for the basics of photography. It helped me remember a time when life was more simple and much easier; when I could just take great photos quickly and easily without having to stress about deadlines and commitments.
iPhoneography made photography fun again.
Our home on wheels across the country of Cuba. A 1995 Volkswagen Jetta.
One of the first scenes I saw in Havana was this old car perfectly set in front of the facade of a disintegrating building. Little did I know how often I would see this scene play across the country. And each time I realized people actually lived and worked in these buildings.
A mother cuts her daughter’s hair in the 3rd story window of their home in Havana.
Motorbikes & Bicycles in Ciego De Avila.
“I lost my arm in the war” the old man tells us.
A cat looks up from behind a fence in Holguin.
My friend Jairo looks over the untouched coastline that lines the eastern part of the island.
Night at the Libreria Venecia in Havana.
The sun sets over the swinging bridge in Baracoa.
When on a Jeep trip to the furthest point east, you must fill up your stomachs for maximum energy.
A freshly painted bike taxi sits in front of a graffiti mural as a wave crashes over the ocean wall on the Malecon.
The columns of the gazebo in the Manzanillo Parque Central can be used to frame the town’s church towers for a unique photograph.
Children play football on a graffiti-filled athletic court in Havana.
The 2016 Cuban Olympic Bicycle team practices at their official training facility in Havana.
Decades-old irons and blenders sit ready to use in the back room of a resturant in the eastern city a Baracoa.
The late afternoon light starts to turn the clouds pink in Havana.
On the lonely, deserted road north of Cabo Cruz lies a lighthouse and incredible foreground elements for a sunset photograph.
Cubans say the massive construction project to beautify the capital building in Havana is to impress the impending flood of American tourists.
A tobacco farmer shows off his drying crop in the Vinales Valley.
A bus filled with a very energetic crowd implores the American government to stop the blockade against Cuba.
An old woman yells at construction workers from her balcony for making too much noise in the neighborhood surrounding the capital building in Havana.
A man walks through a decaying corner as twilight settles over Havana.
Sure, you can take the tourist taxi, but why not jump in the collective taxi. Not only will you pay a fraction of the cost, but you will make some new Cuban friends when they curiously ask how you made your way into a local taxi.
A farmer harvests tobacco leaves in the Vinales Valley.
A tobacco farmer and his horse in the Vinales Valley.
Baseball is king in Cuba, and you will find young boys playing catch everywhere and anywhere, like this pair in the Vinales Valley.
A man tends to a fire in his yard as his friend looks on in the Vinales Valley.
The scene a split second before the toy cart hit the street dog on the heels, causing him to jump as the afternoon light hits Havana.
Two dogs, curious with my presence, inch closer in the Vinales Valley.
A classic car sits in front of street vendors in Havana.
An old man pauses to catch his breath on a dark street during nightfall in Havana.
The colors of Havana are intriguing, to say the least.
A man, dressed to impress, crosses a busy street in Havana.
The well maintained Malecon waterfront roadway is home to a large number of activities throughout the year. On this particular day, runners from all over the world had gathered for a marathon.
The Malecon ocean wall is constantly filled with young lovers, tourists, and people in search of an afternoon snack or refreshment.
A convertible travels around the Parque Central of Holguin to celebrate the Quinceañera (15th Birthday) of a local young woman.
A construction worker in Havana takes a break from hanging out to give me a thumbs up.
A couple carries a carpet across a street in Havana.
Abandon or Inhabited?
Classic cars and their drivers wait for traffic to move on the outskirts of Havana.
The cemetery in Holguin is an impressive collection of tombstones, statues, and mausoleums
A young mother asks her son what he is doing to misbehave while she was under the hood of her car. For the record, he was climbing into the passenger seat through the window instead of using the door.
School children walk by a Buick in Havana.
Apparently, Che Guevara was a New York Yankees fan, according to this art piece found in a tatto shop in Havana.
The sun sets on another day in Havana.
A Beatles Themed bar in Holguin awaits it’s first customer of the day.
Outside of the Beatles-themed bar in Holguin, a man waits patiently for his family.
Young Cuban women enter a market that displays an advertisement of young adults who don’t appear very Cuban.
The sun sets on top of the 465 steps that it takes to get to La Loma de la Cruz, which provides a impressive view of the city of Holguin.
A woman hitches a ride on the back of a moterbike in the far east.
The furthest point east on the island of Cuba, the Concha lighthouse sits along the ocean.
“The Bridge is broken, yet they drive over it anyway” the farmer said. Little did we know, this was one of the safer bridges in the east, which has been suffering from a complete lack of road repairs for decades.
Clouds mix with smoke along a road in the rural east.
Vibrant buildings and vibrant clothing in Bayamo.
My friend and incredible photographer Alain Lázaro Gutiérrez takes in the sunset at Cabo Cruz.
No lights? No problem for the baseball-obsessed youth in Ciego De Avila.
A typical taxi ride in the countryside on the outskirts of Trinidad.
Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and Nelson Mandela appear over the phrase “The great nation that grows”
A young man takes out the trash in Havana.
The sleepy sea-side village of Cabo Cruz is prehaps the most tropical location on the southern side of the island.
1 comment
It is demonstrated with this article and its photos that it is not necessary a big photo machine to make good photos. In addition Cuba has the peculiarity that the photographer can be close enough to people because in general the Cuban is very social and likes to be photographed.
Thank you for your article.
Here I contribute a few more photos of Cuba that I have taken in my travels.
http://photographingcuba.com/photo-cuban-essays-by-louis-alarcon