Now...on to the photos...
Along with cigars, rum and sugar cane, Cuba is known for all the old cars in the country. I thought that these cars were still in service mainly for tourism reasons, but as it turns out, they are still in use because the country has not had many options to import new vehicles. For this reason, the people of Cuba have had to keep these old cars running as their only means of transportation. Some of the cars are completely restored and beautiful and others are not as pretty, but still running.
I took this photo in front of the newly restored capital building in Havana. I waited for this red car to enter my frame and took this shot. I wanted a red car to contrast the white building and deep blue sky.
Everywhere we toured, we saw these awesome old cars, and I saw this as a great chance to teach motion panning.
It was actually quite comical as the group of us stood on a sidewalk and panned one old car after another.
For those of you not familiar with motion panning, let me explain how this works and why we do this. Motion panning is when we slow the shutter speed of the camera and then move our cameras at the exact same speed of the subject. I was teaching our guests to start panning at shutter speeds of 1/30th of a second, and when they got proficient at the technique, to try and pan even slower. Maybe even as slow as 1/10 of a second for these fast moving cars. I was using my Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 24-105mm lens, and I usually try to get my focus point on the door handle of the car and then do my best to keep it on the handle as the car drives by.
The technique is not easy for first-timers, but with some practice does yield some awesome results.
Why do we want to motion pan these vehicles? By slowing down the shutter speed and moving with the cars, we are able to show motion in the image. The foreground and background are blurred, which makes our cars stand out even more. This slow shutter speed also blurs the tires and wheels of the car to accentuate the motion even more.
Once I had a bunch of "normal" motion blur images of the cars, I started tilting the camera to get something even more different. This photo was taken at 1/15th of a second, and just before sunset.
One afternoon, we did a tour of Havana in a couple of these old convertibles. I was getting back into our car when I noticed this door lock. I got down low and took this "detail shot" of this skull.
In Cuba, the first letter of the license plate designates the use of the car. They have "B" for business, "P" for personal, "T" for tourist and others.
I saw these license plates in a tourist shop and liked the colors and images.
The streets of Havana are really interesting, with lots of color and lots of friendly people.
Havana is a mix of modern and historic buildings. We went up to a rooftop bar to get some images of the city from overhead.
We had a great time walking the city and photographing everything and anything that was unique. I saw this guy peering out from his window, looking over the laundry, and captured this typical Cuban scene.
This is a panoramic image that I took from my hotel room, 22 floors above the city. My view looked out over the Malecon, which is a long road and seawall which stretches for 8 kilometers along the coast of Havana. You will see more images from the Malecon, including some epic shots of Cuban ballet dancers, in one of the next blog posts. I will also be posting images from the cities of Vinales, Trinidad and other sites.
We will be going back to Cuba at the same time next year, since the weather is optimum at this time. If you want to know more about that, you can get more information here.
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6 comments:
As usual, nice photographs. However, if one looks carefully, one sees the broken down buildings and poverty. Cuba is a prime example of socialism gone bad.
So many people thought or ask why is there so many vintage cars in Cuba so here is a bit of explanation i know about it. Individuals in Cuba like wonderful things and exemplary vehicles are more excellent than present day autos, kidding. At the point when the US put an exchange ban on Cuba, Cuba was not able get any new autos. So by snare and by hoodlum, the Cubans had to make their 60′s vehicles, "exemplary autos" work. While numerous individuals in the US dispose of their vehicle or garbage it, Cubans had one of the biggest assortment, with numerous cutting edge authorities going to Cuba to buy these relics.
Most vintage cars are found in Cuba precisely customized into a great vehicle. I saw a used Subaru exiga 2012 which was superbly customized by a local mechanic in Cuba.
Here is some information I am aware of to help explain why there are so many antique automobiles in Cuba. People in Cuba enjoy lovely things, and classic cars are superior than modern ones—just joking. Cuba was unable to purchase any new cars when the US placed an exchange restriction on the island nation. The Cubans had to hack their 1960s "exemplary automobiles" together by hoodlum and snare. While many Americans scrap their cars or throw them in the garbage, Cubans had one of the largest collections, and many modern government officials travelled there to purchase these artefacts.
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For many visitors to Cuba, exploring the streets of Havana and admiring the vintage cars is a highlight of the trip. These cars can often be seen driving along the Malecón or parked in front of historic buildings, adding to the city's vibrant and nostalgic atmosphere with this Animated Music Video Production.
It must have been amazing to see all those vintage cars in Cuba! They’ve really kept those old beauties running. With so many old cars still on the road, do people often rely on roadside assistance services to keep them running smoothly? I wonder how difficult it is to find parts for repairs.
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