Cuba is a hidden gem for American tourists. I say "hidden" because most people aren't aware of the ease of travel there from the states today. Traveling from NYC to Havana was almost no harder than traveling anywhere else in the world. I'm glad I took the opportunity to make this trip with some amazing people and I was able to capture so many incredible images that I have to split this up into 2 posts.
For anyone who has questions about this trip, I will try to address as many common concerns as I can throughout this article but it's mostly about the experience and photos. Our trip was split up into 3 parts, Havana > Trinidad > Havana again (we had to obviously go back to Havana to fly back home).
We made all our housing reservations through Airbnb. In Havana, we were luckily enough to score some amazing locations. Our first spot was a 2-floor penthouse in a 15 story building. The views were amazing and accommodations were impeccable even by American standards. All of our reservations were categorized under "Private Home" which means you have the whole place to yourself but that wasn't the case for most of our stay. 2 out of the 3 places we stayed had either people living there too or a housekeeper of sorts which is good and bad, depending on how you look at it. If you really like your privacy and plan on using Airbnb, I recommend sending a message asking specifically if anyone else will be on the premises.
This was the view that greeted us on the first evening of arrival to our Airbnb in Havana.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso 50, f/5.6, 1/400s)
Another view from our penthouse.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/400s)
Looking straight down from our balcony, I caught this woman walking to her pink car.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/200s)
We caught a taxi to Habana Vieja. This is Efrain chatting with the driver.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso100, f/4, 1/400s)
You can catch a taxi pretty much anywhere in Havana with ease. Even if there are no taxis by you, you can pretty much just flag down any car and as long as they're not in a rush and want to make a few extra bucks, they'll drive you. This seriously happened to us.
A shot of me.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso100, f/2.8, 1/320s)
We spent our first day in Habana Vieja (Old Havana) which was just as I had pictured. Classic Cuban architecture all around and vintage American cars on every block. As a photographer, I could spend days walking up and down the narrow streets just shooting photos. Everything you see in Habana Vieja has its own story to tell.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/2.8, 1/1000s)
This is La Catedral de la Virgen Maria de la Conception Inmaculada de La Habana. Thats a mothfull.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/5.6, 1/400s)
The Boys.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (iso50, f/1.8, 1/3200s)
Classic Habana Vieja
Sony A7RII, Sony Zeiss 55mm f.1.8 (iso50, f/1.8, 1/3200s)
We passed by Palacio de los Capitanes Generales where there was this amazing courtyard that was roped off. I had to pay 3 CUCs just to get on the other side to get this shot but I think it was worth it.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/2.8, 1/1250)
Right outside the hotel with Chanel.
Sony A7RII, Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 (iso100, f/1.8, 1/1000s)
I wrote a blog post about this photo a few weeks ago on how this was one of my favorite images of the entire trip. You can check it out here.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (iso100, f/1.8, 1/640s)
For anyone planning a visit and end up in Habana Vieja, I highly recommend spending more time in the narrow side streets rather than the main touristy areas. When you venture off, you'll find a much more scenic environment that a local Cuban would experience. I don't drink coffee but when the rest of the group went into a hole in the wall (almost literally a hole in the wall) that had "Cafe" written in chalk on outside, they experienced the best espresso they ever had in their lives.
This was when we first ventured off into the narrow streets in Habana Vieja. This seemed more authentic since it was mostly locals in front of their houses and many buildings like this which were completely hollowed out.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso100, f/4, 1/500s)
A more detailed look at Habana Vieja.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/2.8, 1/640s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/2.8, 1/320s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/2.8, 1/400s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/2.8, 1/640s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso250, f/5.6, 1/800s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso250, f/5.6, 1/800s)
In the middle of everything, you'll find a line of vintage American cars as taxis. The convertibles are a couple of bucks more but well worth it. You can always bargain a price with them anyway. Trust me though, riding through Havana in a 1950s Chevy convertible was one of the best experiences of my life. While doing all the research on Cuba before this trip, I read nothing about doing so and I don't know how it can be overlooked.
The first night we went out to La Casa De Musica and it was our first experience in the convertible taxis. That 5 minute drive is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Blasting down the Malecon on a 70˚ summer night was probably THE most memorable moment in the entire week. I didn't care where we were heading or if we would even make it back in one piece. I wish I took my camera out that night to document it.
Taxi Line up.
Sony A7RII, Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 (iso250, f/2.8, 1/5000s)
Sony A7RII, Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 (iso250, f/1.8, 1/6400s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso250, f/3.2, 1/4000s)
The people in this cab were jealous of our hot pink convertible.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (iso50, f/1.8, 1/2500s)
I also made a blog post about this image which truly explained our first days experience in Cuba. You can read more about it here.
My parents recently moved and while cleaning out their house they came across an unopened copy of The Truth 2 which was a blading DVD I made in 2009. The Cuban government doesn't allow skate shops in their country so it's very hard for kids to get blades, skateboards, or any kind of products. I couldn't fit another pair of skates in my luggage to donate so I figured I can still contribute somehow with this. This little kid was skating around this park we tried filming at but after this kid warned us about getting the boot, these two cops in the background kicked us out. The little boy took his skates off but before he left, I gave him the very last copy of The Truth 2. (don't mind my hair)
Everyone catching the amazing sunset on the famous Malecon.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (iso200, f/2.2, 1/6400s)
Managed to get a photo of Jon Ortiz jumping off the wall at El Malecon. This could quite possibly be the first or one of the first blading photos from Cuba.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 (iso200, f/2.2, 1/6400s)
One of my goals for this trip was to get at least one clip and one photo of me blading in Cuba since no one has really seen anything come out of there before. I did my research on google earth and managed to find this ramp with Che Guevera in the background. Cuban blading perfection! Photo shot by Jon Ortiz.
Sony A7RII, Rokinon 8mm Fisheye (iso3200, f/3.5, 1/800s)
After Havana, we took the 4 hour drive to Trinidad and wanted to stop by Cienfuegos on the way. The taxi driver wasn't too keen on the pit stop but turns out we saw most of the city within the 20 minutes we were there anyway ha. Absolutely beautiful little town in the middle of Cuba. The name of the city tells no lies, this was one of the hottest moments in our 7 days trip!
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/5.6, 1/640s)
Sony A7RII, Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/640s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/800s)
We managed to make our way into some buildings for a better view.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/800s)
Spoiler alert for the second part of this blog: these blue skies didn't last much longer.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/800s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/800s)
Jon in full selfie mode.
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/1250s)
Sony A7RII, Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 (iso50, f/4, 1/200s)
If anyone has any questions about my trip or experiences down in Cuba, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.
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