Explore Baracoa, Santiago, and Holguin
Workshop Summary
Photographers Jennifer Spelman and Carlos Otero Blanco journey with you for an 11-day workshop to Cuba’s eastern coast.
Dates
Dec. 9 – 19, 2024
Group Size
7 People
Activity Level
Moderate, some walking with stairs, walking on uneven terrain.
Price
$5,950 (shared room)
Workshop Details
Vibrant Santiago de Cuba
Even before your flight touches down in Santiago de Cuba, you’ll feel the island’s pulsating energy beckoning you to join in with its vibe. We ready our cameras to seize for ourselves images that preserve sights and sensations of the vibrant street life that awaits, anxious to capture the essence of Cuba’s second largest city, frame-by-frame.
© Jennifer Spelman
© Jennifer Spelman
Discover the Enchantment of Baracoa
Join us as we are drawn by the allure of magical Baracoa, the “First City” of Cuba. Immerse yourself in its rich visual and cultural tapestry woven by the sweat of the indigenous Taíno people, the explorations of Christopher Columbus, and the echoes of revolutionary fervor. Today, Baracoa stands as a rarely-traveled paradise, where wide rivers and breathtaking coastlines reflect the warmth of its welcoming people.
Creativity in Every Frame
With your camera in hand, you will interpret the beauty and complexity of eastern Cuba through your personal creative filters into captivating images. Under the guidance of Jennifer Spelman and Carlos Otero, you’ll refine both your artistic vision and technical prowess. We’ve carefully curated exclusive locations and delightful encounters offering a multi-layered canvas for your creativity, far from the distractions of ordinary life.
© Carlos Otero Blanco
© Jennifer Spelman
Connect Deeply with Cuba’s Soul
Embark on a journey of connection, both with fellow photography enthusiasts and the vibrant people of Cuba. From visual artists and musicians, schoolchildren and their families, farmers and beachgoers, taxi drivers and doctors, Cubans are eager to engage with you in a cultural dialogue that transcends language. Become part of a vibrant community that celebrates all the visual arts born from these intercultural experiences.
A Unique Experience
Experience the unexpected delights waiting around every corner as we discover, create, and connect. Carlos and Jennifer are well-acquainted with the breathtaking sites and unique opportunities here. They can’t wait to share it all with you on this unforgettable photographic odyssey across eastern Cuba’s picturesque villages and hidden landscapes.
© Carlos Otero Blanco
Itinerary Highlights
December 9 – 12 Santiago de Cuba | December 12 – 17 Baracoa | December 17 – 19 Holguin
- Step into a world where nature’s grandeur and human warmth coalesce. Embark on an adventure across landscapes rich with stories steeped deep in the heart of Eastern Cuba’s mystique.
- Experience the lively streets of Santiago de Cuba.
- Walk up a road lined with vendors selling sunflowers to visit the historic cathedral that houses La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. Cubans pilgrimage from across the island to pay homage to this Saint. Peer just beyond the cathedral and it’s possible to see the road leading into the nearby copper mine.
- Travel up the Miel, Toa and Duaba rivers where you will meet communities of welcoming Cubans who live in tandem with the water and mountains that surround them.
- Witness the simplicity and the beauty of Cuban countryside daily life, such as women washing clothes by the river, families tending their crops and livestock, and coconut farmers sharing stories over coffee in the shade. Each encounter presents fresh opportunities to create images that resonate with meaning.
- Visit an authentic, operating cacao plantation where you will learn about this region’s deep, fascinating traditions in chocolate production.
- Our final stop, Holguin, will be where we share images and reflect on our journey. Here, we visit with the locals while milling through elegant plazas, and absorbing a Caribbean sunset high above the town – a fitting close to a trip rich in history and natural beauty.
Accommodations
Our accommodations for this adventure are basic, but each of us will have a room with bath, air conditioning, and hot water.
It is our experience that group members find the casa particulare housing model far more fulfilling than hotel stays. Our hosts are carefully selected for their hospitality, quality of accommodations, and care for our comfort. Respectful of our privacy, they are always pleased to share their homes, their families, their stories, and their delightful company with guests.
Much of Cuban life is lived outside, and our accommodations will offer open-air opportunities for social gatherings or individual contemplation in this clean tropical environment.
Meals
We will enjoy simple, traditional Cuban meals prepared with local ingredients, including: fresh tropical fruits and juices; innovative side dishes such as yucca and plantains; home-style beans and rice; fresh pork, chicken or fish; and, crisp colorful salads.
We will also dine in privately-owned restaurants where the ambiance is heightened, yet our choices still are limited, but prepared and served with care and finesse.
Travel to Cuba Legally
This trip allows US citizens to travel legally to Cuba under the People-to-People General License for educational exchanges (Title 31 CFR § 515.560). We focus on authentic connections and meaningful interactions, capturing the spirit of the Cuban people through our lenses.
Publish Your Photography
Join the community of photographers who share their images between (and on) the covers of CubaSeen, our photo zine showcasing the best of photography about Cuba. As a participant on this trip you may submit images for our next issue free of charge.
Your Instructors
Jennifer Spelman
Owner | Photographic Instructor
Jennifer Spelman is a documentary photographer, educator and workshop leader based out of beautiful Wilmington, NC.
She co-founded OneWorldSeen in 2021 and co-published its photo zine, CubaSeen. Jennifer is a patient educator who has co-instructed with Santa Fe Workshops,and National Geographic Expeditions. Among her many other photography-related endeavors, she has traveled extensively, teaching workshops in Cuba, Iraq, Turkey, Morocco, India, Romania, Spain, Mexico, Japan and India.
She has worked most extensively across the island of Cuba. During over sixty visits to the island, she’s experienced the friendly generosity of a people always willing to share conversation and a cup of coffee. She has come to understand that to be Cuban is to greet adversity with ingenuity, patience and humor. Life in Cuba is lived on the streets, and Jennifer is happiest amidst their constant motion and layered serendipity.
Website: jenniferspelman.com
Carlos Otero Blanco
Partner | Resident Cuban Expert & Guide
Carlos Otero Blanco is a dynamic photographer who specializes in inventive conceptual projects and creative underwater photography. His wide range of thematic interests spans documentary photography, portraiture, and nature.
Carlos may be best known for his sensitive photographic study of Cuban bedrooms, with hundreds photographed since 2009. The exquisite images were published in his book, Dormir con… (To Sleep with…), co-authored with Enrique Rottenberg, which has been shown in several national and international exhibits, and was featured in The New York Times, among other publications.
Born and raised in Havana, Carlos knows Cuba He has explored its rivers, its shorelines, its cities and villages, its mountains, its farmland and, most intimately, its people. His many friends across the island light up whenever he arrives. His wit and character are threaded throughout his vividly expressive portrait series, Cuba Vive, and are readily recognizable within his diverse selection of photographic subjects from around and across the island.
Carlos has a deep commitment to the natural world, and relishes adventure photography. He has participated in studies of subaquatic archeology, and holds several divemaster and instructor titles, as well as numerous awards for his spectacular underwater photography.
Instagram: @oteroblancocu
What's Covered?
Included
- Lodging with breakfast all days
- 7 lunches and 7 dinners
- Transportation within Cuba, including airport pick-up and drop-off
- Model and location fees
- Please review our Terms and Conditions before registering. It has important information, including our cancellation policy and cancellation fees
Not Included
- Airfare to Santiago de Cuba (SCU) and returning from Holguin (HOG)
- Meals and incidentals not listed as included
- Visas and mandatory Cuban health insurance. This is available for purchase from your airline with prices varying from $85-100
- Travel insurance, which we highly recommend
Gallery
