Photographer Kate McGuire provided the details and images for the Havana, Cuba destination.
In February 2013, I spent a week in Cuba with Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. Santa Fe has a license from the U.S. Treasury to conduct people-to-people programs, which are intended to give Americans the opportunity to meet the Cuban people and experience their culture. There was no photographic instruction or group critique, other than a slide presentation on the final evening comprised of a few photos submitted by each participant.
There were approximately 42 participants divided into smaller groups of 7 or 14 that were usually accompanied by both a Santa Fe photographer and a Cuban photographer. The Cuban photographers showed us interesting areas in the neighborhoods we visited, and took care of details like transportation in cabs. In keeping with the Cuban government’s requirements for the program, there was a different photographic opportunity each morning and afternoon. The programs for my group included visits to several homes and cultural institutions, including a ballet school. We generally did not visit “tourist” sites, but had some free time when we could do so.
Most of my photos are urban scenes since almost all of our time was spent in Havana. My primary objective was content-based, and frequently there was not enough time to plan a photo. I hoped to capture the energy of daily life in Havana as well as the variety of the historical, cultural and ideological factors that impact on Cuban life today. These photos depict only a small sample of my experiences in Cuba. More photos are posted in sets on my Flickr page under my screen name katemcguire.
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