cuba

Miradas Compartidas 24 La Habana, Cuban Photography Exhibition

A selection of my Cuban travel photographs were recently included in an exhibition hosted by Photo Project Pro in Havana, the Capital of Cuba.  My project, "Havana, People and Places" was selected to be part of the Miradas Compartidas 24 exhibition held in the Palacio de Lombillo building in Havana.  This exhibition was a significant opportunity for photographers to showcase their work on a global scale, and my personal project was chosen for the MC Global artist section, a new addition to this year’s event.

The Miradas Compartidas exhibition has been a significant platform for me to showcase my work alongside some incredibly talented photographers from around the world.  Some of the main photographers exhibiting their work at the exhibition included: Dino Latella, Andrea Schettin, and Francesco Lupò from Italy, and Osmany Bonet, Lisbet Goenaga, Marah Góngora, and Claudia Padrón from Cuba.  All extremely talented photographers, I recommend exploring more via their Instagram and personal websites.  The exhibition was a celebration of the power of visual storytelling and the global community of photographers that Miradas Compartidas brings together.

My project, which captures the essence of Havana through its people and the places they inhabit, was an important step in my photographic journey. Through my lens, I aimed to explore the daily lives of Cubans and the vibrant atmosphere of the city, showcasing its contrasts, its beauty, and its stories. Click through the slideshow below to view the first set of my Cuban images involved in the exhibition:

Cuba is a photographer’s dream: full of colourful classic cars and beautiful interesting architecture. Several years ago I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks in Havana. I spent the days roaming the streets capturing my impressions of the Capital City.  From the colourful classic cars, to the ramshackle buildings and streets bustling with happy Cubans, Havana as a location has it all. My following photo of the pink car making a splash in front of a Russian Church on the seafront won a travel photography competition by Wanderlust Magazine and was shared by National Geographic UK on their Instagram page. I have been to many countries in the World and none have matched the photographic potential of Cuba, I look forward to returning one day. I hope you enjoy my photographic memories of Havana. Click through the following slideshow to see the remainder of my Cuban photographs included in the MC Global section of the recent Miradas Compartidas 24 exhibition in Cuba:

More of my travel photography from Cuba can be found on my Instagram, and my Flickr account. More information about the recent exhibition in Havana can be found on the Photo Project Page here. Many of my images from Havana, Cuba are available to license via Getty images here.

Travel Portraits by Geraint Rowland

During my travels I often capture people around the world in a candid manner in their natural environment.  As my confidence has grown and my photographic skills have improved I have begun taking more portrait photographs.  These are often what are called 'environmental portraits', a portrait taken in the subject's usual environment and which normally include the surroundings as well as the person.  More recently I have also started taking 'head shot' style portraits, a tighter cropped image where the focus is on the persons face only.  For my head shots I normally ask the person for their permission first.  Click through the slideshow below to view some of my travel portraits:

With the majority of travel portraits above I asked for permission for the image to be taken. Often in touristy areas you are required or asked to pay for such portraits as was the case in Cusco, Peru, and Havana, Cuba.  The image of the Mexican girl in the Day of the Dead makeup and the final image of the Bolivian lady were the exceptions as both were caught candidly.  The beauty of head shots and or tightly cropped portraits is that you minimise the clutter in the background of the image.

All of the portraits were taken using a Canon 5D (Mark 2 or 4) and the majority were with the Canon 50mm 1.4.  Other lenses used were the Canon 85mm 1.8 and the Sigma Art Lens 135mm 1.8.  All of the images were taken using natural light and without the use of a flash.  The images were often taken with a shallow depth of field to create a pleasing background and draw attention to the persons face.  Images of people from around the world fascinate me, I think that they tell you more about a place than a landscape ever can.  In the future I want to focus more on portraits and improve my skills in this area of photography.  

More of my travel photography can be found on my website, Instagram, Facebook Page and my Flickr account.  If you would like any more information about any of my images please send an email to: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.

Photojournal - Streets of Havana (Photo Essay for the Sixth Issue of Dezine Magazine)

I recently spent a week photographing the streets of Havana, the Capital of Cuba.  It is an amazing city for photography: full of colourful vintage cars, beautiful people who are full of character, and interesting ramshackle architecture.  This blog was published as a photojournal for the online magazine Dezine.  Click through the slideshow below to view my Cuban travel images from the capital:

Cuba is a country located in the Caribbean, south of the US state of Florida, west of Haiti and north of Jamaica.  Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, and has over 11 million inhabitants.  Havana is the capital city and leading commercial centre of Cuba.  Below is a description of the photos in the slideshow above in the order they are seen with links to the individual images on my Flickr account:

1.  Havana is full of colourful old classic cars.  Here one causes a splash after a rainfall in front of an Orthodox Russian Church along the seafront.  

2.  The city of Havana attracts over a million tourists annually, subsequently the entrepreneurial locals have figured out ways to cash in such as posing for photographs with the local cigars.

3.  The streets of Havana are full of energy and life.  Here a taxi driver stops to buy some fresh fruit, while a man on his bicycle sells freshly cut flowers.

4.  You hear music everywhere in Havana, here some street musicians play the classic Cuban song, 'Guantanamera'.

5.  Along with classic cars you will find many other forms of transport in Havana including the Horse & Cart which is used an an alternative form of taxi for the locals.

6.  Evidence of Cuban's communist past still exist throughout Havana.  Here a local poses as Che Guevara for the benefit of the tourists.  

7.  Havana is full of beautiful, colourful, old colonial buildings, many of which have fallen into ruin including these along the seafront.

I have written two previous photography blog posts from my trip to Cuba, the first being, 'Street Portraits in Havana, Cuba', and the second, 'Cuba and Cigars'.  More of my travel photography from Havana can be found on my website, my Facebook and my Flickr account.  This photo journal, 'Streets of Havana' can be viewed in full here in the sixth issue of Dezine magazine.  If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com. 

Cuba and Cigars

Cuba is famous for it's cigars, and in Havana they are everywhere.  People smoking them, or posing for photographs with them, or trying to sell you them.  Cuban cigars are rolled from tobacco leaves found throughout the country of Cuba and are said to be among the best in the world.  Despite American trade sanctions against Cuban products, cigars remain one of the country's biggest exports.  In 2016 Cuba exported $445 million worth of cigars worldwide.  Here are some portraits I took in La Habana, the Capital of Cuba of Cubans with cigars, click through the slide show below:

All of the above photos were taken with a Canon 5D IV using natural light.  The lenses used were the Canon 50mm 1.4 prime lens and the Sigma Art lens at 135mm.  Some of the people I captured in Havana were there for the tourism and received money in exchange for photos, but a couple were strangers in the street whom I asked if I could photograph.  I like the additional prop of the cigar in these head shot portraits, it adds a particular Cuban feel to the images.  

More of my travel photography from Cuba can be found on my website, my Facebook and my Flickr account.  If you are interested in purchasing any prints, using an image online or would like further information please send me an email at: geraintrowlandphotography@gmail.com.