February 17-25, 2025 Street Photographer Masterclass with Steve Simon

Havana & Trinadad, Cuba Workshop Details

Great to be back in Cuba.

We just returned from a wonderful shooting and life experience in Havana. After some great conversations with my Cuban partner Enrique Ocana, we decided to extend our photographic geography beyond Havana and spend some time in the beautiful colonial city of Trinidad, a comfortable five-hour modern air-conditioned bus ride away. 

We are working out the details but we plan to offer similar luxury accommodation when in Trinidad at the Iberostar Trinidad Hotel. It's an amazing, photogenic place and I've had many alumni ask for a Havana workshop that also included the pastel colored buildings and cobblestone streets of Trinidad. 

Here is  out  itinerary so far:

Day 1.   17-feb-25            (Monday).           Hotel Iberostar Parque Central  

Flight to Havana. Transfer to the hotel in Old Havana.                                                Arrival, Orientation and photowalk along the Malecon. Dinner at the hotel.                                                    

Day 2.   18-feb-25            (Tuesday).           Hotel Iberostar Trinidad

Street photography Prado Ave. 0800hrs- Breakfast.                                                     0900hrs- Departure for Trinidad. 1200hrs- Stop in Santa Clara to stretch legs and street photography session. 1230hrs- Journey in old cars for 1hr.                                                    1330hrs- Lunch at local restaurant. 1500hrs - Continue transfer for Trinidad.                                                           1730hrs - Check-in Hotel Iberostar Trinidad, Dinner at the hotel.                                                     Night photography in Trinidad.                                               

Day 3.   19-feb-25            (Wednesday).     Hotel Iberostar Trinidad

0800hrs- Breakfast. Explore Trinidad -Street photography (Itinerary TBA).                                                    1330hrs- Lunch at local restaurant.  1430hrs - 1630hrs. Lecture & Critique in hotel  meeting room.  More street shooting.  1930hrs- Dinner at local restaurant.                                                                                                      

Day 4.   20-feb-25            (Thursday).         Hotel Iberostar Trinidad

0800hrs- Breakfast. Street photography (Itinerary TBA).                                     

1100hrs - 1300hrs. Lecture & Critique in hotel  meeting room.                                            1330hrs- Lunch at local restaurant. Street photography (Itinerary TBA).                                                    Dinner at the hotel. Night photography in Trinidad.                                                                                                      

Day 5.   21-feb-25            (Friday).               Hotel Iberostar Trinidad

Street photography. 0700hrs- Breakfast. 0800hrs- Transfer to Cienfuegos city for street photography. (Prado, Marti Park, Punta Gorda, etc.)                                                   1130hrs- Board this small fisherman boat for a ride across the bay to reach small fishermen settlement and Jagua Castle.                                                  

1330hrs- Lunch at local restaurant. 1600hrs- Transfer back to Trinidad.                                                      1800hrs - 2000hrs. Lecture & Critique in hotel meeting room.                                            Dinner at the hotel. Night photography in Trinidad.                                              

Day 6.   22-feb-25            (Saturday).          Hotel Iberostar Trinidad

0800hrs- Breakfast. Street photography (Itinerary TBA).                                                    

1100hrs - 1330hrs. Lecture & Critique in hotel  meeting room.                                         1330hrs- Lunch at local restaurant. Free time to take the last photos in Trinidad.                                                    1930hrs- Dinner at local restaurant.                                                                                                  

Day 7.   23-feb-25            (Sunday).             Hotel Iberostar Parque Central  

Street photography (Itinerary TBA).0800hrs- Breakfast.                                                     0900hrs- Transfer back to Havana.                                                       1100hrs- Stop in Bay of Pigs to stretch legs and great opportunity for photography off-shore coral reef. 1330hrs- Lunch at local restaurant. 1500hrs- Continue transfer to Havana.                                                1730hrs- Check-in Hotel Parque Central. 1800hrs - 1930hrs. Lecture & Critique in hotel  meeting room. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 8.   24-feb-25            (Monday).           Hotel Iberostar Parque Central  

0800hrs- Breakfast. 0900hrs- Visit the National Ballet School off the Prado.                                                           1100hrs- Shoot from the old cars with selected stops for 2hrs.                                                  1330hrs- Lunch at Villa Hernandez restaurant. 1600hrs - 1730hrs. Lecture & Critique in hotel meeting room. Free time to take the last photos in Cuba.                                                         

1930hrs- Wrap-up diinner at the famous San Cristobal Restaurant; where Obama, Beyonce, The Rolling Stones all dined while in Havana.                                                         2100hrs- Very special night assignment.                                                             

Day 9.   25-feb-25            (Tuesday).                         

Breakfast.                                                       

Transfer to the airport.                                               

Flight Havana - Miami.      

There are some changes to Cuban travel since our last visit. There is a new online immigration process that speeds things up, providing a QR code to present at the airport upon arrival. You can apply for this within 72 hours of your flight time. Our workshops are 100 per cent legal for Americans traveling to Cuba. We can't wait to see our friends and photograph in this amazing, photogenic and welcoming place. 

Most everything will be taken care of for you so we can concentrate on making amazing images of the people and the culture in Havana and beyond. We will explore vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods in Old Havana & Trinidad, often outside tourist areas for unique photo opportunities. We will have great access at a local outdoor boxing club with great light–a place where some of Cuba’s best known boxers have trained.

We will visit and photograph at The National Ballet School, a Passionate Photographer Workshop exclusive. Old Havana is spectacular at night and we will go out night shooting as well.

I am very excited to work with my colleague Alex Lorenzo, a teacher and Cuban expert to bring us to the best places for photographers to wander and shoot. We are sculpting a unique photographic street workshop for you to come away with a fantastic portfolio of images. 

This inclusive trip will include most everything (except airfare): lodging at the 5-Star Parque Central Hotel in Havana and Iberostar Trinidad Hotel, most meals, transportation, transfers, daily instruction and critiques as well as your Cuban  license and all paperwork required for American Citizens to travel to Cuba. Other nationalities do not have these restrictions. Price includes a private, single room at our base hotels for the week.

Our Havana Venue: The Parque Central Hotel

We were lucky to secure rooms at my favorite hotel in Havana. Located in the center of everything, the Parque Central comprises two buildings, a colonial section and modern tower, linked by a stylish, underground tunnel. Both sections have independent lobbies, restaurants, and rooms. With the recent blackouts, it's comforting to be at a hotel with its own generator and good WIFI.

The newer tower is sleek, chic and contemporary, with a wood, glass and steel design set off by bright colors and textured fabrics. The colonial part is classic elegance: what you’d expect to find in a 5-star hotel in any global capital city. Whichever wing you stay in, you’re assured comfort and superior service. Our meeting room is also located here.

The roof terraces of both sections have pools with great views and thus great photo opportunities. Parque Central really is an oasis in the heart of one of the most densely-populated areas in Havana. The lobby might be Havana’s nicest place to chill and a great place to have a coffee or a drink while you edit your work and check your email and upload new work to social media.

The hotel is within walking distance to many of the great places we will photograph in Havana, like El Malecon by the water, and the Capital just a few-minutes walk away. It is no wonder TripAdvisor rates the Parque Central the number one hotel of 75 in Havana!

Our Trinidad Venue: Iberostar Trinidad Hotel from the same company as the Parque Central. 

Street Philosophies

Steve will be teaching you new and powerful street photography techniques guaranteed to push you from your comfort zone to new heights in your work and share his street-shooting philosophies gleaned from a lifetime of wandering urban places with his camera.

This intensive workshop will help you find your own unique vision and street style through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the streets. But mostly you will be shooting the theatre that is the street; sometimes together, often on your own.

All levels of photographic experience can benefit from this workshop. You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up. You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people on the street; overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And you will have fun!

We will have both  pre and post workshop lectures to maximize our time on the ground in Cuba. 

Workshop Video

Watch The Passionate Street Photographer Havana workshop video below to get a better idea about what the workshop entails.

Street Tech

You will talk street-tech and Steve will give you his minimalist view on gear along with a simplified shooting process to maximizing your response time to capture decisive moments. Steve’s street tools include the new Nikon Mirrorless cameras along with a carefully curated selection of lenses; but he’s familiar with a wide range of equipment to help you maximize your mirror-less, compact, rangefinder, DSLR or even your camera phone for compelling street images.

The technical is arguably the least important aspect of photography and the easiest shortcoming to fix, and as a shortcut to mastery you will talk lenses, auto focus, zone focusing, shooting form the hip, using live view, flash and a host of other tips, tricks, distractions and ideas that will improve your work dramatically. It’s a street photography workshop but the lessons learned will benefit you in all genres of image-making.

Closing The Gap...

Between where you are now, and becoming the photographer you know you can be. In class, you will look at a selection of your best work from the previous day. These daily critiques are of crucial importance, where you share ideas and constructive criticism as you look through each others’ images. The workshop will be a “safe place” for group discussions with suggestions and new ideas put forward.

If there's an interesting show going on while there, we will visit a photography gallery. We will have lectures and critiques every day. You will be encouraged to take on a theme over the week for your final portfolio and slide show. We can also provide assignments to push you to a higher level in your work.

Schedule

TBA

I always find it hard to say goodbye at the end of a workshop but I’m heartened by the fact that you leave with a renewed sense of mission and confidence, new techniques and ideas to apply and a reinvigorated passion to continue your wanderings on the streets of your world. (Plus a great portfolio of photographs!)

Your itinerary is proof of your General License authorized travel to Cuba under the general license at 31 CFR 515.565(b) for people-to-people educational exchanges.

Testimonials

Gary Niederpruem, Chicago

“What a fabulous experience. I learned more about photography in one week than I had in 5 years. Steve is very knowledgable about the technical side as well as composition. He is very patient, gives excellent feedback and will work one on one with you on any photography subject you want. I asked him for help on night photography and at 10 PM he was out on the streets of Havana with me with step by step instructions on how to take the shot. 5 star plus rating!!”

Anna Blanco, New York City

“Best workshop I’ve ever taken! Steve is not only a great photographer, he is also a terrific teacher. He is patient and very hands- on. In some workshops the instructor sends students out to shoot after a short lecture–Steve goes out with his students, coaching them throughout the process. His course is well organized and covers diverse topics. He is funny and engaging and generous with his time and knowledge. I had SO MUCH fun and am ready to sign up for the next one. Highly recommended!”

Anne Dunford, Ithaca, New York

"My week in Steve’s Street Shooting workshop challenged me tremendously. There’s nothing like taking your work apart and putting it back together with new vision to make you a better photographer. If you take this workshop, I guarantee you will see the world differently at the end."

Paul Lavergne, San Juan, PR

"Steve’s passion for photography is contagious and his teaching abilities and knowledge extraordinary! I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in photography."

Chapman Solomon, Mountain View, CA

“Participating in the NYC Street Photography Workshop was an enriching and exhilarating experience. It challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to improve my skills. Steve’s curriculum and hands on approach offered me an opportunity to learn new techniques, add some creativity and visualize subject matter from another perspective. Each day presented abundant photo opportunities, resulting with the capture of some amazing images, exceeding my greatest expectations.”

Stephen Sholl, New York City

"Not only is Steve a great photographer, he is also a caring, compassionate person as well. He is constantly trying to help participants achieve their photographic goals in a gentle, caring, and sincere manner. Sadly, the critiques of my work were very helpful. Steve was right-on in terms of his suggestions to better my work. The totality of the workshop was terrific, primarily because the parts were all excellent as well. Choice of shooting locations, image reviews, suggestions, videos shown, and galleries visited were all great. Steve also promoted wonderful interactions among the participants. The venue was perfect for the workshop. We could spread out, leave your things there, use the facilities, and eat the goodies provided. You know you’re in good hands with Steve! An outstanding workshop!!"

Steve Lavelle, London

"This is an outstanding workshop, led by a world-class photographer. It is impossible to spend time in a room with Steve Simon and not be inspired to get out there and make great images …I had high expectations and you exceeded them…Steve is very personable, articulate and passionate about photography, very welcoming with a warm, engaging personality. Steve’s style is outstanding. I knew of Steve from the TWiP podcast and would have attended if he was talking about how to watch paint dry…”

Oscar Piñeyro, Dallas

"I just spent the last three days with Steve Simon, What a wonderful experience, the best time spent in a workshop ever. Steve is a perfectionist, every presentation not only had spectacular photography but also the perfect music to enhance the mood, a roller coaster of emotions. He cannot hide his journalistic background every single image tells a story. His technique is flawless; his teaching patience unparalleled. I am eager to start a new chapter of my photography applying what Steve taught me in the last few days."