My recent trip to Cuba was amazing in many ways. I kept it simple: Kodak film, a Hasselblad, a couple of Zeiss lenses, and a Contax 645 for backup. I was ready to compose in the square format, and to see Cuba in a different way…through a big vintage square viewfinder. One of the lenses was old enough to be pre-Revolution, so there was something nice about knowing it could have visited Cuba when all of the big American cars were brand new. It was glorious.
It’s difficult to describe Cuba in something as brief as a blog post. It’s so culturally rich and diverse, and yet somehow set back in time, as if the “periodo especial” had put a pause on technology and creature comforts, while somehow distilling it to the essentials. Cuba may have been without American imports and luxuries for a few decades, but it is abundant with things that have become more scarce in the U.S.: quality family time, friendliness, honesty, a love of music, and a distinctly wonderful lack of technological addiction (i.e.: smartphone disease!). I saw people and their smiles, not their foreheads.
One other thing that Cuba possesses in spades: COLOR.
I made this blog post, in contrast to a recent one of close-up portraits in black-and-white…as an homage to the beautiful colors, hues, and tones that are so prevalent in Cuba. With an amazing group of photographers and Art enthusiasts, we visited Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Santa Clara, Cuba. These images will take one on a journey discovering the various tones of each of those places, and my fascination with various blues and greens!
teresa congiolosoOh I love them!