Cuba: Where Light, Color, and Soul Converge

Route: Havana → Cienfuegos (day stop) → Trinidad → back to Havana
Old Havana: architecture, daily life, and historic plazas (Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja, etc.)
Classic cars: photograph the iconic “almendrones” with their sensuous curves and reflections
Fusterlandia: Gaudí-esque mosaic neighborhood by José Rodríguez Fuster (Picasso/Dubuffet vibes)
Callejón de Hamel: vibrant Afro-Cuban murals, color, rhythm, and community energy
Dance access: visit Danza Combinatoria studio to photograph practice and create a portrait series
Street photography: abundant opportunities in neighborhoods, plazas, markets, and street scenes
Side-by-side shooting: work with renowned Cuban photographer, Joel Hernandez Marin; exchange tips, perspectives, and approaches
Cienfuegos (en route): French-influenced architecture; known as Cuba’s cleanest city; birthplace of Beny Moré
Trinidad de Cuba: cobblestones, colonial textures, timeless plazas—step briefly into the 1800s. One of my favorite places in the world to make photos.
Approach: authenticity over setups—observational, visual-storytelling focused on natural, unfolding moments
Serendipity: a core principle—staying open to unscripted scenes that elevate your strongest frames
Free-enterprise focus: patronize family-owned paladares and stay in casas particulares (privately owned)

* Program price: $4,900
* Save-your-spot deposit: $500 (nonrefundable; may be applied to other EMS Photo Adventures workshops or products)
* Initial deposit: $2,000 due Nov 7, 2025
* Final payment: $2,400 due Jan 7, 2026
* Single-occupancy supplement: $400

Minimum group size: 7: If the minimum isn’t reached, you will be offered the option to proceed by paying a small-group premium. If the minimum number of participants is later met, the premium will be refunded.

Join Essdras M Suarez, two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist, longtime instructor, international photo contest judge, and author, on his 54th visit to Cuba. Alongside Cuban photographer and instructor Joel Hernández Marín, you’ll experience the island through a photographer’s eyes—learning, shooting, and seeing with fresh intent.

This is a photo-first learning experience. We focus on composition, light, timing, layering, silhouettes, storytelling, and clean backgrounds—skills that help you make images you’re proud to share, exhibit, and submit. We also lean into something that has defined Essdras’s career: serendipity. When great scenes appear, we stop and make the picture.

Our route covers Havana, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad. You’ll photograph Old Havana’s plazas and daily life, classic “almendrones,” Fusterlandia’s Gaudí-inspired mosaics, Callejón de Hamel’s murals and rhythm, and practice portraits and motion at Danza Combinatoria. Expect plentiful street opportunities—day and night.

We favor authentic moments over staged setups. Our approach is observational, visual storytelling that respects people and place. You’ll also spend time with Cuban artists and photographers, exchanging ideas and perspectives that deepen both your images and your experience.

This program operates under OFAC’s Support for the Cuban People category with a full-time schedule that prioritizes privately owned businesses. We also bring school and medical supplies to donate where they’re needed. Safe, comfortable, and creatively rich, this journey blends culture, learning, and photography into an unforgettable experience.

We always favor authenticity over staged situations. Following our daily plan, we keep our eyes open for natural, unfolding moments—an observational, visual-storytelling approach that captures the rhythm of real Cuban life.

Trip Includes

9 days/ 8 nights of accommodations
Customary gratuities throughout the program
Meals
- Included 22 meals
- On your own: 1 Lunch and 2 Dinners
Ground Transportation
Lodging in Casa Particulars (Privately Owned Accommodations)

Note: Full itinerary and details available upon booking.

“This was one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had. Our leader Essdras was outstanding and was able to provide an insight into the Cuban culture that was unique and fascinating. If you take this trip, expect to be shoved out of your comfort zone, in a very good way. Easily the best group leader I’ve ever traveled with, including those from National Geographic and Smithsonian. In addition, a wonderful photography teacher.” … Ann

SPECIAL NOTE: This program operates in full compliance with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (31 C.F.R. Part 515). We travel under the Support for the Cuban People general license and follow a full-time schedule of authorized activities as outlined in 31 C.F.R. § 515.560 and related guidance. U.S. citizens participating in this program are legally authorized to travel to Cuba under this category. Participants engage in meaningful exchanges with the Cuban people, prioritize privately owned businesses, and avoid transactions with entities on the U.S. Cuba Restricted List.