PHOTOS IN FOCUS
Excuse me for bragging about my recent 11- day people- to- people cruise tour in Cuba with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, but I happen to have several photos worthy of inclusion in the end- of- cruise slideshow. This, for me, was momentous. Despite landing a decent shot once in a while, point- and- shoot is my milieu. I had jumped at the opportunity to do a Photo Expedition with Lindblad, not only to experience Cuba on an intimate small ship (the 44- passenger Panorama II) with the line’s expert naturalists and cultural guides on board, but because on these cruises you can rub shoulders with some of the best photographers on the planet. On my sailing, Bob Krist, winner of numerous awards for his National Geographic work and known for his people photographs that leave lasting impressions, was the big draw. “If he hears your camera doing too many clicks, he tells you,” gushed a woman from California, who had cruised with Krist before and had come on this cruise armed with an impressively big lens. Armed myself with a nearly obsolete wideangle Olympus and my iPhone, I quickly learned my
best bet for a great shot was to follow Krist around — even if he tends to wander — such as when a guide was giving a lecture on the history of colonial Trinidad. Details like the interplay of light and shadow draw Krist’s attention.
Our cruise tour to Havana and Cuba’s southern coast combined extraordinary exchanges with locals, history, culture, and wildlife. Photo opps abounded — from classic cars and colorful buildings to dancing kids and tiny hummingbirds.
Krist, who was rarely seen without a couple of Sony cameras around his neck, told us in a lecture that relationships with the subject often lead to better photos.
“You will get more cooperation if you share a little of yourself,” he advised. “Shooting people is a skill and a challenge.”
Okay, so maybe we can’t all be National Geographic photographers. Still, on these Photo Expeditions, you can learn skills appropriate to your skill level. And it’s all very low key. Krist didn’t tell us what to shoot, but he was there to help.
“It’s kind of like if you had a walking, talking photography guide in your pocket,” he said. “If you come up to a situation and you are confused on how to make the most of it, you have the resource right there. But a lot depends on the motivation of the guest.”
Me? I asked lots of questions, of course. And I got better photos.
Lindblad’s next Photo Expeditions in Cuba embark January 10 and February 28, 2018 (on the 49- passenger Harmony V). Or follow a National Geographic photographer on cruises in Alaska, the Amazon, Baja California, the Galapagos, or the Pacific Northwest on departures throughout 2018.
Bob Krist, who was rarely seen without a couple of Sony cameras around his neck, told us that relationships with the subject often lead to better photos.