My Heart is in Havana...

Go ahead, you know you want to sing the rest of that song!

I've been pretty inconsistent with my blog posts... mostly, I feel, because I've been wanting to focus mainly on headshots, whereas the majority of my blogs are about other types of photography.  But that feels limiting, so I'm going to still keep my site geared toward headshots, but save my blog for all the other things that have inspired me from behind the camera.  Starting with travel.  

A note:  
​I've left these photos widely unedited.   

I got the opportunity to make a quick visit to Havana, Cuba recently.  Though it was a short trip, it made a lasting impression.  Cuba has, to most Americans, been an uncharted territory for decades, only opening up for us to explore in the last couple of years.  ​​​

I feel like we take so much for granted.  I think we all know we do at some level.  But when you have the opportunity to see how others live, it comes to light.  I don't mean just being impoverished; we see that in our country too.  But it's at a different level there.  Not only are people limited in their abilities to have success, provide for their families, follow their dreams, etc, but they truly don't know any differently.  Being in a country that's essentially been closed off from the world for decades, it seems Cuba's people are almost blissfully unaware.  I'm still trying to decide how I feel about that, to be honest.  Knowing what I know, it feels unfair to me that they don't have the opportunities we have, but at the same time, the people I spoke with seem to have made the best of what they've been given... and that's kind of a beautiful thing.

We spent a couple hours of the day exploring the city in a classic red Oldsmobile convertible.  Our driver was absolutely wonderful, willing to go along with my interest of venturing off the beat-in path and taking us to his favorite cigar shoppe.

We did, at one point, drive by the ruins of the American U2 that Cuba shot down during the missile crisis.  There was a clear sense of pride our driver took in showing off their handiwork.  Quite a strange feeling as an American.  

Another thing I noticed was that everywhere I looked, people had photos of Che Guevara in their windows, doors (just as in the photo below), etc.  They waved flags featuring his face.  Guevara was a leader in the Cuban Revolution who gave his life for socialism.  ​Also, it was hard not to notice the presence of the military heavily monitoring the streets.  

All in all, I found the country very welcoming.  It's people were always eager to tell their stories, share the history of their city, give mini salsa lessons and of course, mix up a mean mojito.

More than anything, it was an extra level of special to be able to share this experience with the amazing man pictured to the right.  Here's to many adventures to come!