Photography Workshop
DETOUR HAVANA
Hi, I am Joerg Alexander
I am a seasoned photographer and have been deeply connected to Cuba for many years, pursuing my own photographic endeavors in this captivating country. As your photographic mentor, I bring my expertise and passion to help you expand your photographic skills as you explore the beauty of this unique place.
„One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.“
Mindful Seeing - 'Slow Photography' -
Photography can be understood as a kind of mindfulness training for the senses. The point is to understand photography as a means of making us more serene and balanced.
The camera serves as a ’seeing aid‘ so to speak that can teach us to see more mindfully without a camera. The tactile experience of shooting with a camera that fits comfortably in your hand and becomes an extension of our photographic sense. It’s about forgetting time and rediscovering the world while looking through the camera viewfinder. The challenge to more fully consider shapes, sizes, perspectives, and angles of subjects before pressing the shutter button heightens our awareness.
Experiencing our environment intimately with the camera allows us to perceive things in a new and different way. Contemplative photography, is a form of meditation, as strolling around consciously with your camera, allows our world to become more detailed. Making photographic excursions without prejudice lead us to something we didn’t expect in advance.
Think of Photography as a kind of meditation that you can dive into, but will never reach the bottom. Your approach is much more important than the medium you use. Learn using your most valuable instrument: Your eyes.
„For me, the camera is a self teaching tool – you get to know yourself and the world.“
Havana Paradox
Havana; – straddling between socialism and capitalism, decay and glamour, seditious colors and melancholic interiors, racing in many opposite directions due to its slow development into an uncertain future. Relaxed Caribbean island culture mixed with the big city life of Havana, where American vintage cars from the 50s drive past you on Havana’s Malecon.
Cuba is not just unique, but one of the most rewarding photographic and cultural experiences you will ever encounter. Because Cuba is so different it requires an open-minded and rewarding sense of adventure. Prepare yourself to be completely wowed.
Photographing Cuba offers us the rare opportunity to capture its warm people alongside its natural beauty, between emerging modernity, social distress and magical decay of breathtaking architecture.
Your in-person Masterclass with the experienced photographer Alexander Reichardt will combine exciting visual tours with on-location work in a mindful photographic approach to connect your photography and your mind, broadening and deepening your own vision by using the camera to explore the city in a direct, spontaneous way.
Masterclass
CUBA
Detour Havana
In our Masterclass DETOUR HAVANA, we divide our time between Havana, the vibrant capital of Cuba, and Trinidad, a distinctive colonial city on the country’s south coast. Sensual Cuba is a land of intense rhythms, colors, emotions, aromas and flavors. We will experience the rich and colorful culture and real life in Cuba and you will visualise it with your photography. You can expect incredible opportunities for portrait, street and cultural photography, in the most inspiring locations in the best light of the day.
During the day we will fully immerse ourselves in our Masterclass with different tours and photo walks and various photo sessions. We will meet the locals, visit musicians, dance groups and religious rituals and follow their music and rhythm. We will work with dancers, models and real people and focus on their expression, the body and its shapes, lines and movements, surrounded by the rhythm of culturally vibrant Cuba.
Havana is in an exciting period of development as the city revives after the devastating pandemic. The master class requires empathy for the local people and the many conflicting social issues they face as we leave the beaten path, go into the field and develop our own visual stories.
Joerg will teach you his philosophy in photography, you will develop a sense of form and rhythm, making your images compelling to the viewer. Learn how to develop concepts, work in the street, make portraits, work with body and movement, photograph with natural and artificial light and bring images to life in post-production.
Details
Photography Masterclass in Cuba over 5 days in Havana and Trinidad. On each Masterclass day, depending on the day’s theme, we meet either early in the morning or at lunchtime and take on a photographic assignment in the context of the city, its culture and history.
Based on the photographer’s individual concept, which we tailor to each participant during the Masterclass, you are free to continue the day in the group, alone or with other photographers.
In the evening or the next day, we will discuss your photographic work before moving on to the next assignment.
What you get
*5 Days Masterclass with tuition in the field and lectures
*7 Nights Accommodation in 4 Stars Casas, pp share
*Small group ( 4-8 participants )
*All local transportation, Taxi, Car, Minibus
*Professional photographer Tutor | Guide
*Photo walks & tuition in the field
*Street, people, portrait, urban and landscape photography
*Post Production Process with Lightroom & Photoshop – Individuell lessons.
Where we stay
Havana – Colonial Casa at Placa Vieja – Trinidad – Casa similar in quality
We spend from Monday to next Monday, the 7 nights in cosy and comfortable Casas Particulares, typical Cuban guesthouses, where we enjoy Cubans warm hospitality. All rooms have private bathrooms.
Enjoy very personal tutoring
min. 4 – max. 8 participants
Equipment&Gear
We require all attending photographers to bring their own cameras (and 1-2 lenses) plus support gear (memory cards, extra batteries, charger, card reader, external hard drive, power adapter, small photo bag, pocket torch, lightweight tripod) We also encourage you to bring your laptop to download your images for review & positive criticism and to edit the images in the postproduction process
Monday is an arrival day where we meet and get to know each other for the first time. Classes start on Tuesday and last until Saturday. During the breaks we will use the time to select and edit our images and plan our next photo sessions with Joerg’s expert support and guidance. On Sunday we will reflect together on our photographic experiences and say our goodbyes.
Participants make their own air travel arrangements to arrive in Havana in time.
Once the trip is confirmed, travel details, suggestions, and tips to help participants travel to Cuba are provided.
*Visas can be purchased at the airport before departure from your air carrier.
*Visitors to Cuba must also have proof of valid medical insurance.
DETOUR HAVANA
Dates & Fee
The workshop fee includes 5 days tuition in the field with 7 nights of accommodation and all transportation in Cuba.
€ 1.600 per participant .
At the confirmation for the Masterclass (places are limited), a payment of € 600 is due per participant; the total amount is payable before the Masterclass starts.
If you wish to participate as a couple, the fee for your partner will be reduced to € 900, (incl. accommodation in a shared room for you two)
5 days / in the week # 7 / in the middle of the month of February
„to be determined“
If you prefer to participate on a daily basis, the basic day fee is 400,- €. Depending of the class and the individual activities, additional fees will compline. As well, if you’re interested in one-to-one teaching lessons, please enquire for availability and possible special arrangements.
Why choose your Masterclass in Havana?
Discover Havana’s vibrant colonial buildings, vintage cars, and lively street scenes – a paradise for photographers.
Enjoy an intimate workshop with personalized attention and meaningful interactions.
No hidden charges; our workshop covers accommodation, transportation and fees, providing a worry-free photo adventure.
Experience the soul of Havana by engaging with locals and exploring vibrant neighborhoods.
Find serenity in the present moment and capture heartfelt images through photography.
As your photography mentor, I’ll be right by your side, guiding you every step of the way. Together, we’ll elevate your photography skills and explore valuable tips and techniques.
Your camera will be an extension of your artistic vision as we create photographic masterpieces reflecting your unique perspective.
„It’s time to capture the essence of this incredible city.“