Sometimes shoots don’t go quite as planned. Weather is bad. Gear breaks. Water clarity is poor. And sleep is minimal (no, that’s pretty normal for shoots actually). But as Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Figuring who to make it work — and learning along the way — is always the best part of a project.
The past week or so in Cuba was fantastic. We had a busy schedule and bad weather throughout most of it, but the place itself was outstanding. I’m looking forward to returning someday and seeing the fisheries in good shape; they fished well despite the weather, and in warmer temps it would be stunning.
This was a project in conjunction with Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures and Avalon Fishing Centers in Cuba, so the assignment was chiefly to capture the lodge and fishing program facilities and staff, with an emphasis on cultural “tidbits.” It was fast-paced; with two to three days at each location before what usually a 2AM transfer on to the next location.
Our first location, Casona de Romano near the Cayo Cruz fishery, was a gorgeous old manor set in the historic sugar mill town of Brasil (the mill was running while we were there, filling the town with a heavy, molasses-sweet scent). Looking out from the balconies of the home, across a large garden area rests the town church, nestled among flowers and palm trees. It’s an idyllic setting in a small town filled with kind folks. Wandering the streets was one of my favorite parts of this shoot.
The fishing program, run by Boris from Avalon, is an hour’s drive away. It’s a long ride, but filled with flamingoes, mangroves, and scenes that made me want to stop and shoot along the way. The actual Cayo Cruz fishery is lovely; large flats with permit tracking rays, bonefish tooling along in their own trails, and enough water in six fishing zones to keep an angler busy for a week. Two new friends, Gino from Italy and Erik from Sweden, were staying at the Casona for the week, undertaking their first-ever saltwater fishing trip. I ran into them at 2AM in Havana last Saturday — they were coming in to town and I was heading to the airport to fly out — and despite the cold front, both men reported the week’s experience had them hooked on saltwater fishing.
More from Cuba tomorrow, it was too much for a single day’s post!
