Cuba - September 2010

Cuba.
A place that I'm not normally allowed to visit. Neeley and I have talked in the past of visiting Cuba, but have not done enough investigation to figure out how to get there. We were interested, but there were still places on our travel destination list that didn't require us to jump legal hurdles, so we never got past the discussion stage.

But this past summer an associate of Neeley's who arranges photo trips announced that he was hosting a trip to Cuba, and that it would be handled legally through a company called Global Exchange. That was good enough for us, and we signed up. For the trip to be legal we needed to schedule work and research during the entire trip. This was arranged by Global Exchange, and we had a busy schedule every day. The schedule involved trips to meet photographers and artists, meetings with the Cuban artist union, a visit to the Critabol Colon cemetary, trips to see organic farms in Cuba, the arrangement of a photo show of the groups work, and a day of presentations working with local photographers in Cuba. This was not a traditional vacation, but it did allow us to visit the island and the people there.

The trip was enjoyable. We visited Havana, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad; met wonderful people, experienced good (and bad) cuisine, and managed to take lots of pictures despite the busy schedule.

Below you will see a couple dozen of the best shots that I took while on the trip. You can click on the thumbnails below or you can view them as a slideshow. Hope you enjoy them.

-Matt (and Neeley)

p.s. If these pictures intrigue you, and you want to see more, go ahead and click.



Texture and Door

Malecon 61

Impressionist Paint

Servicio de Policia

Texture

GNR

The expression is worth 1000 words

Friends

Boy in China Town

School Kids

Green Lada

Cienfuegos Power Plant

Street Shot

Waiting for Neeley

Cuban Life

Farm Supervisor

Barbaros and Che

Waiting for the ferry

Doorway

Coconut Man

Father and Son

Orange and Blue

Watching

Opera House

Classic Chevy


Looking for more pictures? I've got a larger selection that you can look at by clicking here.