The Inevitable Cars of Cuba

One of the star attractions in Cuba is of course the antiquity – the fact is, the country has suffered under trade embargoes since shartly after the revolution in 1959.

To us, the Western visitor, the sight of row upon row of 50’s American limousines cruising the Malecon seafront is like being in a movie set. All those film noir productions with Bogey and Bacall driving cars the size of the average living room.

To Cubans it’s a symbol of their plight – being stuck in limbo while powers far more aggressive than their own government try to change their way of life through embargoes and other forms of political skulduggery.

Politics aside, these vehicles not only provide the locals with cheap taxi rides across town, but also the promise of much needed hard currency in a nation that is only now considering free enterprise as a way to generate income for the masses. You can hire car and driver for about $30-40 for an hour. I think this is good value – a taxi to Sydney airport from where I live costs about $60 and chances are the driver speaks worse English than a Cuban…

Anyway, most of the cars seen here are hybrid – not because they generate electricity, but, because there have been no spares available for 57 years, they comprise a mix of different bits pirated from other vehicles; diesel, petrol, Japanese, Ford, Kia, you name it, it’s thrown together to keep the vehicles going. When you start editing images of these cars, especially ones shot and HDR’d, you notice that no one panel is the same colour as another. One of the car images here looks as if the bodywork have been repaired with 10 different types of paint and body filler, the result more patchwork quilt than seamless paint job.

Postcard from Havana

Havana. Busy, noisy, dirty, and very, very colourful. There seem to be more of the old US cars in the city in good condition - some great paint jobs - it's obvious that the locals are making a conscious effort to capitalise on tourists' interest in these old cars. This is quite noticeable from our visit four years ago- as well as an increase in prices. A mojito is now 3CUC! ($3). Money well spent, but not before 10am. There's also a lot of restoration in the old part of the city - it's nice to see these fabulous buildings being preserved.

An original Desoto gas guzzler just off the main square in Old Havana.
Most can be rented for about $40 an hour...

An old doorway waiting to be renovated.
Maybe. Quisas...

Mastering the Art of Creative Photo Bookmaking at UDEMY

 

I have just published this as a new course, Mastering the Art of Creative Photo Bookmaking, via UDEMY. 

Even at it's currently published price of US$45, I think you'll find that it represents terrific value, with 52 lessons - over 5.5 hours of video lectures (+ several quizzes).

Do it in your own time and learn how to create awesome photo books.

Click the link and check out my course curriculum...

Set in Concrete, Frozen in Time

Builders being builders, I wasn't surprised to see this last week on our home site: a flower encased in concrete.  Obviously the brikkie's mate sluices the contents of the cement mixer and wheelbarrow over this patch of ground every day - so much so that the plants (weeds?) growing there are now entombed in hardened cement!

Photo Record of Our House Build - At last, a Roof!

After what seems like a year and a half but in reality it was only about18 months, we finally get a roof.
The steel turned up early in the morning and the roof was pretty much finished by the end of the day.  Next step will be to install the windows.

First crane load - roofing insulation.
We insisted in having as much insulation as possible in the tight flat roof crawl space so hopefully there'll be no need for air-conditioning in the summer.
Time will tell if this is to be the case.

Work begins:
The insulation and steel is craned onto the roof and the three boys hop about on the joists.
Missing your step would be painful, if not terminal.
I well remember a holiday labouring job years ago in the UK where we had to remove old iron radiators from a house after the floor boards had been removed.
Not much fun hopping from joist to joist with a 35kg radiator on your shoulder.

The roofers had done this much by 9:30 in the morning.
Things have changed since the days of slate tiles and pitched roofs

With an impending storm in the distance, the roof is, finally, on.
The brick walls have yet to be capped, the bulk of the roof was done in one day.

Builder's Squigglings
No one owns a notepad it seems.
Everyone scribbles notes, reminders and directions on whatever surface happens to be near at the time
(All Pics Apple iPhone)

Aurora HDR Pro Presets

Aurora HDR Pro was released a year ago and is well on its way to be a bestseller. Quite a feat in the very overcrowded software market. I think it is the best on the market, better than my previous all-time favourite HDR software, Photomatix Pro. Why? Mostly because it has phenomenal features, great presets, layer masking and the best noise reduction filter I have even seen. Check it out yourself at www.aurorahdr.com

Looking through a derelict business, Bank St, Pyrmont
This was the 'best' exposure from a 5-frame bracket

Aurora's default HDR setting.
Quite nice from a standing start. Maybe a little too light?

Another Aurora preset - this time it is a nicer tint, better tonal density, warmer, and pretty much what I wanted from an HDR shot.

Another preset - this time with slightly more of an 'HDR-look', but cooler shadows than the previous example

Full-on, surreal preset with all the hallmarks of a solid HDR image:
over the top colour, gritty textures in the shade and the sky areas.

Surreal pt. 2
I loved this preset. Clearly wacky colour but a tint that gives a totally different read on the same scene.
You either like it or hate it!

Aurora hs a couple of neat diffusion and softening sliders.
In fact most of the tonal change sliders can be softened if needed. Here it is used more as a highlight glow

Don't forget that HDR software usually has a few black and white presets - Aurora is no slouch.
Bear in mind that I have not changed any of these images other than to apply a different preset recipe to each.
The software provides a staggering array of further tonal change possibilities if you have the time, desire or interest to investigate.

Final example is an even heavier, grainier HDR effect while still producing something that's almost real - the clouds still need a bit of work but I thought it a credible result for a preset...

For a bit of fun I also include a couple of examples processed using one of the many apps that Jixi Pix produces.
This is a favourite: Moku Hanga for a Japanese woodblock effect and, below, a paint effect...