Blog Archives
the woman on the stairs
I glance into open doorways. Always. I can’t help it.
But also: that’s how I noticed this woman sitting on the stairs of a building in la habana vieja, the old quarter of the city.
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.11.2022
cleaned out
This was the state in many of the tombs I looked in at the Havana cemetery. Mostly, there wasn’t anything much inside them. And see how that arched door is standing open? And how the niche behind it is empty?
And then think about how security officers stopped our cars as we left, and glanced inside the trunks.
And reach your own conclusion.
Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.11.2022
girl (with kitten)
You may remember that back in the Old Days (prior to mid-August 2022), I would actively avoid photographing people. Actively. Like head-quickly-in-the-other-direction if someone dared to intrude into my carefully constructed no-visible-people scene.
So, then maybe you’re surprised at all these images of people I’ve been posting? But no matter how surprised YOU are, I am even more shocked at this turn of events.
I saw this girl walking down a street in Havana and as soon as I saw the kitten in the carrier, I knew I needed a photo. And here we are.
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.11.2022
dancers, 2
Maybe you saw that post the other day about our visit to Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba?
Photographing those dancers was an exhilarating experience – it was freeing to shoot without knowing what sorts of images I’d end up with. There was no time to frame up a “perfect” shot so it became a time to just let the camera do its thing and be surprised at the results. And sometimes the camera did a better job at seeing and capturing what was there than I could have ever done if I’d tried to get a particular image. And so, I’m just going to give photo credit here to my camera, which was smart enough to get a shot that captured the movement and the speed and the emotions of the dancers.
Thanks, camera, for doing all the real work here.
Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.11.2022
a world behind the door
I can tell you right this minute that “faded beauty” is not always hyperbole: it is, in this case, exactly the right description.
Imagine if this place were freshly painted, if the stair railing were not half-way missing, if all those tiles on the wall matched. It wouldn’t be nearly as lovely, would it?
Havana, Cuba
photographed 11.6.2022
One Day | One Image 