On Scouting the Mayan Riviera for future photoworkshops and helping my fellow photojournos

--> I have come to the conclusion my new life as a photographer after having been a staff newspaper photographer for 20 years is going to be split between teaching photo workshops nationally and internationally and doing commercial assignments with the occasional editorial assignment thrown in there for good measure.

I've also become aware of lucky I truly am for I now hold a privileged position: I'm now solidly booked through mid 2016 after only seven months of being offered a buyout by the Boston Globe.  Especially with photo workshops in Cuba through Road Scholar where I now have waiting lists for most of my trip dates.

So for that, I am very thankful. But I was raised to believe it is not good enough just to do well for yourself but whenever possible you should try help others do equally well. So I figured: What better way of doing this than by expanding my photo workshop destinations and by adding other world-class-award-winning photojournalists and photographers that share my passion for photography and teaching?

I'll be helping others who now find themselves in the awkward position of knowing all things photography but possibly finding themselves out of work in the coming years. I'll be adding to my team master visual-story-tellers with a knack for sharing their life-long photographic knowledge acumen.

That's why I'm now in the process of looking for new destinations for photo workshops. So I can bring in new photo instructors and share with them the joys and rewards of teaching I now get to experience on a regular bases. 

Anyhow, thus the Mayan Riviera.

When I was first approached by a tour operator about the idea of adding this area as a destination, I was a bit leery. He'd try explaining the appeal of the area several times but to no avail. So once he realized he just wasn't getting through. He finally said to me, "I'm just going to have to show you."

Before I arrived in Cancun, I was feeling pretty bad.  I just wasn't sure how I was going to gently let him down. This guy is honest to God one the nicest and most genuine person I've ever met. So I thought, he'd take it very hard when I'd have to tell him the way my associates and I best taught photo skills is in real-life scenarios and not in a "theme park."

But alas, I never had to utter such speech. From the first day I arrived to Xcaret, the word "WOW!" became a constant in my vocabulary.  I've always known how photogenic a place and/or its people truly are by the amount of shooting I do while on location. The more I shoot the better the photo opportunities. And in the Mayan Riviera I kept shooting, and shooting and shooting... 

Everywhere I'd turn there were great situations happening, great characters, and great scenes begging to be photographed. There were so many things I wanted to photograph, so much variety of visually appealing details everywhere I looked. By the end of my visit, I had no doubt this is a great place for a photo workshop.

I can think of very few places around the world where you’d have this caliber of accessible archeological attractions such as Chichen Itza, Coba- just to name a few- with their jungle-covered pyramids as well as thousand-year old stone carvings called "stelae."  A landscape dotted with naturally- occurring geographical features such as underground rivers, and an abundance of see-though-water-filled-sink holes known as “cenotes.” A cornucopia of wildlife ranging from all-things marine to jaguars, exotic birds, and adorable coatimundis (long-snouted mammals the size of small dogs from the family of the raccoons.)

Colonial-style small town pepper the area where the pace of life has not changed in hundreds of years; thus, rewarding photo-philes with timeless imagery waiting to be captured with their cameras.

A theme park depicting the many cultures found within Mexico as well as visually- rich re-creations of Mayan traditions such as a sacred ball game known as  “juego de pelota.” A game played by Mayans descendants where the only part of the body allowed while hitting the ball is the hip and where in ancient times the winning team was the one who was sacrificed to the gods?? To ritual ceremonies re-created on floating rafts just the way they were originally performed thousands of years ago.  

I can see this place lending itself to future workshops not only specializing in travel photography but also in a myriad of other photographic specialties such as nature,  portraiture, food and macro photography…etc. The possibilities are truly endless.

Not only is the area filled with visual candy for the photo aficionado but it also offers something else, I’m now learning to appreciate: A plethora of participatory and enjoyable activities for those non-photo-interested significant others that might want to tag along with us the crazy photo people! 

Among these: zip-lining over the jungle canopy during day and night runs which might end up taking the adventure traveler through fire rings and ending in underground caves. To the excitement of driving off-road vehicles at night through the tropical forest. Or floating on rafts in underground rivers under a ceiling of thousands-of-years old stalactites. Swimming with dolphins, with manta rays or simply donning a life vest while floating or snorkeling for hours on end. All of these accompanied by gastronomic delights to be photographed and/or consumed. 


TECH STUFF: This time around I decided to take two of my camera bodies: D4 and D3s. However I added to my regular lenses, 17-35mm 2.8 and my 70- 200mm 2.8 and a 1.4TC, a 60mm 2.8 macro and a 500mm 4.0.

I also brought two strobes with me: An SB 800 and the versatile SB 910. I added to this kit  an SU-800 Commander to remotely control the latter as well as an external battery pack, SD-8A, in case I'd needed the extra power for shooting inside the underground cave system.

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Click here if you want to see a full-gallery of images

Life after the Boston Globe, my beloved Cuba and future photo workshops

I thought after having worked for newspapers for two decades that I'd miss the daily hustle and bustle of being a photojournalist but interestingly enough that has not been the case. 

I really haven't had much time to ponder upon the fact I no longer have a job. It seems I've been too busy to even notice. I've been doing lots speaking engagements, photo contracts, and teaching street-photography photo workshops, and I've even taught a couple of classroom-style photo workshops on "Creating Sophisticated Images." 

But most of my time has been spent working out logistics and promoting the  Road Scholar: Cuba a Photographic Journey photo workshops. 

Just this past week, I finished my first Havana-Trinidad Cuba trip. This one was extremely important because it set up the structure and format to follow for other future photo workshops to Cuba. And most importantly because I got to travel with my good friend and Pulitzer prizewinner photographer Cyrus McCrimmon. 

Back when I had just started to work for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, CO Cyrus was one of my mentors and we fast became best of friends. He is not only a talented photographer but he is also a great human, salt of the earth, and a pure-soul kind of guy.  

Ours had been a trip in the making for 18 years. Right before his son, my godson, Sebastian, was born; he and I had planned to travel to Cuba for the pure enjoyment of making photos. 

However one day I asked him, "So CyDaddy, how are the preparations for our trip to Cuba coming along?" He just stared back at me with his mouth half open looking like a fish out of water. In that moment I knew his wife Had to be pregnant because I knew that would've been the only way he was not going to make that trip. And I was right. 

So after almost two decades, our trip finally came together. I had the opportunity to bring him along because my workshops on the island have been such a resounding success that I now have a waiting list for many of the upcoming departures.

So when it came time expand the teaching staff with like-minded shooters of the highest possible caliber and who love photography and have a love for teaching,  it was only natural for me to reach out to my original mentors. All of them are world-class photographers and the majority are Pulitzer prizewinners too. Cyrus is the first of the chosen few talented photographer/ instructors we will be adding to our team. 

I’ve always considered myself blessed for having had the opportunity of learning from some of the best in my industry. Photographers like Cyrus, who have proven their mettle over and over again when it counted the most, in real life covering real events. But most important of all, they are professionals who were never stingy with their knowledge and who were always ready to answer all of my photographic questions.

This team is completed by a great Cuban photographer named Joel Hernandez who works as an assistant with us while we visit the island. He is kind, soft spoken, with shoulder-length curly black hair framing a handsome and welcoming face. Participants love his teaching methods and by all reckoning he has the patience of saints.

These are members of the team I’m bringing to this program and I hope you give me the chance to show you how good they truly are at passing on their knowledge. I can promise you will not regret it and you will have a blast.

Here are just a few comments from recent participants:

Deborah C, “I just returned from Cuba where Essdras was our amazing photo leader. I learned more in one week than I’ve learned in a long time.” 

M-j: “The best week ever - so much warmth - so much shared - a dream trip where one can learn from 4 incredible professional, giving and talented photographers - we were blessed - thank you for an unimaginable week - and putting the joy back into my photography - bless you Essdras!”

Rosemary G: “Thank you for exposing us to such a variety of scenes from Cuba… everywhere we looked there was something begging to be photographed. I felt safe and appreciated everything that you and your team did to make our time in Cuba memorable.”

The above images were taken between May 20th through 28th of 2015. 

TECH STUFF/ Two camera bodies: Nikon D4 and a Nikon D810/

Two lenses: 17-35mm 2.8 and a 70-200mm 2.8/ ISO: range from 100- 800/ WB: Mostly Cloudy, some Sunny and perhaps a bit of AWB/ Format of files: JPG Fines (I don’t shoot Raw unless I am doing a commercial job)

On being a full- time freelancer and the use of the "Shotgun Approach"

This is an open letter to my fellow photographers who are thinking about becoming full-time freelancers. 

My first suggestion is for you to keep shooting every day. No matter where you are going or what you are doing always have a camera with you. Be it going to the grocery store, or taking relatives on a sightseeing trip, on a plane, or boat, or walking, while running errands like taking your watch to have the battery changed. While spending time away for the holidays. 

Remember great pictures are happening out there right now everywhere, every time and you will not be the one who makes these if you do not keep an open eye and do not carry the gear with you. 

Anyway, I digress from my main point. What I truly wanted to do is to give you a glimpse of how dedicated and focused one must be if you do decide to try to make it as a freelance photographer on your own. 

This is my schedule for the past couple of months ever since leaving the Boston Globe. And it is pretty accurate of what I do when I'm not traveling, or on an assignment, or teaching a photo workshop.

I wake up around 7:30AM and turn my computer on right away. I have breakfast while answering emails and then for the next 4-6 hours I keep answering emails, writing up new photo-project proposals as well as checking on other proposals I might already have out there.  

For non-stop blocks of time of one to two hours.  I'll keep bouncing back and forth between writing emails, contacting prospective clients, and even making some cold calls to area publications. 

I'll take a break and step away from my computer for 5-10 minutes to rest my eyes every hour or hour and a half or so. I'll come back and try finding out contact information for camera clubs of all sizes in order to propose presentations and workshops.  I will also call the big photo workshop juggernauts in the industry and approach them with ideas. I will call magazines with story ideas. 

I will contact my journalist friends and ask them: What are you working on?  I will call old bosses and say hi to them... just in case they need something shot in my area. I will look into the logistics of upcoming projects. I will call airlines, hotels, local experts, friends in the area, etc. 

I will call magazines to set up face-to-face meetings to show my portfolio. 

This last point is very important since a lot of what you'll end up doing is not only selling your work but yourself as an easy-to-work-with talented photographer. It’s a maxim of sales: People buy from people they like. If your prospective client likes you, you've won half the battle right there. 

I looked up the definition of what I consider to be my approach: 

The Shotgun Method: the hasty use of a wide range of techniques that are nonselective and haphazard." 

But I disagree with the word "haphazard" found in the definition. If all these things you are doing relate to a specific subject- photography and the business of photography- then it cannot be dismissed as haphazard. 

Anyway, I am true believer when you have that many things up in the air something has got to hit. 

But the most important lesson we get from this approach is it teaches us not to not get to caught up on the things that do not pan out, on our failed attempts. And you know why is that? Because you’d already have seven or eight other things that might work out instead. 

Now I've gotta go. While typing this blog I found out there's a new prospective client out there that must make my acquaintance. Good hunting photogs and keep on shooting!

While dropping off a watch for repairs. 

While walking by the White House

While traveling south for holidays. 

A Story behind every Photo:

Recently as I waited to get a haircut, I found myself perusing through a stack of magazines and I stumbled upon a Matthew Mccounaghey interview. Apparently he is supernova hot in Hollywood right now. And one of the many reasons, he attributes his current streak of success is that he is now in his 40's. And as he so eloquently put it, "In your 40's you get to tailor it."
This phrase resonated with me. It reminded me of a trip I took many years ago here to Washington, DC to meet with the then director of photography for the National Geographic, Kent Kobersteen.
Kobersteen is simply best described as a mensch. He is affable, warm and fair. And most important of all while at his post as NG photo director, he took the time to sit down with emerging talent to offer his appraisal of their photographic skills as well as imparting the occasional bit of wisdom of life in general.

I remember arriving at the NG headquarters and being in awe of the iconic 17th &M address. From the back of my cab looking through the window, I remember being filled with excitement, hesitation and trepidation. As I stepped out of the cab and walked to the building, I felt as if every pore in my body could detect the slightest variation of temperature, the slightest change of wind direction. In other words, I felt scared and alive!

After a short wait, I got to meet Kobersteen in person. My half Panamanian- half Cuban heredity had up until that day served me well by bestowing me with the gift of gab. However on that day, I remember stuttering a simple, "Hello."

He must’ve realized how nervous I was because he graciously came out from behind his desk shook my hand, put his other hand on my shoulder and guided to me sit down. He was also probably thinking, “This kid is about to pass out.”

We made the perfunctory polite exchanges, inquired about common acquaintances and alike. Soon enough I found myself out of common things to talk about. I said a silent prayer and with trembling and sweaty palms handed him my portfolio.

For the most part he remained quiet. Every once in a while he’d nod at this or that image. However, I do remember him becoming animated over this one image of commuters in a train.
He said something along these lines: “Now this is more like it. This image is sophisticated by its layering, it has a tridimensional quality and its a good attempt of capturing the normalcy of daily life by the use of an interesting visual perspective.”

“What?” I thought to myself.

Those words went right over my head. I barely grasped what he was talking about. To me it all was barely a cohesive sequence of nouns and adjectives strung together. At the time, I attributed my confusion to English simply not being first language.

And in the classical manner of an all-knowing twenty something year old, I bypassed the core of his statement and simply focused instead on the part where he said, “Now this is more like it...”

Even though, I tend to fool myself into thinking my mind is a steel trap able to capture the slightest detail of a conversation and the visuals to go along with it. However, when I think about that day, the only visual that comes to mind is me sporting the goofiest, broadest, silliest of smiles while thinking “YES! I’m in!”

However, reality settled shortly thereafter as he then handed me my portfolio back and said, “You are not ready yet but stay in touch.”

I thanked him and I as I turned around to leave while feeling crestfallen, befuddled and perplexed, he called me back and added, "The average National Geographic shooter is mid forties."

Being in my 20's this sounded downright blasphemous!

Now that I’m in my forties, I finally understand Kobersteen’s statement about the average age of the magazine shooter.

Two decades of experiences have granted me the quiet kind of professional wisdom only learned through first-person experiences. The kind that seeps through your consciousness, methodically, unannounced and without boastful expressions of its importance.

One good day this knowledge becomes part of who you are. And unbeknownst to you, it grants you the command of word and authority only possessed by those who know their craft and have had a lifetime to learn it. And if you are among the lucky ones, this knowledge is accompanied by clarity of  sense and of purpose.

I know now my purpose in life is that of helping others become better observers and documenters of the world around us. I am here teach them how to shift their visual paradigm.

Thanks for the time and advice Mr. Kobersteen.

“Every person we meet awakens a different beast within us.” - Unknown

Road Scholar's Art Revolution and Photo workshop in Cuba Dec. 2014

These images are from my latest trip to Cuba a week or so ago. On this occasion, I was leading a group of photographers from the Plymouth Digital Camera Club and others on a Road Scholar Art's Revolution and photo workshop trip. This was my seventh visit to the island. The first time I visited it was in the middle of the "Special Period" in 1992. That time I had gone to Cuba with Pastors for Peace to document Rev. Lucius Walker's annual US government- embargo-defying trip to the island nation. Growing up in Panama, I was raised by my Cuban grandparents and uncles. I'd always heard the names of relatives in Cuba but I had never met them in person. So in 1992, I showed up un-announced at their doorstep and despite finding themselves in the middle of one of the toughest times for Cubans, they opened their doors and welcomed me with open arms. As they have continued to do so ever since. But even I'm pretty sure that even without having had family there, I'd have still fallen in love with this magical place. There's something spell bounding about Cuba and of its people. Any photographer who's visited the island would tell you that in Cuba the colors somehow seem more vivid, the textures more lively, and the people friendlier. So on this a historic day as today is when the US and Cuba have decided to re-establish diplomatic relations I would like to share some of what I see when I go there. TECH STUFF: My trusty Nikon camera gear: A Nikon D4 and a D810. Two lenses 17- 35mm 2.8 and 70- 200mm 2.8... and a ton of memory cards.

New Boston Ballet's Swan Lake Production rehearsal

Boston, MA 101614 Rehearsal for the new Boston Ballet's production of Swan Lake. (Essdras M Suarez/ Boston Globe Staff) BEHIND THE SCENES: Because I knew these are my last weeks as a newspaper photographer, I have been begging the photo desk for assignments that are meaningful to me and this is one of them. And as always, I enjoyed it tremendously. Spending time photographing these amazing athletes with their limitless grace, and effortless gravity- defying feats is not by any means a chore. However, yesterday was a bit of a chaotic. This rehearsal was opened to members of the media so about six different other outlets were there at the same time. So not only do you have to do your job to create an accurate- and - creative visual depiction of the activities going around you but on top of that you also have to make sure you don't get other shooters in your frame. TECH STUFF: 2 Cameras Nikon D3s and Nikon D4/ 2 lenses: 17-35mm 2.8 and a 70-200mm 2,8 with a 1.4 TC/ ISO 800- 1,000/ WB: AWB