La Havana, Cuba
10 November - 16 November 2024
1800 € per person | 7 Days | 8 to 12 people
Guest Mentor Raul Cañibano
By Lisandra Alvarez
With Raúl Cañibano/ Lisandra Alvarez/ Noel Rojo/ Sté Kyndt
Havana’s vibrant and dynamic atmosphere has long been a source of inspiration for world-renowned photographers. The city’s bustling markets and streets, iconic vintage cars, and rich tapestry of cultural and historic influences make it an ideal canvas for developing and refining one’s photographic skills. Each corner of Havana tells a unique story, inviting photographers to capture its essence through captivating and evocative images.
Now, imagine spending seven immersive days honing your craft in this extraordinary setting. Under the expert guidance of local photographers Raúl Cañibano and Lisandra Alvarez, alongside Street-Macadam photographers Noel Rojo and Sté Kyndt, you'll have the opportunity to elevate your photographic techniques and storytelling abilities.
This workshop isn't just about taking beautiful pictures; it's about learning to see the world through a lens of creativity and narrative depth. You'll explore Havana’s colorful streets and charismatic residents, delve into its rich history and architectural splendor, and emerge with a portfolio that tells the authentic story of this enchanting city.
- Discover your unique style
- Master visual storytelling
- Refine your skills through one-on-one shooting sessions
- Expand your creative possibilities
- Learn new approaches and improve your unique way of shooting
- Receive constructive feedback to help you craft cohesive visual narratives
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, this workshop welcomes all who are passionate about learning, shooting, and immersing themselves in the vibrant essence of Havana.
Worshop Highlights
Individual Portfolio or Project Review
A thorough evaluation of your portfolio or project to pinpoint areas for improvement.
Customized Lessons
Tailored discussions based on your interests and identified areas for growth. We’ll work on developing your own identity as a photographer.
Daily Photo Reviews
Direct feedback from three established photographers to enhance your best shots with minor adjustments.
1-1 Shooting sessions
Personalized shooting sessions with one of the three instructors to refine your skills.
We offer you a unique workshop experience led by three talented and renowned photographers.
The group of 8 to 12 participants will be divided into three smaller groups. Each group will change mentors daily, allowing you to experience different approaches to street photography and learn how to approach people and work the scene effectively. This rotation ensures that you will gain diverse perspectives and techniques, enhancing your skills and especially your creative eye.
Each group, will change mentors daily, allowing you to experience different approaches to street photography and learn how to approach people and work the scene effectively.
This rotation ensures that you will gain diverse perspectives and techniques, enhancing your skills and especially your creative eye.
By the end of the workshop, you will have developed a well-rounded understanding of street photography, ready to apply these insights to your own journey.
Discovering Your Personal Style
Explore various influences, review past work, and participate in on-location assignments to pinpoint your unique style and solidify your photographic identity.
Understanding Visual Stories
Learn to select and approach stories that will stand out visually, enriching your images with deeper meaning and context
Crafting a Visual Language
Discussions on using elements like color, mood, and composition to bring your stories to life. Hands-on sessions will teach you how to use these elements effectively.
Advance Sequencing
Understand how to piece together photos for a seamless narrative, focusing on pacing and themes.
Techniques for a Cohesive Body of Work
Learn to incorporate themes, maintain visual consistency, utilize repetition, and apply intentional composition to enhance storytelling.
Constructive Criticism
Participate in both group and one-on-one feedback sessions in a supportive, non-competitive environment, fostering meaningful connections and personalized improvement.
Local Guides
Raúl Cañibano
Raúl Cañibano (Havana, 1961) is an award-winning photographer whose work focuses on his native Cuba. In his youth, he lived for several years in the rural provinces of Las Tunas and Cienfuegos before moving to Havana and training as a welder. It wasn’t until 1989 that he visited an exhibition of Cuban photographer Alfredo Sarabia’s surrealist photographs at the Fototeca de Cuba, which opened his eyes to the type of photography he wanted to do. Self-taught, Cañibano was influenced by a wide range of artists and photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Salvador Dalí and Sebastián Salgado, and developed his own “slightly surrealist” style. His work explores a broad range of themes, including the city, the countryside, faith, and old age.
His ongoing two-decades’ long anthropological series “Tierra Guajira” (Country Land) won Cuba’s photography prize in 1999. It pays homage to Cuban peasants and recalls his own experiences of having spent part of his childhood in the rural eastern regions of the island.
His photographs have been published widely (New York Times, Leica Fotografie International and Black & White Magazine, The Guardian, Le Monde, etc) and exhibited internationally. Cañibano’s work features in major public collections, including the International Center of Photography (ICP) and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. His latest book Absolut Cuba was published by Edition Lammerhuber in 2021.
Lisandra Alvarez
Lisandra is a professor of typography and photography at the Higher Institute of Design (ISDI). She received a honorary mention from Alfredo Sarabia in Sarabia de la Havana in the Biennale de la photography in 2020, she was also a winner of the National Photography Competition for the 40th anniversary of the Center for Psychological and Sociological Research, Cuba (2023). Second prize from Leica Women Street Foto Project and Women Street Photographers (2024).
She works with an analog technique (35 mm y 120 mm) and digital.
She like connect people in their daily lives. Her goal is to accentuate elements of emotion and rawness that exist in daily lives, whether behind closed doors or on the streets of Centro Habana.
About her photography, she said:
« When I am in touch with the feelings that move me, I am better able to see it in others. My emotions become my guide and lead me into the photograph. They help me see moments which resonate with me, whether ones of compassion, tenderness, sadness, fear or something else.
When I feel the moment, I shoot it. And hopefully I create images that invite reflection, provoke emotional response, and elevate a split second in time into a larger moment unifying my subjects with the viewer. It’s an on-going process; a circle that always spins and integrates my life with my art. And helps me better understand myself and explore what I am seeking as an artist and a person. »
Noël Rojo
Noel Rojo is a Mexican photographer focused on human rights issues, especially those affecting women, Indigenous people, migration, and climate change.Co-founder of Women Who Stay, his work has appeared in publications like Deutsche Welle, The New Humanitarian, Mongabay, and The Thomson Reuters Foundation. He has been exhibited in Central Europe, the U.S, and Mexico. Noel has lectured on photography at universities and festivals, and has been a journalist fellow at USC and Brandeis
Stéphane Kyndt
Stéphane Kyndt is a professional photographer since 1997. Initially traversing paths in business and psychology, Stéphane's pivot towards photography was a revelation. Through self-teaching and relentless practice, he honed his skills, delving deep into the intricacies of framing, technique, and storytelling. Over time, he forged a distinctive photographic style characterized by its humanistic ethos, rich colors, warmth, and an unwaveringly positive outlook on life.
Stékyndt's odyssey led him across continents, where he spent a decade in Los Angeles , serving as a photo correspondent specializing in celebrity photography. Yet, Stéphane's wanderlust was far from satiated. He returned to his homeland, France, only to continue his globetrotting adventures. His work has taken him across the globe, from Madagascar to Colombia, from Morocco to Uruguay and in many other countries in Europe.
His photographic expeditions, often centered on documentary and street photography, serve as poignant testimonies to the human condition and the myriad facets of culture and society. Each frame tells a story, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the narrative woven by light and shadow, color and contrast. Reflecting on his journey, Stékyndt muses, "There is magic in photography, and this magic does not fade with time, quite the contrary... It’s the eternity of yesterday." Through his lens, he invites us to embrace the vivid spectrum of life, to savor its vibrancy, and to find beauty in the ordinary.
Disclaimer
Dear Macadam members, as you probably know, our priority is for you to have a maximum amount of fun during this worksop, while ensuring everyone’s safety.
Consequently, there may be times when we need to adjust the itinerary, or the program.
Unpredictable weather, or unexpected events can occur. Rest assured, we will always do our utmost to ensure that this unique experience remains unforgettable and that your portfolio is enriched with incredible shots.
Please note that we also reserve the right to cancel the workshop if the minimum number of participants is not reached. We sincerely hope it never comes to this.
Additionally we ask that you contact us before purchasing your plane ticket. Our goal is to supervise this workshop with the utmost professionalism and avoid any potential disappointments.
Book your Workshop to Munich | Deposit 540 € | Full payment 1800 €
10 November - 16 November 2024
7 Days | 8 to 12 people
Accomodations, meals & Local transport are note included in the prices
Under the expert guidance of local photographers Raúl Cañibano and Lisandra Alvarez, alongside Street-Macadam photographers Noel Rojo and Sté Kyndt, you'll have the opportunity to elevate your photographic techniques and storytelling abilities.
