Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba

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Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba

It’s me again, your favorite Canadian traveler. Some of you might remember me from that trip to The Alaskan Wild where I wrote a series of post on travel photography? This time my destination was Havana, Cuba. Cuba is a very exotic destination. As a special treat, I’m hoping to show you places & people you’ve probably never seen before.

For those of you who don’t know where Cuba is…. it’s 94 miles from the Florida Keys. It’s most know for being one of the last communist countries in the world, and also for their amazing cigars and rum. Cuba’s beaches are a very popular destination, especially for Canadians who suffer through 5 months of cold weather and snow up to their necks.

Cuba is a 42,000 sq mile island and the host to about 11 million citizens. I spent a few days in Habana, the capital and largest city (2 million people). The city itself was founded by Spain in 1515 and it was originally a trading port. The city was influenced heavily by travelers and colonizers from Spain, France, England and the United States, until the revolution, and the rest is history.

What’s in the bag:

I think I should start by showing you what I packed in my bags, as this may help you with your future travel photography.  Never put your camera gear in your checked luggage unless it’s in something like a Pelican traveling case.

WhatsInTheBag3 Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba Guest Bloggers Photography Tips

I also packed a day bag. The day bag is basically what I’m going to carry with me on my daily excursions. I’m carrying all the lenses I brought along, the Cokin filter and a 250GB HyperDrive, on which I back up my cards during the day as they fill up.

DSCN3197LowRes1 Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba Guest Bloggers Photography Tips

Some stats:

I thought I’d give you a few stats about the pics. Let me know if anyone want’s to know anything else.

Total Number of shots from the trip: 2,111

StatsLensesLowRes Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba Guest Bloggers Photography Tips

StatsApertureLowRes Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba Guest Bloggers Photography Tips

The departure:

It was 4 am and time to get dressed and go. My flight departed at 7:30 and the drive is about 45 minutes. Temperature is 0F in Montreal and I debated about what I should wear. Finally, I ended up wearing some ¾ pants to get in the car. It’s a 3.5 hour flight from Montreal to Havana. The temperature at landing in Cuba was 82F.

I’m met with a local contact, Steve, who was my translator for the week. After a brief lunch, we were out shooting in Old Havana.

In the next few posts I will walk you through the city and some of its interesting people and places. I will also demonstrate some of the new Fusion Photoshop actions I used to edit the images. Stay tuned and don’t hesitate if you have any questions.

DHA5198 Travel Photography: Preparing for a Trip to Cuba Guest Bloggers Photography Tips

(25 shots) ISO 800 | f/8.0 | 1/2000 | 78mm

Photoshop action used: One Click Color, Fusion Photoshop Action Set

I appreciate the spectacle of nature and revel in the creativity of technology. Being a photographer, in many ways, combines these two fascinations. See me at www.danielhurtubise.com or email me at [email protected].

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No Comments

  1. Adam on April 4, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Only 1 DSLR body? Gosh-darn that seems risky. 😉

  2. Daniel Hurtubise on April 4, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    Adam, the 2nd body was in the luggage, no more room in the carry-on 🙂

  3. Lori Williamson on April 4, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    I didn’t think you could take a remote trigger in your carry on luggage. I thought there was a concern they could be used to trigger explosives. Perhaps they didn’t catch it.

  4. Catharine on April 5, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    What did you use for a daybag?

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