Large Format Photography & Cuba...

[Capocheny]

Greetings all,

A good friend of mine (who shoots with a 5x7 Arca Swiss) is headed off to Cuba in the next short while.

Quick question... have any of the folks on this forum traveled to Cuba with a Large Format Camera?

How did you ship the camera, film, and tripod... and 2 or 3 lenses? How about film?

Any issues once you were over there with respects to being questioned about your gear and shooting?

If you did... what would you do the next time you were headed over? For example, would you take a Blad/Mamiya VII or would you take LF again?

Any permits required?

BTW, his wife is traveling with him and isn't into photography the way my friend is!

Any recommendations or advice?

TIA for any constructive advice!

Cheers

[vinny]

Try this guy. He's from Michigan and has been there dozens of times to photograph. Looks like medium and 35mm though but i'm sure he'd know a bit.
Jack Kenny
http://www.jkennyphoto.com/
cuba-photo@sbcglobal.net

[Capocheny]

Hi Vinny,

Thanks kindly for the info... I'll forward it off to my friend.

Wouldn't it be a hoot to organize a group to go to a foreign country such as Cuba to do nothing but eat, drink, and shoot LF images?

Probably wouldn't take much more than a brave soul to undertake the organization of such a trip.

Hmmmm... I'll have to give some thought to this!

Cheers

[domenico Foschi]

Hi Vinny,

Thanks kindly for the info... I'll forward it off to my friend.

Wouldn't it be a hoot to organize a group to go to a foreign country such as Cuba to do nothing but eat, drink, and shoot LF images?

Probably wouldn't take much more than a brave soul to undertake the organization of such a trip.

Hmmmm... I'll have to give some thought to this!

Cheers

Count me in!

[Capocheny]

Count me in!

Hi Domenico,

You're on the list... it won't be in the next week or so but probably we'll be looking at this seriously in a couple of months.

Need to do some research before we take this to the next step.

[b/]Does anybody have any first-hand experience with shooting in Cuba?[b]

One of the well-known Leica guys here in Vancouver has gone over and shot some absolutely gorgeous images. But, that was with a 35mm. I'm wondering what it would be like with a LF camera.

With the change in leaders over there... I wonder what changes are going to be.

Lastly, I know there are some resort areas over there but friends of ours also stayed right in the center of Havana at a hotel where Fidel use to stay. I'll have to get rates from these friends and we'll go from there.

Lastly, IIRC, aren't US citizens still restricted from going over there? If so... it would be easy enough to tee things up going through Canada instead.

ANY comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Cheers

[G Benaim]

Clyde Butcher did a trip to Cuba w his LF and ULF gear, might try him too.

[Vaughn]

Here is Canadian photographer who spent some time in Cuba several years ago (several trips between 2000 and 2002) with a 4x5 and Type 55 (often enlarging two at a time with an 8x10 enlarger).

http://www.elaineling.com/photo_cuba.html

She sent me a postcard of the street portrait photographers there -- some use LF. Your portrait is exposed onto photo paper, developed/fixed in the camera, using changing bag-type sleeves and trays of chemicals in the camera. With the bellows cranked out, the paper neg is then put in a holder that centers it in front of the lens and it is rephotographed, developed/fixed in camera, washed in a can of water hanging off the tripod leg, and then somehow dried and given to you, the customer. One can even have Che's image exposed onto the paper next to you! pretty cool...

Vaughn

[BradS]

Count me in!

Me too!

[Donald Miller]

Hi Vinny,

Thanks kindly for the info... I'll forward it off to my friend.

Wouldn't it be a hoot to organize a group to go to a foreign country such as Cuba to do nothing but eat, drink, and shoot LF images?

Probably wouldn't take much more than a brave soul to undertake the organization of such a trip.

Hmmmm... I'll have to give some thought to this!

Cheers

At last report the US Government still has a regulation prohibiting travel by it's citizens to Cuba. I have not heard that regulation has been changed...in fact the US has publically stated that they do not intend to change any of the embargos with the change of Castros. In fact, I believe that one would be hard put to travel directly from the US mainland to Cuba via air. I know that some are traveling from the US to Canada and arranging air transit from Canada to Cuba. However the US Government does have the perogative to arrest these selfsame citizens upon their reentry into the US and has done so. My information originated in a press release within the last year. I have heard mixed reports of the outcome of these legal procedings but this is a case for caveat emptor.

[Robert Brummitt]

Steve Anchell use to do a yearly workshop to Cuba.
You should contact him at steve@steveanchell.com
I wonder how things will improve when Castro fully retires?
Talk about a wonderful photo opportunity!