Two Friends + Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Summer of 2015

Alejandro and I drove West one afternoon, trying to get away from the clouds in the city. This seemed to work sometimes, as we drove in the direction of Pinar del Rio and found sunshine on many occasions. 

We drove for quite a while and were unable to find faces to document, stories to tell. The search because desperate, especially when two sets of clouds started to come together, creating a tiny sliver of space for the sun to set. Just as we almost gave up, we found this beautiful home and decided to stop.

We then stepped out of the car as we realized the people were looking our way. The women were about to walk home, but decided to remain and listen to our request. We asked permission to photograph the home first, knowing that their curiosity would get the best of them.

It was raining lightly as I exposed a few images of the home. To my immediate left a chicken was guarding her eggs carefully, making me feel a bit uneasy about the location of the tripod. Everyone eased my mind though, and saw it as quite comical.

This made it easy to ask for their portraits, and resulted in the smiles we see below. We photographed the man of the house first, a marvelously powerful farmer whose spirit transferred to film perfectly I hoped at that moment.

The women were great of course, laughing all along and helping each other along the way. My experience has always taught me that acting a clown helps very much, it lowers barriers and allows others to see a lighter side of the photographer. The smiles in this image were the result!

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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M2. 

El Trabajador, On the Road to Pinar del Rio, Cuba, July of 2008

In my last few days on the island I decided to head out on my own to Pinar Del Rio. It seemed easy enough, nicely paved roads and neatly placed signs. Heading west from the hotel and without a map, the feeling was a mix of anxiety and excitement.

After getting out of the city, everything cleared up... the skies, the roads and the air. Every now and then I would stop and speak to a few men, ask their permission to make images. Without exception everyone agreed regardless of my limited Spanish at the time. On this occasion a group of workers were cutting the grass manually.

For a monthly salary equal to an average pair of pants, they are responsible for the grass on this stretch of highway. In addition to the work accomplished on their farms, they would come out in groups on certain times of the month and cut the grass. This of course is done under the grueling sun and during the hot months of the Caribbean, when the grass grows most quickly.

We went on to collaborate for perhaps thirty minutes, after which time I bid farewell to them and continued west. For me the rest of that day was easy, driving around in a car with the wind blowing, keeping me cool. I drove for a few more hours and then turned around to head back to the city.

All the time I couldn't help thinking that these men continued their work until the sun went down, then returned to their farms to do more of the same. I have a deep respect for these men and others like them, men toiling under the sun without rest and only with the hope of providing for their families.

For more of my work, please visit the newly designed website below, courtesy of Patrick Luu.

Halim Ina Photography