Tree, Field, East, Cuba, 2008

At times the work is difficult. On this visit to the eastern part of Cuba, the relationship between me and my friends is strained. They are photographers as well. Before my visit this year, we exchanged ideas and made plans to drive to the most eastern part of the island.

We had a deal, the car and transportation would be taken care of by me, as well as the film. They would arrange contacts in each city and arrange our photography as well, in addition to helping out with the driving.

As we head out of Havana, my friends tell me that they have never driven before. In addition, as we arrive at each city, their contacts are nowhere to be found. Agitation soon finds its way to the conversations, especially from my end. These are photographers after all, friends as a matter of fact. They out of all people, in my mind, needed to understand the importance of our time, precious little time.

Now and then, we take a break from the tension and stop by the side of the road for some landscape images. This is one of them, to the right of the road. It seems appropriate that faces are distant from me during this time, landscapes find their way to my lens.