4.5 Hours in Havana

Prelude

A photographer friend heard I was heading to Havana and shared info about a man she had met there.  She told stories of time with him and how Mohammed  and his mother did not have a refrigerator and gave him money to buy one.  She later saw him carrying bread and yogurt whereupon he came running to greet her pulled his wallet out to show that he still had her money for the fridge (having not spent it on the food.)

I was heading to Cuba in a few weeks for a street photography workshop with David Hobby (aka “Strobist”) and Joe Newman the trip organizer.  Our anticipated schedule had ample time to explore on our own, so when the idea of visiting Mohammed came up, I was amenable to the idea.  She sent details on where he lives as well as a letter to print out and take to him. Continue reading “4.5 Hours in Havana”

Make mistakes? No, never! (said no one ever)

It is a rare shoot or project that I come away from feeling that I nailed every aspect.  Even when I have confidence from looking at a teathered laptop or chimping the back of my camera, invariably I see things that could have been better when I start my processing.

The worst kind of mistake for me are the settings or configuration errors.  Sometimes these are inadvertent dial moves, and sometimes just sloppiness.  Face it, there is a reason why so many people use a point and shoot, or even keep their DSLR in auto mode.  The reality is that the camera will most likely make a decision on settings that are likely to work.

Continue reading “Make mistakes? No, never! (said no one ever)”