There’s something about Havana. The heat, the hue, the hustle. It’s in the walls, the windows, the faces you pass without names. Havana, the Capital of Cuba truly is a photographer’s dream, there are literally great shots to be had around every corner. I took this image, one of my favourite from Havana around five years ago when I was out there exploring the streets. Somewhere on my walkabout I discovered these two Girls, presumably twins sitting in a doorway of their Father’s store or shopfront. It may have been a bakers or a car mechanics, I have no real recollection. I just remember seeing the two girls and taking a couple of shots candidly which captured their great expressions below:
Street Portraits of Havana, Cuba by Geraint Rowland Photography
One of my favourite images from my Cuban trip, I love the way both of the Sisters are looking towards the camera, both with different expressions. The one on the left more stunned and staring, the one on the right starting a smile, both girls dressed in the same clothing. For me this travel image is street photography in its truest form: Nothing added, nothing staged, everything real. I had to crop the image tight as there were some distractions to the right of the girls, but I wanted to keep the aspect ratio at the classic 3:2. Sometimes you have to take the frame of the moment during street photography and candid reportage, as you often don’t have the time to situate yourself perfectly.
The image was captured with my Canon 5D Mark IV, which I had recently purchased second hand, and the ever-trusty 50mm f/1.4 — my street stomping sidearm. The light? Natural. The moment? Unrepeatable. It’s also a quiet reminder — That the streets speak to those who listen. The people of Cuba are very expressive, I collected some great street portraits whilst I was out there, but as always I wish I had taken more! Here is a photography blog I wrote about some of the street portraits I took while in Havana. That photography trip to Cuba did a lot for my photography and paid dividends with the captures that I collected. The obvious one being the low level, wide angle image of the vibrant pink classic car I took down on the seafront of Havana after a rain storm. This image won me a trip to Hong Kong and Macau via the Travel Magazine Wanderlust. You can view that image and read about the win on my blog here.
Cuban Street Portraits in Black and White by Geraint Rowland
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📍Location: Havana, Cuba
📷 Gear: Canon 5D Mark IV + 50mm f/1.4
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