It seems that our current American administration is planning to make it much more difficult for Americans to go to Cuba. So, if you have always wanted to go to Cuba to make photographs, you better get on it and fast.
Below are some tips about traveling to Cuba that I have gathered through my own experience this past April, as well as the experiences of my colleagues.
What You Should Bring:
Cash: There are no ATM machines that work with American banks. Also credit cards are fairly useless there. The exchange rate for euros is better than the exchange rate for dollars.
Good Walking Shoes: Many of the streets in Havana and other Cuban cities are cobblestone or under construction. Walking all day with your camera equipment can make your feet tire quickly.
Energy Bars: It isn’t always easy to find just a snack. Remember Cuba is a communist country and food is scarce at times.
Toilet Paper or Wipes: Enough said.
Guide Book: I recommend downloading a guidebook to your phone so you don’t have to carry it around.
Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went to Cuba:
You Can’t Have It All. The music is great. The light is amazing. You could close your eyes while taking photos and your images would still be beautiful. The people are friendly and the beaches are gorgeous. But the food is not too good and it can be rather expensive.
Not All Spanish Is Alike: I speak Spanish fairly well and the two weeks before my trip to Cuba I was on an assignment in Guatemala where I never have trouble understanding the locals or being understood by the locals. In Cuba it was a different story. I had to ask people to repeat themselves 2 or 3 times before I understood what was being said to me. The cab driver that took me from the airport to the casa particular where I was staying – talked the entire time. From what I could make out he was giving me a very interesting lesson on the political history of Cuba – I only wish I understood it.
Traveling Alone As A Woman Has Some Challenges: I am used to traveling alone for assignments. Despite my gender and my petite stature I pride myself on being able to safely travel alone wherever and whenever I need to. In Cuba I wasn’t on an assignment I was taking a trip and exploring a new country on my own. I also was doing features for my project me&EVE. I never felt that I was in danger in Cuba, but I was taken aback by the seemingly endless propositions by men. Sure, I could just be flattered by it, but honestly I found it annoying and it made me not want to go out Salsa dancing alone.
Beware the Yuma Hunters: “Yuma” has been the term that Cubans use when referring to Americans. Now the term is used to refer to all tourists or foreigners. A Yuma hunter is a Cuban national, usually a man, who hangs out at the tourist spots, the Malecon, the park, the beach and looks to befriend tourists and become their “tour guides” during their trip. It is usually an unspoken agreement and the Yuma Hunter will bring you to restaurants, clubs, salsa classes, the beach and will usually receive a kick-back from all the establishments they bring you to and they will expect you to buy them their meals since Cubans have very little money. I have a finely tuned BS meter, so when a fellow photographer I befriended on the plane introduced me to a Cuban guy decked out from head to toe in Bob Marley clothing by BS meter was going off. In general these guys are harmless and even providing a service for tourists. But one night this particular guy tried to force his way into the house where this photographer was staying.
What About Tours?
There are so many tours right now for photographers wanting to photograph Cuba it is hard to know which of them are any good. I didn’t go with one of these tours but if I were going to I would go with Alex Garcia, who is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, and his family is originally from Cuba. He has been photographing and visiting the country and his family for many decades. Alex leads cultural trips to Cuba with both The New York Times and The School for Visual Arts.
The Best Parts of My Trip:
The photography highlight of my trip was the day I spent making photographs of a Good Friday procession in La Regla with a fixer/guide I hired named Jose. He is a math professor in Havana who speaks English fluently and was a great guide and overall awesome human being. I will most definitely hire Jose again when I return to Cuba. His contact info is below. It is best to email him well before your trip because internet access is very limited in Cuba. Then once you are in Cuba communicate with him by phone. javivero91@gmail.com +53 53 288 766
- As a humanitarian photographer and activist, most of my photography is about people. Since I wasn’t on an assignment in Cuba I decided to let my eyes wander and photograph what interested me most. And I was constantly in awe of the great design in Cuba. Sure the old parts of Havana are beautiful as are the crumbling, color-fading buildings all around the city, but I was really struck by the signage, the airport, and the little houses in Varadero.
- I do my best to avoid huge tourist traps when traveling. But – my holy grail is a beautiful beach. So despite the resorts and the tourist nature of the place, I did spend two days in Varadero by the beach. And I must say – it is the most beautiful water and beach I have seen yet in my life. Though my quest continues and my next stop is most likely Vietnam.
