Every Cuban Taxi Tells a Story

Every Cuban Taxi Tells a Story Journeys 2020- Photography contest entry statement by the Douglas Powell dpowell@hintonpowell.com www.douglaspowellphotography.com cell: US 001-678.488.9734 July 20, 2020 About the photographer: I am a lifelong travel photographer who has had the good fortune to take photos in many far-flung countries throughout the world. I love meeting people so that I can begin to see their existence and plight. I love to photograph them so the world can appreciate how someone else lives. My philosophy about photography is have fun-when you stop doing things for fun, you might as well be dead. In selecting photos for this contest, my theme is the particular originality of the Cuban taxi. About the Series: There was a brief moment in time under the Obama presidency in 2017 when Americans could travel relatively easily to Cuba. A U.S. traveler could hop a plane from Atlanta and arrive in Havana only having to pay for a visa at the Delta gate and say he was going “in support of the Cuban people.” Due to the almost 60-year embargo between the two countries I grabbed my camera and was off. I had heard of the falling down Spanish architecture and best of all I knew of the famous dilapidated American cars with their timeless designs that still roam old Havana. Cuba remains one of the few countries stuck in a time warp where little has changed since the overthrow of Batista and the revolutionary rule by the Castro brothers. I knew that the situation in Cuba could change at any time and Cuba could soon become an American wasteland of malls, fast food joints and strip shopping centers. By ingenuity and resourcefulness, the Cubans have managed to keep the dream cars of the American automotive industry’s pinnacle design years tooling around old Havana. Since you can’t rent a car in Havana, taxis are the de rigueur mode of transportation. Photo One is entitled “Glamour girl taxi”. The pretty girl taxi driver with the black straw hat leans her arm languidly on the passenger’s side open door of a turquoise green Chevrolet Bel Air convertible with eyebrow headlights. She waits longingly at passersby and hopes to get a fare. She looks straight in to your eyes with her sexy foot dangling from the door. Photo Two is entitled “Stopped in front of Hotel Saratoga”. Two old junkers, a green Chevy Bel Air with a toothy grille and a humped back yellow and brown 1938 Hudson Terraplane sedan are stopped at the crosswalk beside the famous Saratoga Hotel on Paseo del Prado Street, one of the famous streets of old Havana. The taxi drivers wait for a green light in the tropical heat. Hotel Saratoga was notorious since the 1930’s as a favorite haunt of artists like Ernest Hemingway and socialites from all over the work who listened to the Anacaona Orchestra. Photo Three is entitled “Big Red Chevy”. In front of a falling down building is parked on a slight angle a stunning red 1952 Chevy convertible taxi with chrome wheels, a bullet grille and a red tonneau cover just waiting to give you a spin and just show off your fancy side. Photo Four is entitled “Bicitaxis”. The Cuban version of the rickshaw photographed in the late afternoon sun and ignored by a passing woman. It, too, must be kept shiny and polished. Photo Five is entitled “Red-nosed Plymouth” Red-nose says to the blue Bicitaxi “get out of my way, I’m coming through! Photo Six is entitled “Coco taxi”. This colorful image has a bright orange Chevy taxi, a blue man walking and a Coco taxi for tourists. The goofy Coco taxi is an auto rickshaw-type taxi vehicle ignored by the man in blue who would rather be driving the orange Chevy convertible. Photo Seven is entitled “Red Coronet”. On close examination you see three occupants in the front seat, a driver who has no windshield and a 1949 Dodge Coronet sedan. Trying to drive in the early morning sun requires two hands and visor. But what is the driver holding in his right hand? Photo Eight is entitled “Counting your change after a taxi ride”. The white sleek 1949 Pontiac Chieftain taxi driver is negotiating the next ride while the last customer, a lady in blue, counts her change to make sure she wasn’t cheated. Photo Nine is entitled: “Loud mouthed Buick”. She seems to turn in front of the fragile Bicitaxis. Three men inside and a pedestrian ignore the Bicitaxis driver and he looks at them as if to say “Don’t you see me?” Photo Ten is entitled “Che Guevara”. The red 1952 Ford Crestline Sunliner convertible may be an American classic. But, the image on the headlights is all revolution-Che Guevara. Three old balding men squeeze into the front seat oblivious to the headlight statement.