08-MAY-2012
Preparation, Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym, Havana, Cuba, 2012
Three primary colors -- red, blue, and yellow – combine here to express the colorful nature of boxing itself. The boxer is relaxed as he methodically wraps his fist in brilliant red tape, echoing the red trunks he wears here. The yellow waistband repeats the yellow of the old walls surrounding the ring. Highlights play across his rippling muscles. One must be very strong to be a boxer, and this portrait is an image of a powerful man.
08-MAY-2012
Footwork, Havana, Cuba, 2012
The boxer in the previous image moves into the ring for a footwork drill with another fighter. In this image, we can come to understand the well-worn nature of the gym itself and the surrounding neighborhood. The colors express the flavor of Cuba. The buildings in the background have not been painted in many years, are in a condition very common to Havana.
08-MAY-2012
Sparring, Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym, Havana, Cuba, 2012
In the final image I display from this colorful boxing gym, the fighters spar with each other. I photographed the boxers from below, and built the image around the dominant red glove poised to deliver a blow. A slight blurring of the image increases the tension flowing between them. Head to head, glove to glove, attack and defend – the rhythms of the sport itself are all on display here. Boxing is Cuba’s great passion, and those who train in this legendary gym, are at the root of that passion.
09-MAY-2012
Revolutionary icon, Havana, Cuba, 2012
The streets and alleys of Havana still bear vivid marks of Cuba’s 53 year-old revolution. The most enduring revolutionary icon is the stark line drawing of Cuban military and political leader Che Guevara, based on a photograph made in 1960 by newspaper photographer Alberto Korda. It has since become a worldwide symbol of revolution. There are dozens of such Guevara images in the city – this version is on the wall of a shipping terminal on Havana Bay. I photographed it early in the morning, while it was still in the shadows. I waited for the lone figure to approach, giving the image its sense of scale and purpose. The heroic icon looms large just ahead of this man, a fading black ink drawing floating on an aging field of peeling paint. It is all part of Cuban history now – a rebellious metaphor now showing its age – and its scars.
09-MAY-2012
Primary colors, Havana, Cuba, 2012
Havana expresses itself in primary colors. Red, blue, and yellow seem to be in the city’s genes. I found them glowing here at dawn, as a rising sun paints the buildings along Havana’s famed sea wall, the Malecon. A well-worn yellow curb sweeps diagonally across the bottom of the frame, providing a base for my image. The man resting on his cane leans his head in the same direction as the small tree, embraced by red studded doors and a shadowed blue wall -- even a small lamp -- all gilded by the dawn of the day. It is an atmospheric image, intended to offer a sense of place.
09-MAY-2012
Locked out, Havana, Cuba, 2012
A woman waits for a barred apartment house door to open, while another resident gazes out over the sea from the balcony overhead. Neither seems to acknowledge each other’s presence. The woman’s arm is cocked over her hip, letting everyone know that she is waiting, somewhat impatiently, to be admitted. The man’s hands are folded under his chin – his mind is elsewhere at the moment. Between them sprawls Havana in microcosm – ornamental grillwork, potted plants, carved wooden doors and shutters, and on the upper level, the inevitable fading paint.
09-MAY-2012
Bored, Havana, Cuba, 2012
I zoomed in on the man appearing at the top of the previous image (
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/143582429) and found him to be utterly relaxed and probably bored. A dozen other photographers were photographing him as well, so he was obviously aware of our presence and purpose. Yet he never acknowledged us – he was at his window to watch a sunrise that seems to be just another part of his morning routine. The image conveys a sense of character as well as attitude – he wears his hair long and adorns his chest with considerable jewelry. He enjoys nature – a veritable forest of plants surround him, and life along the Gulf of Mexico has deeply tanned his skin. Meanwhile, he seems at the moment to have incongruously withdrawn into himself, blocking out the surrounding beauty and warmth.
09-MAY-2012
Neptuno Wharf, Havana, Cuba, 2012
A 19th century marble statue of Neptune stands on Neptuno Wharf, looming over the Malecon promenade at the entrance to Havana Bay. I photographed it from behind, in order to include a setting moon floating next to the raised trident. Meanwhile, a rising sun paints the marble statue in golden tones. Caught between the sun and the moon, this Roman god of water and the sea symbolizes Cuba’s identity as an island in the Gulf of Mexico.
09-MAY-2012
Fishing off the Malecon, Havana, Cuba, 2012
These commercial fishermen never even put out to sea – they simply tossed in a net, and hauled in load after load of fish. I photographed them from the Malecon, Havana’s sea wall, as the sun was rising behind them, silhouetting the figures of the fishermen as well as the fish wriggling in the net.
09-MAY-2012
Royal Salute, Havana Bay, Havana, Cuba 2012
The Royal Spanish Navy’s training ship, Juan Sebastian Elcano, enters Havana Bay breathing fire. I caught it heading right at us, cannons blazing a thunderous royal salute. One of the largest tall ships in the world, the Elcano was built in 1927. It has visited over 68 countries – including Cuba. It is used to train Spain’s naval cadets. I found it somewhat ironic that a Spanish naval vessel should enter Havana Bay during my visit – it was near this spot that the US Battleship Maine, exploded and sank in January, 1898, killing 266 US sailors. The US, wanting to wrest control of Cuba from Spain, blamed Spain for the disaster, and four months later launched the Spanish-American war. The cause of the explosion has never been verified. This image of a smoke shrouded Spanish naval ship expresses a sense of both past and present, adding a historical footnote to the history of Havana Bay.
09-MAY-2012
Return Salute, Fort San Carlos, Havana, Cuba, 2012
Known as La Cabana, Havana’s Fort San Carlos was built in 1763 by King Charles III of Spain. It was the biggest fort in the Americas at the time. It is now a historical park, and its cannons are noisily returning a 21-gun salute in honor of the visiting Spanish training ship, Juan Sebastian Elcano. (See
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/143582437). I converted this image in black and white, taking us back in time to the days when this vast fort was defending Havana from naval attacks. The smoke from the guns speaks loudly here – we can almost hear the sound as it rolls across the harbor towards us.
09-MAY-2012
At the doorway, Havana, Cuba, 2012
While I was photographing the older man sitting on a tiny stool at the entrance to his home along his pair of dogs, the door opened, and another man came through it carrying a young child. Both men wear blue shirts with red sleeves, as well as trousers in varying shades of blue. The warm humid climate of Havana encourages an abundance of life on its streets and on its doorsteps. The worn paint on the door also tells its story – the home has been here a long time, and aesthetic improvements are a luxury few can afford.