The lads in the street were only too willing to pose for photographs. White tourists seem to have a kind of celebrity status maybe because they would be expecting a sweet or a pencil after being photographed. The colour version was too distracting – the boys were wearing red and yellow that caught the eye – removing the colour (and adding a hint of warmth) focussed the attention on the group of boys rather than what they were wearing.
I saw this gentleman smoking this cigar in a small park in the centre of Trinidad. I approached him and pointed to the camera suggesting that I might want to take a photograph or two. He nodded, and so I did. The background was somewhat cluttered and so I tidied it up. The cigar was not in the plane of focus and so was soft so I dropped in another cigar from a photo of a tobacco farmer. The finishing touch was to add a little smoke courtesy of Photoshop.
Taken in Havana in 2008, I waited a while and moved into position across the street. I like the colours on the wall and the graffiti and the man was just in the right spot. I had been looking for a shot like this all week and found this on the last day of the trip.
When Cuban girls reach 15 they are dressed up and photographed and/or videod looking their best. This girl was posing for the photographer in the cathedral square in downtown Havana and not wanting to miss an opportunity, I took some shots for myself.
Of course, Cuba is associated with running old American cars – well, they have no choice as after the revolution all imports from the US ceased and the Cuban people had to make their cars last. And they do make them last. In fact, few have original parts and their big gas-guzzling motors have long been replaced by more economical diesel engines. They are often used as taxis because a) the tourists like them and b) it’s possible to cram more people in and make more money on each trip.