Tag: 2011

CUBA : MALECÓN series no.4

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Photo © Bruno Couck 2011

The fourth instalment in the Malecon series comes from Bruno Couck. Bruno typically photographs architecture and abstracts, and is beginning to enjoy street portraits and close quarter photography in a new light in the streets of Havana.

“Shooting in low light conditions favours blurred images, which in turn give a very good impression of how lively the main Havana sea facing road is on Saturday nights. People running, walking, strolling over from one side to another, from a group of friends to another, from a silent area to one where some music is played…

Malecon, probably the most densely populated place in Havana at the weekend!”  ~ Bruno

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 Night movement on the Malecon © Bruno Couck 2011

CUBA : MALECÓN series no.3

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Photo © Steven Lee 2011

The Malecon intrigued me somewhat, after seeing many photographs by well-known photographers in the past, and now that I was finally arriving on this ‘hallowed’ stretch of concrete I was excitedly keen to make some images that, for a first visit, meant something greater for me than mere snaps.

It was during a drive-by the previous Saturday evening in a Cubataxi, one of the yellow Lada-state taxis, that I noticed the amazing night scenes along the  seawall, with literally thousands of Cubanos mingling, chatting and perching on the walls late at night. I saw young teens, older locals, families with their kids, people swigging and sipping rum from bottles, playing guitars, stalls selling snacks and of course the ever watchful Havana policemen and women, who do such a great job in keeping the peace, thus there are hardly any reported thefts, robberies or crime.

This Saturday night, we cruised the Malecon in a clapped out faded pink 1950’s Ford. Our driver, a huge beefcake of a man, found a convenient spot to drop us off as we promised to return in 30 minutes or face long walk back to the hotel.

The 6 of us headed off and along the Malecon, split up into ones and twos shooting our own series. I shot with a compact Fujifilm X100, which I had been using practically the entire trip, with the ISO cranked up to 400 and using the built-in flash. I also shot stealthily in available light at ISO3600 in a few instances, when I needed to preserve the moment.

Here’s my take..

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CRUISING THE MALECON by Steven Lee

CUBA : MALECÓN series no.2

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Photo © Keng Fun Loh 2011

Another take of the Malecon series by Keng Fun Loh sees a totally different and rather voyeuristic approach. Fun simply decided to shoot in available light (which in some parts wasn’t available at all!) composing a shot every 6 paces along, at a fixed distance away from the sea wall, with a 50mm lens, and making full use of the Canon 5DM2’s high ISO capability of 6,400. Focusing was pretty touch and go in complete darkness whilst, some frames were lit by the headlights from passing cars.

These photographs capture the honesty of the moment, candid and unobtrusively depicting the locals hanging out, unperturbed by a sniping visitor.

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Take Six on the Malecon © Keng Fun Loh 2011

CUBA : The MALECÓN series no.1

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Photo © Ivy Tan 2011

The Habaneros love the Malecon, which is an 8km walkway, promenade, esplanade, seawall (call it what you want) on Havana Bay, stretching from Old Havana and its rickety port, along New Havana with its belle-epoque buildings, and 60’s style iconic beach hotels right up to the Vedado area, where souless Russian-style construction is evident. There is no stretch of concrete in Havana, or perhaps, Cuba better than the Malecon, for the young and old of the city to relax, chill, hang out, fish, dive, and make-out. We were fortunate enough to pop along after our last Saturday evening farewell meal at the famous La Guarida (which is another story) to meet and photograph the locals and tourists doing what they do on the Malecon.

Here are a series of images from the group (starting with Ivy Tan) showing how different interpretations of the same shoot can result in equally spectacular photographs.

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The Malecon Divers  © Ivy Tan 2011

Ivy’s approach to photographing the divers was more specific and focused. She only had a limited time to make these pictures on the Saturday, having just returned on a 6 hour bus ride from the the coast, whilst the rest of the group were either exhausted by the 33C heat, or busy buying cigars. Nonetheless, what she achieved was a tight and close-up view of these hunky boy divers doing their thing. Her naturally amicable approach to people is an asset she uses to get real close to her subjects. Shooting with a compact Leica also helps in this case, where the looming silhouette of a typical DSLR-toting tourist is lessened.

French Connection

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Spent a couple of nights in Paris, my favourite city last week. Stayed close to the Republic area in a small hotel off the main road. I’ve been coming over to Paris since the early late 90s, and am quite familiar with the city and its sights, but, like any other large and culturally orientated city in the world, I’m always discovering new angles to photograph. Still being the Chinese New Year season, Chinese or Vietnamese Parisians stick great big red lanterns outside their business premises. They are all the same. Rather uniform lanterns. Paris is a walkable city, the boulevards and avenues provide magnificent vistas across the city and the tourist sights are filled with visitors from all over the world. I have noticed a significant number from mainland China and many Japanese visitors also.

I met up with Isabelle, a Cambodian Chinese Parisian, and Alexandre, a Pole living in Paris, at a local Vietnamese restaurant to sample the delicious beef pho in Belleville. The restaurant Dong Huong occupied three shop lots and was packed with diners, even on a weekday.

Tube portraits

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I love surreptitiously taking photos in the London Underground, in off-peak times, as I often find there are plenty of interesting stills to capture, and people to photograph. People are usually so absorbed in their newspaper, paperback or smartphone nowadays to notice me snapping a few here and there. I find people’s shoes and stance often amusing, especially if there are suitably well dressed or have some item on them that stands out. Here’s three I snapped with my phone cam yesterday.

Back during film days, I shoot stealthily with a near-silent Konica Hexar, one of the best cameras ever made, in my opinion. I still have a Hexar sitting on my shelf, dying to get out for a run, like a house-bound Jack Russell. Nowadays, shooting silently is easy with compact digicams, but don’t forget to turn off that super-bright focus assist lamp! That, will surely give you away.

Happy New Year 2011 !

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We would like to thank all our participants and friends for your support in 2010, and we hope to be able bring more coaching sessions to you, making the process of learning photography fun.

Tomorrow sparks a new dawn of the next decade. For explorenation in 2011, Andy and I are planning a new series of workshops, with Cuba and Rome for the first half of the year.

Just quickly posting this photograph taken at dawn in Pushkar, at the camel festival, during our recent workshop to Rajasthan. I particularly like the mood and the setting of this image and its depiction. These are camel breeders come together once a year to these barren hills outside Pushkar, about 150 kms north of Jaipur, bringing with them over 30,000 animals, camels and horses too, to trade. Pushkar opened my eyes in many ways, to new experiences only gained through the act of travel and being there. No matter how many guide books I read about the festival, it does not really do it justice.

Stay focused!