We're in Cuba and it's time to get out on the streets and take some pictures of
some of the people here.
MUSIC
Hi this is Jay P. Morgan.
Today on The Slanted Lens we're going to walk the streets of Cuba, take pictures like street
portraits of the people that we meet here.
Not street, necessarily street photography- street portraits.
I want people to look at the camera.
The people here are fabulous.
They are warm and they're inviting, they're just so enjoyable to meet and to talk with.
They're very open.
I wish I spoke Spanish.
I don't, Julene does.
So that would have he-- that helps to have her here for sure.
Uh, but I just kind of point at my stuff as I go and they respond.
"Take a picture, take a picture."
And people respond.
And it's been a fabulous experience.
But I'm gonna talk about how to do street portraits.
Just kind of one-on-one, individual, just a few minutes each time you take a few pictures.
So let's get started and see what we can do.
MUSIC
It's basically Julene and I, when we go to shoot.
So we packed accordingly.
Kind of Julene's skills and my skills and what we needed to be able to do BTS and to
be able to shoot.
I carry a camera, a 35mm lens, or a 24-70, depending on what I'm feeling that day.
And I love this little thing.
I use a Vanguard backpack.
Strap it on my strap here, I can drop this off, unzip the side right here.
Then I drop it in and I just break the strap loose, right here.
So I leave the strap around my neck all the time.
That way I can get rid of it really quick, put it back on my back, and I'm ready to go.
And so it's just very easy to work that way.
Just easy to jump back out.
Unzip it, snap it on to my strap, and I'm ready to shoot once again.
I've got a camera out with me most all the time when I'm out walking around.
It really is how I work.
I've got a camera in hand, I'm shooting most of the time.
It's important when you do street photography to not be shy.
I've found that when I'm paying somebody already is a great time for me to get some pictures
of them.
We'd just ended a taxi ride, we'd been in the taxi with this guy for four and a half
hours, we just paid him two hundred cup, and I'm going, "Can I take your picture in front
of the taxi?"
And he's gonna give me some time to let me take pictures of him.
He's not gonna say no, no, no, no.
He's gonna let me do that.
When we went on a horseback ride up to the sugar cane.
And we, at the end of it we asked the guy if I could get some portraits, some pictures
of him.
He goes, "Sure, sure."
You know, I mean at that point I just paid him, we just paid him to go do something.
Perfect time to ask him to take pictures of him because he's gonna be very open to doing
that.
Or just carry a dollar in your pocket.
'Cause I'll come up to some person who's sitting in a doorway and I'll say- I'll just point
at my camera, and I'll point at them, and I'll say, "Can I take a picture?"
And most people say sure, or sometimes they'll say, "Pay me?"
And so I'll give them a dollar, I'll take some pictures of them.
And I just get some great pictures that way.
It's not actually a dollar, it's a cup.
But it's very similar in value to a dollar.
Always want to be out shooting when the sun is down.
When it's just, like, right now is just starting to be the perfect time of day.
Just as the sun is starting to set I get in there and I start to shoot.
If I'm during the day time and it's really bright, I stay on the shadow side.
'Cause a lot of times you'll get light bouncing in from the other side, on people's faces.
So it's just a walk and talk to people.
Uh, most people, some people say, "No, no, no picture."
But most of the time, if you walk up and talk to them, they'll let you take their picture.
I love the Sony platform when I'm out like this because it's just so stinkin' small.
And that's one of the reasons I've been using it on this entire trip.
We've got the a7R II and the a7s for BTS.
MUSIC
So
we're at the end of our trip.
We've been here in Cuba for ten days.
We've had a fabulous time.
This place is a rich photographic country.
I mean it's just such great colors in the buildings, great cars.
The old cars- it's like stepping back into time.
I absolutely loved them.
Uh, I Iook forward to coming back here again another time to do portraits.
I want to know if you'd like to come back with me.
So if you'd like to come back to Cuba on a photo tour, you let me know.
Come here and have a people to people experience, to be able to photograph the people of Cuba,
and see this great country.
So let me know.
Talk about it in the comments, send me an email.
Let me know if you'd be interested to come to Cuba with Julene and I, and do a little
photo tour.
So keep those cameras rollin' and keep on clickin'.