Cuban in Front of His House, Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016

I do miss the days when we used to drive into the countryside. We’d never know who we were going to run into, and the sessions were both instant and spontaneous. For this man's portrait we drove deep into the countryside near Manzanillo and ran across a small group of houses. Both young and older people were sitting around chatting when we arrived. They greeted us warmly and we had a conversation about the area, about their neighborhood. Once it came time for the photography they agreed and we set up for their portraits. The contrast between light and shadow deep in the woods was fascinating, albeit a bit difficult to print in the darkroom. I am sincerely blessed to have been introduced to the world through photography and hope to return to this area later this year.

Etsy 

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Farmer and Children, Outside Alwar, Rajasthan, India, 2010

The respect that I have for the communities in rural India is immense. Having seen the hard work with my own eyes, watched families share responsibilities in the fields 24/7 and then experienced their generosity without fail has led me to these areas over and over again for the past 16 years. This man for example has worked since he was the age of these young boys, and continues to work without rest. True inspiration!

Etsy 

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The Hands of a Farmer, Cuba, 2018

The work in the darkroom continues, concentrating on the countryside of Cuba. I wonder how many fields these hands have worked, how many meals they have provided to the man's family. Every line has significance, as well as every deformity. A single image cannot do justice to decades of hard work, this I understand. 

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Farmer + Hands, Campo, Cuba, 2018

There's something special about heading into the Cuban countryside. Normally we start well before sunrise and hope to find such a man in time for the perfect light. Sometimes we get lucky early, and get a chance to make a portrait after a conversation. He was great, made photographs leaning up against the Oldsmobile, some with and without his hat. His hands caught my attention, and I asked him to lift them for this image.

Note: Medium-format negative printed onto 11x14 fiber paper and toned in selenium today.

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Portrait in a Chair, La Habana, Cuba, 2018

Algunos dirían que esta forma de fotografía no es documental, que mover una silla o tener una conversación sobre vestuario y peinado es ocultar la verdad. Algunos dicen que esto es artificial, mostrando algo diferente a la realidad.

Les digo que todo el mundo tiene sueños y que su realidad está fuera de su control. ¿Por qué no hablar con ella y entender cómo le gustaría que la fotografiaran? ¿Por qué deberíamos imponer las nociones del mundo de su país y su sociedad? ¿Qué pasa con sus pensamientos y sueños?

Esta joven viene del campo y vive en un pequeño grupo de casas de madera. La gente de la ciudad llama a estas comunidades 'llegan y ponen', viniendo a la ciudad desde los pueblos y construyendo casas improvisadas ilegalmente.

Sin embargo, son como migrantes en todas partes, buscando una vida mejor para sus familias. Conocimos a su comunidad mientras Idiovel me conducía por el campo y terminamos conduciendo hasta su pequeño pueblo. De alguna manera terminamos frente a la casa de sus abuelos y nos invitaron amablemente a entrar.

Durante las próximas semanas regresamos muchas veces, tuvimos múltiples sesiones de fotografía con la comunidad, grabamos un video musical para su primo (una aspirante a artista) e hicimos este retrato muy especial de una joven sin paralelo en su belleza y fuerza.

Note: Negative exposed with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination, printed in the darkroom onto Ilford 11x14 fiber paper, toned in selenium for permanence.

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Man + Horse, Countryside, Cuba, 2018

Hay unas semanas antes del verano en Cuba. Por supuesto, me gustaría hacer arte con los bailarines y modelos, pero también debemos incluir a los magníficos cubanos que viven fuera de la ciudad.

There are a few weeks before the summer in Cuba. Of course I would like to do art with the dancers and models, but we must also include the magnificent Cubans who live outside the city too!

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Farmer + Sugar Cane, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2020

This print was made in the darkroom last month, from a negative exposed during my quarantine in India. While my flight home was cancelled and an additional six weeks were spent in the village, those weeks were spent with an incredible family and with my own room. The meals were made with love, and minus the chili thanks to my friend's family!

So much was different in India this year, including the weather. It rained more than it ever had in my travels to this country, and the skies at times turned almost black. This negative was exposed as we drove around the area looking for a group of sugarcane workers. They allowed me to walk between them and make images at the same time.

Having these negatives, made handheld with a 35mm point-and-shoot, means the world to me even more now.

Note: This negative was exposed with a Leica CM, printed onto Ilford Warmtone Fiber Base Paper and toned with Selenium.

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Cubano, Campo, cuba, 2018

Lo sorprendente de este país es que en la mañana podríamos estar en la ciudad con los bailarines más talentosos y luego en la tarde con la gente noble del campo.

En este retrato hay un hombre amable que se detuvo por un minuto para permitir que se hiciera su retrato. Como no teníamos nada planeado para la tarde, decidimos salir de la ciudad. Buscábamos personas que trabajaran con sus manos y encontramos a este hombre con su caballo.

Hablamos unos minutos y él accedió a ser fotografiado. La cámara estaba en el asiento trasero, lista para usar. Lo instalamos y rápidamente hicimos su retrato, para que él pudiera ir y alimentar a su caballo con la hierba que acababa de cortar.

Estos son los momentos mágicos para mí, tanto por la hora como por la memoria.

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Cuban, Countryside, Cuba, 2018

What is amazing about this country is that in the morning we could be in the city with the most talented dancers and then in the afternoon with the noble people of the countryside.

In this portrait is a gentle man who stopped for a minute to allow his portrait to be made. Since we had nothing planned for the afternoon we decided to drive out of the city. We were looking for people working with their hands, and found this man with his horse.

We spoke for a few minutes and he agreed to be photographed. The camera was in the back seat, ready to use. We set it up and quickly made his portrait, so that he could go and feed his horse with the grass he had just cut.

These are the magical moments for me, both because of the hour and also because of the memory.

Elder, Rama, Nicaragua, December of 2017

45 years after we lost our home to an earthquake I returned to my birthplace of Nicaragua. The experience of walking in the footsteps of my parents cannot be described fully, for my mind still needs to process the events of last December.

One thing is for sure, the people of Nicaragua treated me like a prince, like one of their own. Thanks to my cousins Victor and Carlos, it felt just like home. Their homes were my homes, their hospitality was as generous as any in my travels. Certainly this was a reflection of our culture, of their respect for my parents... but it was so much more, and I may begin to understand more so when we meet once again this December.

Then there were those we met on the road, such as this man on our way to the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. We never did reach the coast, but this neighborhood of Rama was as kind as we could have imagined. The people were so generous with their kindness, and allowed us to have a morning session which resulted in this portrait.

These beautiful people work hard day in and day out, and their lives are anything but easy. Their entire neighborhood was built on the outskirts of the town without planning nor distribution of basic services from the municipal government. Yet they endure and do their best for the sake of their children.

His home is as basic as can be, wooden walls with a dirt floor. He has slept in the same bed for decades and his mosquito net does what it can to protect him on those long, hot nights. He lived alone and worked from sunrise to sunset just to have enough to eat. There are times when the making of a portrait makes me pause, such was his.

I look forward to returning in December and going deeper into this man's history, as well as the relationships formed during my first visit in over 4 decades.

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503 CW/100 mm C lens combination.

Farmer, Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016

His portrait comes to mind as my visit to Nicaragua nears. My hope is that rural Nicaragua is as welcoming as its counterpart in Cuba, and as beautiful. Thanks to my family in Nicaragua plans are being made to do just that, head to the countryside in search of those working with their hands.

This beautiful man's portrait was made as we drove to the eastern part of Cuba in search of a family. We found that family, and over the span of five days made portraits of its daughter, an inspiration well worth the 14 hour drive. In the mornings we photographed her, and in the afternoons we drove to the villages on the outskirts of the town and photographed the farmers in the villages.

Our connection in this village was a cousin to the family in the larger town, and one of her neighbors was this man. He was just returning to his home when we ran across each other. We talked for a few minutes and then he gave us permission to make his portrait. We had a mixture of sun and clouds on this day, yet the sun came through just for his portrait and that of his neighbor before heading back behind the clouds.

It was an honor to have produced his portrait, and I can only look forward to doing the same in Nicaragua in less than one week!

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/100 mm combination.

Young Student + Landscape, Madhya Pradesh, India, 2016

Last year we had the privilege of visiting MP with the guidance of Humana India. Thanks to Mukesh Poswal, we were able to make some memorable portraits. Mainly we visited schools set up by Humana India, in order to help out of school children mainstream into the government system. We were able to visit more than a dozen schools... and make include the children in the photography.

My hope is that these children were able to mainstream into the existing school system, and that the work of Humana People to People India benefited the communities in the intended manner. Perhaps next year we will be able to visit once again, and thanks to that visit we will be able to proceed with the program in Uttar Pradesh in a more learned manner.

This past week we have had fruitful conversations with the four communities and hope to proceed as planned. In one village the existing madrasa is poised to include a formal curriculum, while in the other three sewing classes have been discussed as an entry into the communities. For those of you who have donated your efforts on behalf of this movement, we thank you and will share images soon.

We began with one, and now have four included in the conversation!

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

Young Woman + Puppy, Countryside of Cuba, 2015

One day Alejandro and I drove out into the countryside looking for something new, and happenstance led us to this house and this young woman on our way back. We had almost given up after an hour or so of driving, and made our way to the spot where the sun was still shining, in between clouds rolling in from both sides. About 20 minutes before the sun was blocked by the clouds we stopped to photograph this house, and encountered a group of incredible people.

They had been visiting the man living in the house, and were on their way back home when we walked towards them. We first asked to photograph the home, and the handsome man allowed us to do so. Alejandro knew my technique and knew that the next question would be to photograph the inhabitants of the house. We moved onto that question and not only did the man allow us to photograph him, but the young women also allowed us.

As the rain started to come down on me and the camera the portraits were made. The sun was still shining, and the women refused to leave until their portraits were made. So we did so, all the while one of my tripod legs was dangerously close to the nest of a chicken guarding her eggs. I kept one eye to the ground on my left, and one eye on the people in front of the camera, while my mind was thinking of the rain and hoping that the lens was clear of water.

It was a beautiful moment, and I do hope that we can make it back to that home to provide the photographs from two years ago. Alejandro of course remembers every single home we visit, and it is my belief that we will make it this summer!

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/100 mm combination onto Kodak 100 TMX film.

Carbonero, Village near Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016

In this image a man rakes a pile of burnt wood searching for pieces of charcoal, as this is his livelihood. He steps in the middle of incredible heat just to collect enough to support his family. In spite of his difficult life, he embraced our presence and smiled constantly during our visit.

We met him because he was a husband to our new connection in the village. When we drove 12 hours to Manzanillo to photograph a single girl, we never expected to have such access to rural Cuba. Our friends in the city told us about a few villages less than an hour away, and wanted to take us there. We of course accepted and headed to the unknown.

The villages were incredible, as we were made to feel like family. In the morning we photographed our young friend in the city, and for the afternoons we drove out to the villages. We arrived mid-afternoon and walked around making photographs in the fashion of street documentation. It was so liberating to be able to walk around with such freedom, and to make photographs just by speaking with people along the way.

All of the homes were so beautiful, and the families were almost as curious as we were. This reminded me of my first few years in Havana, when the curiosity was mutual. Now of course the capital has changed tremendously, and over the past few years I have been more and more drawn to the countryside.

Next summer we plan to spend at least half of our time in the countryside, both just around the capital and much further out. The anticipation is already palpable, and will certainly increase when the film from this past summer returns processed in a month or so.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.

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Carbonero, Pueblo cerca de Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016

En esta imagen, un hombre rastrilla una pila de madera quemada en busca de trozos de carbón, ya que este es su medio de vida. Da un paso en medio del calor increíble sólo para recoger lo suficiente para mantener a su familia. A pesar de su vida difícil, abrazó nuestra presencia y sonrió constantemente durante nuestra visita.

Nos encontramos con él porque era un marido de nuestra nueva conexión en el pueblo. Cuando conducimos 12 horas a Manzanillo para fotografiar una chica sola, nunca espera que tenga dicho acceso a la Cuba rural. Nuestros amigos en la ciudad nos hablaron de algunos pueblos de menos de una hora de distancia, y querían llevarnos allí. Nosotros, por supuesto, aceptamos y nos dirigimos a lo desconocido.

Los pueblos eran increíbles, ya que nos hicieron sentir como en familia. Por la mañana fotografiamos nuestra joven amiga en la ciudad, y por las tardes nos condujo a los pueblos. Llegamos a media tarde y caminamos en torno a hacer fotografías de la forma de la documentación de la calle. Fue tan liberador para poder caminar con tanta libertad, y para hacer fotografías con sólo hablar con la gente en el camino.

Todas las casas estaban tan hermosa, y las familias eran casi tan curiosos como nosotros. Esto me recordó mis primeros años en La Habana, cuando la curiosidad era mutuo. Ahora, por supuesto, la capital ha cambiado enormemente, y en los últimos años he estado cada vez más atraído por el campo.

El próximo verano tenemos la intención de pasar por lo menos la mitad de nuestro tiempo en el campo, tanto a la vuelta de la capital y mucho más lejos. La anticipación es ya palpable, y sin duda aumentará cuando la película de este verano se procesa en un mes más o menos.

Young Girl + Window, Village near Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016

This past year we were fortunate enough to have visited a new village, thanks in great part to a connection from last year. Once again we drove to the eastern portion of Cuba to photograph a single girl, and this led to a village nearby.

As we walked making photographs of the homes, I noticed a young girl playing in front of one in the distant. Alejandro and the others were far behind me, so I decided to continue walking without making contact. Soon after Alejandro caught up with me and told me that her parents wanted me to photograph her. Nothing could have been more perfect!

We asked to photograph her in the window frame of the home, and they allowed us to do so. She was a natural in front of the lens, and the support of her parents impressed me sincerely. The sun came and went, and we did what we could with the light.

The next day when we stopped once again by the village, and she found us in the street and came running to say hello. A new star for our photography has been born, and we will include her every year from this point forward.

In the end, we made some wonderful contacts in the village, and now have an incredible lead for next summer. While La Habana will always be our home, it is now a base for extending our photography to the countryside. I for one cannot wait for next summer!

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Note: This image was made by Alejandro Godinez Ramos as the young girl was looking my way for her formal portrait. Hopefully this expression was also recorded with film.

Campesino + Perrito, Manzanillo, Grannma, Cuba, 2015

Last year we had the chance to travel to the other side of the island while, at the same time, taking one of our new families back home after their summer vacation. We stayed with the family for three days, photographed their children and then headed back through the countryside on our way home. The plan was to photograph in the mornings, continue onto another town to photograph in the afternoon.

This image was just one from our drive back, less than an hour away from the family. We had noticed an incredible set of homes, and stopped to speak with the families. The houses were constructed entirely from wood, in the most traditional style of the island. Alejandro decided to let me speak with the family on my own, and smiled as a young boy led me to the house.

The family was quite receptive and allowed me to begin photographing the houses. Their warm response gave me the confidence to ask for their portraits. They allowed me to photograph the young boy in various settings, and then the older man allowed me to photograph his hands holding a puppy. At first he resisted, thinking that perhaps his entire frame was going to be included. He was so sweet, but also a bit shy.

So I showed him the viewfinder, and stood in front of the lens so that he could see my hands and nothing else. He then allowed me to make this image, and held the puppy in the most gentle fashion while doing so. I was sincerely touched.

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Note:This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/100 mm combination onto Kodak TMX film.

Campesino + Manos, El Campo, Cuba, Verano de 2015

Last year Alejandro was able to fix his car during our second month and we headed out to the countryside more frequently than our first four weeks. We would photograph our families in the morning and then head out to the countryside for the afternoon. We did this because our afternoons were never very predictable regarding the weather.

We ran across the most wonderful people, and slowed the process of photography down quite a bit. This was a relief actually, and allowed me to reflect much more so on my vision. It also allowed us to speak with the people much more, and select the moments when we wanted to photograph.

This wonderful man lived in a town east of the capital by at least one hour. We were on our way back from the far side of the island and decided to take an exit and explore. We saw a home and decided to photograph it. As we finished we noticed this handsome man sitting next door. We walked over and asked to make his portrait, and he responded most eloquently and positively.

We talked for some time while he enjoyed his cigar, then made our way to the back of the home for his portrait. His demeanor won my heart immediately, and I am overjoyed to see the success of his portrait in these two samples from the proof just scanned last week!

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination onto Kodak TMX film.

Campesino + Field, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, 2013

When we drove by this man in the field, he was making sure that the water flowed freely. We decided to stop and ask for his portrait, and were glad we did. He was working for the owner of that plot of land, and earned barely enough to support his family living less than a hundred meters from this very spot.

He had taken a break to speak with Alejandro, and I took advantage of the moment to get down on the ground and make photographs in the style of the Soviet era masters, placing themselves below the workers. Knowing Alejandro's propensity to converse at length with his fellow campesinos, I had plenty of time to compose the images.

What moved me most was to be in the midst of this incredible conversation, and to be unnoticed while making a visual record of the audible. We did return that same day incredibly to hand him the photographs, and were able to see his home adjacent to these fields. He worked the fields for someone else, and barely made ends meet as described above. He told us that sometimes the youth come by at night and steal the crops to sale the next morning on the road, that in one hour they steal enough to make more than he does working in the hot sun all day.

He pointed out to us that almost all of the workers in his area were older men, while the younger men had fun during the day, and stole the crops by night. Only by having such conversations can I learn about such difficult lives. Only by being with Alejandro would this man have ever shared such intimate details of his life with a stranger from up north.

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Note: These images were made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/60 mm lens combination onto Fuji Neopan Acros 100 ISO film.

Farmer's Hands, Countryside, Cuba, 2015

Last year Alejandro was able to fix his car during our second month and we headed out to the countryside more frequently than our first four weeks. We would photograph our families in the morning and then head out to the countryside for the afternoon. We did this because our afternoons were never very predictable regarding the weather.

We ran across the most wonderful people, and slowed the process of photography down quite a bit. This was a relief actually, and allowed me to reflect much more so on my vision. It also allowed us to speak with the people much more, and select the moments when we wanted to photograph.

This wonderful man lived in a town east of the capital by at least one hour. We were on our way back from the far side of the island and decided to take an exit and explore. We saw a home and decided to photograph it. As we finished we noticed this handsome man sitting next door. We walked over and asked to make his portrait, and he responded most eloquently and positively.

We talked for some time while he enjoyed his cigar, then made our way to the back of the home for his portrait. His demeanor won my heart immediately, and I am overjoyed to see the success of his portrait in these two samples from the proof just scanned last week!

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 555 ELD/180 mm combination onto Kodak TMX film.

Young Student + Islamic School, Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India, April of 2015

In color this time, this is another image from the session in the Islamic school located in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh. Just like in the portrait posted earlier this morning, we made this photograph using indirect light outside of the classroom. The boys had been photographed just earlier, now it was the girls' turn. A few at a time were called from their lessons to be photographed, took turns in front of the camera and returned to the recitation of the Koran.

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2 with natural light only.

Friend's Father-in-Law, Countryside, Guanabacoa, Cuba, Summer of 2014

The day was spent in the darkroom printing amongst a few negatives this beautiful man's portrait. We drove to Alejandro's neighborhood to visit his son, and ended up meeting his son's father-in-law as we started on our way to photograph the village. When I asked to photograph him, both Alejandro and this exquisite man had some fun with it. He allowed us immediately, and then went on his way to tend to his land.

This past summer was different, in light of the two months on the island. We had more time to talk with the families, to accept their invitations to birthday parties and to indulge ourselves with just driving away from the big city. In the countryside life was very different, allowing us to breathe a bit while taking in the changes. In six months I look forward to yet another summer in Cuba, and to furthering this work as only this incredible land has allowed me to do.

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According to Wikipedia:

The town of Guanabacoa is found situated in the province of La Havana, some five kilometers to the southeast of La Havana (city) and south of the city of Regla. It rests on a small hill bordered by rivers.

Guanabacoa was also the home of a small community of Florida Indians, mostly Apalachees and Yamasees, who, along with Spanish forces, were evacuated from Florida in 1764, following the conclusion of the Seven Years' War