Cuba - Castro, Colonialism and cars

Cuba has none of the grand photography magnets of other countries - its attractions are far more intimate, as Clive Minnitt discovered on a trip to unearth the island's four-wheeled treasures.

Cuba is the largest of all Caribbean Islands, one of the most northerly and, arguably, one of the most intriguing. It’s rather colourful recent history has engaged the eyes of the world upon it. Public health and the educational systems are highly regarded, it’s cigars are world famous and it’s salsa music revered. Yet, continuing trade restrictions, frequent power cuts, lack of good standard food and generally poor transportation made me wonder why the country was becoming a popular tourist destination.

It had not been included in my list of destinations I most wanted to visit until, oddly enough, I first visited the USA. I remember being hugely disappointed on finding none of the old 1950’s American cars I thought would be still be popular. It niggled me for several years until I heard a rumour that Cuba had an abundance of them. The only way to find out was to go and see for myself.

Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba in 1492, the beginning of Spanish rule which was to last over 400 years apart from a brief British incursion which lasted only a year. Havana became the capital in 1607, growing to a current population of 2 million. and in 1895-8, the War of Independence finally ended Spanish rule after US interference. From the early 1900’s until 1953, Cuba experienced both prosperous and repressive times. In 1958 Fidel Castro, aided by Che Guevara and other revolutionaries, overthrew the government of President Batista, and is still in power today.

Strong ties with the USSR and the Cuban Missile Crisis; the movement of tens of thousands of Cubans to Florida; trade embargoes by the US; the collapse of the economy after the fall of the Soviet Bloc have meant a checkered recent history for Cuba. What does the future hold? Opinions differ but many seem to agree that once Fidel Castro is no longer in power, things will rapidly change.

A valid passport and a tourist card (available from the Cuban Consulate in London for a small fee) was all that was officially required for my visit. In addition to T. Cheques (not American Express) lots of small & medium denomination US Dollar notes were extremely useful. Cuba has a confusing three-way monetary system in place – the US$ (legal tender since 1993), the Cuban Peso, and the Peso convertible. Ironically, the $ symbol is used to denote all three. Visitors will find it difficult to pay for anything other than in US$.

For my 14 day visit in August/September, I booked a hotel in Havana for the first few nights in advance. The rest were booked a few days ahead at a time, either at comfortable Casa Particulars (private houses with lodging facilities) or hotels. It would be difficult not to find accommodation in Cuba as everyone knows someone who has room to rent. Touts rule ok!

Although I had images of cars in mind on my arrival, I was excited at what other subjects had to offer. Bearing in mind that during most of the year, Cuba is hot and humid, whatever camera gear is carried should be reasonably light. I work with 35mm Canon equipment all the time and time and find it ideal for the type of work I do. Two EOS1 bodies, three lenses, 17-35 f2.8 L USM, 28-80 f2.8 L USM and 100-300 f5.6 L, and a sturdy Gitzo (G1329) tripod with Manfrotto 410 head suffice. I always feel more comfortable purchasing as much film as I think I’ll need (plus a lot more!) before I leave home. Yes, it’s extra weight but it would be calamitous to run out of film and then find it isn’t possible to replenish stocks. Taking two camera bodies, gives me an invaluable spare, and would also allow me the luxury of having faster film at the ready – Cuba is ideal for photographing people.

I always carry all my film with my hand luggage and ask for a hand search at each airport. Most X-ray machines are film safe for all but the fastest films but I feel more comfortable with my films having as few exposures to X-rays as possible. Ironically, staff at British Airports seem to less inclined to accept my kind offer for them to have a quick rummage in my film bag. A LowePro Photo Trekker AW bag (AW being ‘All Weather’, which incorporates a very useful waterproof hood for those almost inevitable tropical downpours) was my obedient donkey!

We probably all have pre-conceived ideas of the images we want to capture when visiting far-away places. Famous icons such as the Eiffel Tower, The Matterhorn, Taj Mahal and the Sydney Opera House, immediately spring to mind. Cuba is different and has a plethora of more intimate subjects on which to train one’s lens.

In Havana, the restored Old Town (Havana Vieja) is a delight to wonder around. Colonial squares, particularly Plaza Vieja and Plaza de la Catedral, are steeped in history and rich in imagery - archways, colonnades, balconies, shutters, pastel colours. If all this is music to the ears, then the sound of Habaneros playing a variety of music will seduce you into staying even longer whilst you compose your photographs.

A short walk from the Old Town along the delightful Calle Obispo is the Capitolio Building. In front of the Capitolio, the site of so many brightly coloured 1950’s cars is exhilarating, a magnet to the photographer. The danger was to rush headlong into action. But by taking time to consider the compositions, angles, relationship between subject matter and background, colours, movement, etc. It wasn’t long before all sorts of pleasing images were captured.

In amongst all this pandemonium (it can get very busy), there are the three-wheeled yellow cocotaxies (riding in one I imagine to be like hitching a lift in a boiled egg - probably fuelled by Shell!) and the ridiculously overcrowded Camellos (old, split level, articulated trucks) to tempt the shutter finger into action.

The Malecón, Havana’s waterfront promenade, is a place not to be missed. It’s a favorite evening haunt for Habaneros. The long sweep of the bay and it’s characterful buildings basking in warm, low light at dusk, provide lots of options, many surprises, and is generally a good place to be. Locals are careful to walk only on the sea side of the road, as many of the buildings opposite are in a perilous state of disrepair and balconies have been know to fall! All three lenses were used and my tripod was invaluable.

An alternative, an excellent viewpoint taking in the whole of the city’s waterfront at sunset, is from the opposite side of the canal leading to Havana’s harbour, Castilio de los Tres Reyes del Morro. There, the resident coastguard there decided I should have a guided tour of the his office and had me view all the ships currently on the nearby seas through his powerful telescope. Needless to say, there was a small price to pay afterwards! I’m sure he welcomes everyone with open arms!

I loved Havana, and especially exploring backstreets that aren’t detailed in the guide books, covering many miles on foot. Real gems of pictures can appear in an instant. I felt safe and welcome. Sometimes too welcome, and not many minutes would pass before another “Hello, where are you from?”, would be heard. A few minutes of friendly banter and the conversation would invariably swing round to a plea for financial help.

After the hustle and bustle of the big city, a trip to the western tip of the island, to Viñales, in the Pinar del Río Province made an excellent contrast. The wonderful, atmospheric vistas, especially at dawn, overlooking the Valle de Viñales, were are firmly imprinted on my mind. The tripod was ready thirty minutes before any light appeared in the sky. Cockerels crowed, tropical insects did what they do best, the tripod was in position and slow speed Velvia film loaded! Tree-covered hillocks (sounds like the start of an Irish joke!) made of limestone, turned red as the first rays of the day hit them. A mist sprang up from between the palm trees. It was as good as it gets.

My third location was eagerly anticipated. The city of Trindad lay six hours (by bus) to the south-east of Havana, in the province of Sancti Spíritus., Another UNESCO World Heritage gem, minute in comparison to the capitol but oozing with character. Cobblestone streets, colourful buildings colonial architecture generated a feeling that I was caught in the middle of a centuries old film set. Red tiled roofs, a single figure sitting contemplating behind a wrought iron window grate, another old 1950’s America car in perfect juxtaposition with a similarly coloured building. A goldmine of imagery lay in wait. A special place.

Cuba is most definitely a one-off, and a country where strange things happen – from the bridegroom, who interrupted his wedding photography session to answer his mobile phone, to the driver of the horse and cart I hired for the day – he handed the reins to a friend for the first time and the horse suddenly veered left over two lanes of a dual carriageway in front of oncoming traffic! We survived, but more than that, I’m definitely going back for more adventures at the earliest opportunity.