Cuba Photos: Travel Pictures made in Cuba

hi

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:12:08 +0000

My name is Rado Vleugel. I am the photographer of Cuba Photos. Thanks for visiting my site. I don’t want to tire you with biographical information about my personality (this big self portrait is already over the top!), so I keep it brief:

I live in the Netherlands. Work as a designer. Study philosophy at Leiden University (no, not everyone who studies philosophy and visits Cuba is a communist!).

If you want to say something, you can leave a public message in my Guestbook or send a private message using the contact form below:

sel2

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:02:01 +0000

Selection 2: Most pictures of the people of Cuba I shot at a moment that they didn’t realize I was taking photographs. Most times I was approaching them ‘secretly’. The “Playing Checkers” picture I took from close distance. Because these kids where so into their game, they didn’t notice that I was there.

I shot all these pictures with a Nikon Coolpix 8800 digital camera. This digital camera has a 10x Telephoto Optical Zoom-Nikkor ED lens (35mm equivalent of 35-350mm). Recently I bought the full frame Canon 5d (D-SLR ) with several L-lenses). Next trip I’ll use this new professional camera.

sel1

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:51:11 +0000

Selection 1: I made these travel pictures during my trip to Cuba. In the Selection of Cuba Photo’s I show a selection of the pictures I took and did like the most. Cuba is a great country to visit and I hope you will be encouraged to visit Cuba also after viewing these pictures.

You can rate a picture by mousing over the stars below it and clicking on the number of stars you want to give to the photo.

sant2

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:30:31 +0000

Santiago de Cuba 2: I took these pictures during carnival time (July 2006). According to many Cubans Santiago de Cuba’s carnivals are the most vibrant ones in the country. Because Santiago de Cuba is the cradle of many Cuban music genres, you will hear music everywhere. During carnival the locals eat a lot of pork that is sold on the streets. They even slaughter these animals on the street. Maybe the pictures of this ‘event’ might disturb some viewers of my photographs.

sant1

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:21:54 +0000

Santiago de Cuba 1: Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in eastern Cuba. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city on the island after Havana. The city experienced an influx of French immigrants in the late 18th century and early 19th century, many coming from Haiti after the Haitian slave revolt of 1791. That’s why you see more people from African descent in Santiago de Cuba than elsewhere on Cuba. The living conditions on the countryside are fairly poor.

pinar 2

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:10:50 +0000

Pinar del Rio 2: The Viñales Valley is one of the most beautiful spots in Cuba. The Viñales Valley has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the outstanding karst landscape and traditional agriculture. It is quite easy to find a Casa Particular in the Viñales area. Hotels are luxurious and expensive.

pinar1

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:57:25 +0000

Pinar del Rio 1: It’s an official secret where Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro lives. At the moment I was taking the photograph “Fidel’s View” I was summoned by military to stop taking photographs. Later I heard from several villagers that Fidel lived on the mountain overlooking this valley. The roads where very bad (even for Cuban criteria), so I don’t think many tourists have found this spot.

trinidad

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:26:57 +0000

Trinidad: Trinidad is a town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba. This pitoresque city has been one of UNESCOs World Heritage sites since 1988. Its one of the best preserved cities in the Caribbean from the time when the sugar trade was the main industry in the region. Nowadays, its main industry is tobacco processing.

It’s quite hard to find a Casa Parrticular in Trinidad because it is one of Cuba’s most visited cities.

rated

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 12:06:34 +0000

Highest rated: These are the 10 highest rated photographs on Cuba Photo. You can rate a picture by mousing over the stars below it and clicking on the number of stars you want to give to the photo.

Havana3

radovleugel — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 05:59:20 +0000

Havana 3: The narrow streets of Havana contain many buildings of historical and cultural significance. Although the majority of Havana has fallen into disrepair (as you can see on the first picture), it is a pleasant city to visit for a Holiday. Most Cuban people are used to the fact that everything around them is old and in pieces and just enjoy life.