Photography Tours
Photography Workshops
Hosted by Keith Cardwell – 11 days/ 10 nights
INCLUDED IN TRIP:
- Return flight
- Tourist visa
- Transfers and transport in air-conditioned bus or taxis
- 4 nights in 3 star hotel B&B in Havana such as Hotel Tejadillo.
- 6 nights B&B in private homes in Trinidad
- All photo visits mentioned
- Visits to photographers, artists etc
- All photo critiques
- Dance events described at the patio in Trinidad
EXCLUSIONS:
- Lunches and dinners
- Drinks
- Insurance
- Options not part of the tour
INTRODUCTION
Cuba is startling, a living museum on the verge of change. Havana hosts an eclectic architecture of various periods from Colonial to 1950’s. Narrow streets are filled with fifties Chevvies overpowering Russian Ladas and sidecars. Cuba is going to change and a lot of its character will disappear, faster than you can press your shutter.
Trinidad town, like Havana, is also a World heritage site near Cuba’s south coast. Its opulence results from the sugar boom of the eighteenth century when people made fortunes. It is an exquisite colonial town, perhaps one of the most photogenic in Latin America. Indeed, the famous National Geographic photographer, David Allan Harvey, took some of his most memorable photos here.
HIGHLIGHTS OF HAVANA:
Must-see visits in Havana will include:
- Partagas Cigar Factory
- National Art Museum
- Fototeca De Cuba ... Havana Museum of Photography.
- Floridita - Hemingway Bar.
- Hotel Ambos Mundos - visit Hemingway’s room (now a museum) where he wrote.
- Plaza de Armas Square, the most interesting in the city. Cojimar fishing village and Hemingway’s farmhouse where he kept the Boat (El Pilar).
- Zorro Jazz Club. 5 star jazz club in Havana.
- Ballet School. Havana.
- Malecon sea front in the mornings for early morning shoots - the last stop before the Keys in Florida.
SOME PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ARTISTS WE HOPE TO VISIT
(depends upon availability at time)
Photographers including:
- Jose Figeroua (Alberto Korda’s printer for many years and he was in the Congo with Che and Fidel)
- Mario Diaz (famous Cuban photographer)
- Guillermo Bello (digital photographer)
- Perfecto Romero (one of the leading Cuban photographers)
- Hilda Barrio (writer and historian, Author of The Che Handbook)
- Jaime and Mandy (Artists and painters of extraordinary talent)
These visits will inspire you in your photography. All these people are internationally recognised in their field and have first hand knowledge of Cuban History. This is a great opportunity to meet and talk with them, look at their work and even purchase prints and painting at pre-gallery prices.
HAVANA ITINERARY
Day 1
Meet
on arrival at Havana airport and transfer to the charming, colonial hotel
3 star B&B in the heart of the old city. The central location
is excellent for our expeditions and photoshoots. Old Havana is the
biggest and best colonial city in Latin America. The people are full of
character and enjoy being photographed.
Day 2
After breakfast, we will meet for a briefing about schedules. Then we will walk a short distance around Old Havana. This will help with us with our orientation of the historic city. Bello, the Digital Master from Cuba, will accompany us and show us pictorial scenes for your recordings.
Lunch.
More sightseeing and a visit to the Hemingway room at the Hotel Ambos Mundos. Coffee in the afternoon to discuss events and forthcoming events and your feedback on what your goals are for the trip.
Dinner.
After dinner a visit to the Hemingway bar Floridita, home of the Daiquiri - a superb iced rum drink which was invented by an American engineer in the town of Daiquiri, Cuba.
Day 3
Early morning rise, walk the 10 minutes to the Malecon. The Malecon is the wall that runs through old Havana to the new district of Vedado. Early morning in winter sees waves hitting the wall. Great dramatic photos for competitions and portfolios. Breakfast. Meeting at 10am.
Perfecto Romero will show some of his great photographs of Che Guevara. Perfecto was Che's personal photographer in Cuba’s Sierra Maestre in 1958 and the famous picture of Che on his horse smoking a cigar was made by Perfecto. This will wet your appetite to photograph more Cuban Icons and we will walk again in Old Havana to take in street scenes with old American classic cars set against a backdrop of colonial buildings with wrought iron balconies.
Lunch.
Visit to Guillermo Bello's house. Bello uses Havana's Cemetery to illustrate his photographic ideas ....you will love his portfolio. The work is tasteful and intelligent. Then a walk with Bello in the old cemetery which is the oldest in Havana and a treat to photograph.
In the evening we visit Havana's China Town where we will enjoy Caribbean Chinese food. All restaurants in Cuba have musicians so you will get use to the idea of eating to live Music. This also presents great opportunities for photography.
Day 4
Private
air-conditioned bus from
Havana to Trinidad de Cuba.
Base Camp is the Casa Munoz. Julio Munoz has a Colonial House in the heart of Trinidad. His family have lived in the city for 200 years. Five years ago the National Geographic Photographer David Allan Harvey stayed at The Casa while completing the photo/essay on the town of Trinidad.
Julio became his eyes and ears on this essay. Julio now works in Photography himself and has had pictures published in Magazines and Guide books. We will be staying with families near to Munoz so we all can meet after breakfast at the house for our daily meetings. The time in Trinidad will be used to photograph all things Cuban including music and musicians, landscape, Santeria (African religious) ceremonies, artists and horse riding.
Afternoon will be used for meetings to cater for individual needs and goals. After dinner we can visit the Casa de Musica to listen to music and dancing.
Day 5
Visit the Sugar cane fields for some landscape photography including original steam trains used in the fields. General drives around Trinidad, looking, stopping, and photographing Families. Lunch out of town
Bus ride towards Sancti Spiritus, again much to photograph: Sugar Cane cutting and wild storks as well as general landscape photography.
Afternoon walk around Trinidad as the villagers come out of their homes around 4 30pm and it is an excellent time to make portraiture and even enter their houses. The Cubans are very hospitable and will show you their homes in a heartbeat. This makes good environment portraiture and any Judge in photo competition will be impressed at the access you will get, and the images made.
Day 6
Meeting at the Casa Munoz after breakfast.
A visit to the studio of Trinidad artists. Then we meet with musicians and artists from Trinidad for individual portrait sessions. You will now start to understand Cuban culture through these experiences.
Lunch
Free afternoon or option Horse riding with Elvis. This will cost $25 and will last some 2/3 hours. We will be riding through the sugar plantations of the Trinidad valley: stopping at prime locations for photo shoots and a swim in the river to cool down.
Evening at the music venue, Casa de la Musica. You should have discovered the famous Cuban cocktail, the Mojito, by this time.
Day 7
Early
morning walk in Trinidad. Good light after 7 30am. Returning for breakfast
and meeting at the Casa
Munoz.
Another discovery day in the Trinidad area. Lunch.
Free afternoon... perhaps an afternoon at the beach at La Boca. 3 kms.
After dinner. The Casa Munoz will have it's first slide show of the work of Julio Munoz. Julio has worked extensively in the area for 5 years. After studying for a degree in Havana he returned home to get married to Rosita and they have two children. They decided to open their home to guests. With the influence of many tourists, photographers and artists passing through his home, Julio became aware that his town was a unique experience in the Cuban make up. This prompted him to start photography.
After the slide show, dancers will perform for us the Caribbean dances of their area. A mixture of the Caribbean and Africa... stunning performers.
Day 8
Breakfast. Meeting at Casa Munoz.
We will discuss the events of last evening and arrange a Santaria ceremony with the local Santaria Preist. The religion is a synthesis of Vodoo and Catholic beliefs which have survived the turmoil of the past hundred years.
Lunch followed by a late afternoon walk in Trinidad. A surprise event will take place after dinner.
Evening slide show of the work of Keith Cardwell.
The slide show again on the roof of the Casa Munoz and we again will serve cocktails and good conversation about your trip experiences and general ideas towards attitudes towards photography.
Day 9
After breakfast, meeting Casa Munoz. Planning for the final day in Trinidad.
Day 10
After breakfast, meeting Casa Munoz.
Return to Havana and book into hotel B&B.
Day 11
Breakfast and chance to take a few more photos. Depart to Havana Airport and the road Home.
ADIOS!
Flight to Havana, Cuba: (Please enquire if
not departing from UK)
Virgin airlines depart Gatwick airport at 09.30
arrive Havana 14.10.
Return from Havana at 16.35 arrive
UK at 06.10 next day.
