HIGHLIGHTS OF HAVANA:

Must-see visits in Havana will include: 

• Partagas cigar factory
• National Art Museum
• Fototeca De Cuba ... Havana Museum of Photography
• El Floridita - Hemingway Bar
• Hotel Ambos Mundos - visit Ernest 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, Finca la Vigia, where he kept his famous 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.

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ARTISTS TO VISIT

We aim to visit as many of the following people as possible…

Photographers including:

Jose Figeroua ~ Alberto Korda’s printer for many years who 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

Writer and historian:

Hilda Barrio ~ author of The Che Handbook

Artists:

Jaime and Mandy ~ 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. 

Photo: Perfecto Romero

HAVANA ITINERARY 

Day 1

Meet on arrival at Havana airport and transfer to a charming, colonial hotel 3 star B&B in the heart of the old city.

The central location is excellent for our expeditions and photo/shoots.  Old Havana is classified as a World Heritage site and with good reason.  It is the biggest and best colonial city in Latin America.  The people are full of character and enjoy being photographed.

Day2

After breakfast, we will meet for a briefing about schedules.  Then we will walk a short distance around Old Havana. This will help with your orientation of the historic city. Bello, the Digital Master from Cuba, will accompany us and show us pictorial scenes for your recordings.

After 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.

After dinner, we visit the Hemingway Bar, El Floridita, home of the Daiquiri - a superb iced Rum Cocktail, invented by an American engineer in the town of Daiquiri, Cuba.

Day 3

Early morning rise, walking to the Malecon. The Malecon is the sea front wall that runs from old Havana to the new district of Havana known as Vedado. Early morning in winter sees waves hitting the wall. Great dramatic photos for competitions and porfolios. 

Breakfast followed by a meeting at 10am.

Perfecto Romero will show some of his great photographs of Che Guevara. Perfecto was Che's personal photograph in the Sierra Mastre mountains in 1958 and he took the famous picture of Che on his horse smoking a cigar. This will whet your appetite to photograph more Cuban Icons and we will walk again in Old Havana taking in street scenes with old American classic cars set against a backdrop of colonial buildings with wrought iron balconies.

After lunch, we visit 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 Colon cemetery which is the oldest in Havana and a treat to photograph.

In the evening we visit Havana's China Town where we will eat and enjoy Caribbean Chinese food. All restaurants in Cuba have musicians so you will get use to the idea of eating to live music. Sometimes, it can be really amusing with Elvis look-alikes and then it can be superb with the music of Django Reinhart etc.  This also makes great photography.

 TRINIDAD ITINERARY 

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 in four years has had pictures published in Magazines and Guide books. The family home unfortunately only has two bedrooms. We will be staying with families near to Munoz so we all can meet after breakfast at the house for our daily Meetings excursions. If the group is 12 or more we will book the Hotel. Keith prefers staying with families in Trinidad to look after you as he has stayed with most of them and enjoyed the experience.

Look at the Casa Munoz on www.trinidadphoto.com  for more info on its history .This includes CV/Resumes of both Julio and Keith Cardwell.

The time in Trinidad will be used to photograph all things Cuban.

Music and Musicians, Landscape, Santeria (African religion) ceremonies, Artists and horse riding. Photos on website.

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

Sugar cane fields for some landscape photography including original steam trains used in the fields.  General drives around Trinidad,  photographing families i.e. the photo Tobacco Farmer was made here – see it on the site www.bluetulipgallery.com

Bus ride towards the colonial town of Sancti Spiritus, again much to photograph: Sugar Cane cutting, wild storks and general landscape photography.

Afternoon walk around Trinidad as the villagers come out of their houses 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 a photo competition will be impressed at the access you will get, and the images made.

Day 6

The 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.

 Free afternoon or 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 Casa de la Musica club to listen and dance to salsa etc.

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 the Meeting at the Casa Munoz.

Another discovery day in the Trinidad area.

Free afternoon .... I will arrange for you to meet Dancers and Musicians or perhaps an afternoon at the Beach at La Boca.

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. He and Rosita decided to open their home to guests and with the influence of many tourists/artists photographers passing through the Casa, Julio became aware that his town was a unique experience in the Cuban make up..... it was this that inspired him to start photography.  

After this Dancers will perform for us the Caribbean dances of their area. A mixture Caribbean and Africa .... stunning performers.

Day 8

Breakfast. The 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 Voodoo and Catholic beliefs. These beliefs have survived the turmoil of the past hundred years.

Late Afternoon walk in Trinidad. 

A SUPRISE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE  After dinner.... (suprise is Julio and Keith will have a small print exhibition @ a local venue ....Hotel etc etc)  

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.

Drive to Havana and spend 1 night in hotel in Havana B&B

BACK TO HAVANA  

Day 10

Breakfast and chance to take a few more photos.  Depart to Havana airport and the road home.

ADIOS!