Cuba: Island at a Crossroad

By now, most folks interested in travel have seen the crumbling beauty of modern Cuba (through photos, at least). There are the expected shots of old American cars that seem to still run on Caribbean force of will exclusively. We see the cobbled stones streets and sweeping beaches. What makes Harvey's work appeal to me so much is that he is not afraid to take what some would consider incorrect or imperfect shots. He is not afraid of showing the heavy contrast generated by Cuba's bright and unrelenting sun. His colors are lovely in that way that film can be and he even throws in some inventive techniques, like when he lights one scene with what are obviously the headlights of care. If this book has one over-riding feel it is one of intimacy and respect for his subject matter. That kind of reverence due to one's photographic subjects is what is often lost in trying to get the perfect shot. Instead, Harvey lets the people be themselves, lets the light blast us with color then conceal details as a subject stands in half-light. There is much made of "street photography" and often it brushes uncomfortably close to voyuerism for my taste, but not so with Harvey's Cuba. There aren't the hidden, uncomfortable looks or forced "slice-of-life" vignettes that plague "street photography," the photos are fantastic all by themselves and show the hand of a seasoned, thoughtful and very gifted photographer at play in an element that suits him very well.

Do not believe the nay sayers reviewing here, photography can never be a medium that wants or even care to project and objective view of a place, God forbid!What it does, and that one of the most accomplished artists of his generation proves here page after page, is to show us how the best photographer is one who doesn't merely catch a moment, nails a perfect shot, but conveys his feeling of a place and its people, and so much that is in between and that words can hardly translate, which is exactly where the subjectivity of and in photography, the inherent genius of the medium, comes in.Harvey's photographic mastery lies in the poetic, not the descriptive. He has what the greatest masters of the Arts do have, an intuitive knowledge of the composition, of the right angle, coupled to a sure sense and experience of color hues and volumes, again not to nail a shot, not to do pretty, snappy glossy travel or documentary images but to give that photo the resonance of a written poem, to translate all these elements as feelings, be they lingering or fleeting ones .Also, anyone just a little familiar with his career knows that he wouldn't even bother to go out and shoot if he was to lose his great empathy for people, a quality that defines who he is, maybe even more than his photographic talent. I doubt any of the cubans he met, some many times over, found any less than a friend in him. It is their loss that some do not recognize this in his pictures.

Amazing!!!

very good

This book arrived well protected and early! It is an autographed copy and is immaculate. Thanks!

Cuba is a visual delight and, with more than 100 color photographs, David Alan Harvey shows you why. Combine Harvey's images of life in Cuba with Elizabeth Newhouse's terse yet thorough style and you have a perfect match for this book.I have recently visited Cuba and found that Harvey's photography captures the essence of Cuba's greatest resource - the Cuban people. Strong and proud, though materialistically impoverished, the people of Cuba are rich in relationships, music, dance and defiance. Harvey, a photographer for National Geographic, has spent the last 20 years photographing Latin America and is skilled at capturing people in their everyday environment.Newhouse's chapter on the turbulent history of Cuba is excellent. Without pulling any punches about the glaring deficiencies of Castro's totalitarian Communist government, she writes with objectivity about life in Cuba and she is able to show, with sensitivity to the culture, the strength found in the people of Cuba. "But above all Cuba is music," Newhouse writes, "expressing Cubans' intense joy in life, sensuality and machismo. Garcia Marquez calls Cuba 'the most dance oriented society on earth. And that Fidel Castro is the only Cuban who can't dance, should have warned the people about him from the start.'"The downside of this book is the publisher/printer's very poor reproduction of Harvey's photos. Almost all of the photos are too dark and thus rob the effect that David Harvey intended. Considering that National Geographic is distinguished for its stunning photography, I called the publisher and asked about this blunder and was told that the printer, not the photographer, was culpable.This book celebrates the passion, color and sensuality of the Cuban people, and, even with the gray backdrop of Communism framing their existence, and the deficiency in the photo reproduction, the Cubans are still able to shine through the gloom and darkness. Recommended.

I have traveled to Cuba and I have followed the photographic work of David Harvey for more than 20 years. While neither makes me an expert I do know that the Cuba Harvey captured is the Cuba I saw and felt when I visited several years ago while on a teaching visa. Harvey caresses his subjects with intensity and love. He blends in - he becomes a part of the scene - while not changing the scene. He is both a photographer's photographer and a man of the people. We hang with the saxophone player in Trinidad on page 45, we roam the late night streets of Havana on pages 92-93, we are unseen as we observe the barbershop/front bedroom on page 166. I highly recommend this book to those who love photography, those who love people and want to learn something about another place, to those who desire to sit awhile in a culture other than their own, and to those who simply love images and the gift a fine photograph can bring to your life. It is a true gift. This captures the vibrant yet gentle Cuba of today, of now, not of tightly clutched notions that died 50 years ago.

La verdad es que tenía duda de comprar a este vendedor porque no tenía muchas reseñas, pero envió el paquete de inmediato y todo salió perfecto. Lo único es que el libro está un poco más gastado de lo que esperaba. Parece como si lo hubieran dejado al sol mucho tiempo, pero las hojas no se están cayendo ni nada.En cuanto al libro. Es uno de mis favoritos.

Premetto che adoro Harvey e i suoi libri, ma questo a mio avviso è stampato male con firmato delle foto piccole rispetto alle dimensioni del libro. Testo abbastanza banale.

El libro es de segunda mano y se nota por el color de las páginas pero ya lo sabía cuando lo compré.

David Alan Harvey's book inspires me to view the world with a fresh eye (and a minimalist approach to equipment).

１週間近く到着予定日を過ぎてからポスティングされた。表紙はかなりヤレがきている。中味は大丈夫だった。新品50ドルを中古で5000円で購入。写真は本の大きさからすると少し小さな写真も少なくない。写真自体は魅力的。ナショナルジオグラフィックが発行してるからか前説がつらつらと長く無駄なページも多い。