Cuba - playing in the magical light
Silhouettes are amazing when they convey the emotion and story of a place. The cowboy culture in Cuba is alive and strong, and in these two images I represent them in a different way. With the colorful background of Trinidad's colonial buildings, the light and shadows have a great contrast.
Still in Trinidad, where color and light fuse so nicely together, I met some kids playing and had a great time playing with the magical light in the afternoon.
Staying on theme, when in Remedios, a small street was blocked off for the kids to have their exercise and recess. Of course, I sat to watch and get some action shots of the games.
This kid is throwing a spinner top while the old grandma watches from the doorway.
And below, the I love the silhouette of the boy playing hand ball, with a hint of light on his face, while his classmates are watching.
When you have such nice warm light, colorful buildings, cars and countryside, it is easy to find the juxtaposition between those elements. I really tried to play with that interaction of shadows and light and am so happy with the results. Here are a few that I loved:
A man on a bike between two old classic cars with a play of light and shadows and reflections, in the small colonial town of Remedios.
On an early morning walk, the sky turned dark but the sun rose behind it creating amazing light. In the older part of Remedios stood at the corner waiting and when the man walked by with this umbrella, the composition came together perfectly.
One of the best streets in Trinidad, this wide cobblestone avenue made for great images. I went there in the late afternoon to get the nice light. I saw this woman walking up and the shadows, color and light were so perfect. I love it when it all clicks.
This young girls was so cheerfully skipping up the street and creating a great shadow on the colorful colonial wall in Trinidad.
Finally, just the quality of the Caribbean light, sunrise and sunset, was so incredible, that it framed every shot with great light and feel.
Outside of Santiago de Cuba I saw these trees and grass and thought it would be a great spot for a shot. So I waited 20 minutes as the light was getting warmer in the late afternoon and was rewarded with this horse drawn cart coming down the dusty lane. Just a great use of light, shadows and silhouette to tell the story.
Sunrise along the Malecon - sea wall - in Havana is always grerat, but when you have massive waves crashing it makes it even more dramatic.
The town of Baracoa in the east of Cuba is one of my favorite places in Cuba. Outside town there is a small fishing village and at sunrise I went there to explore. The light with the clouds, and the reflections all came together nicely. I love the lines, the man in the boat and the bridge. And with some amazing balance I was able to use a tripod on the rickety bridge to get 9 shots for this one panorama.
One of my favorite photos from Cuba. I took this after a massive rain storm in Trinidad. The reflections of the colorful colonial buildings in the puddles on the 500 year old cobblestone street were so beautiful. These are 3 straight shots of the street, stitched to create a panorama.
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