Description for the BU Fall 2012 Photo Course: Experiencing Cuba

JO 502 A1 Experiencing Cuba
Taught by Essdras M. Suarez, Pulitzer Prize winning staff photojournalist with The Boston Globe

Enrollment is limited to twelve students.

The class will travel to Cuba to produce a text-and-photos documentary project. We estimate the cost of the trip to be $3,000. The trip has not yet been scheduled.

Students will learn and practice the rich tradition of street photography, the basis for contemporary photojournalism, locally in Boston and in Cuba, one of the most exotic locations in the western hemisphere. This course is designed to help student journalists overcome hesitancy to approach and photograph subjects while on assignment in a foreign environment. Visual journalists will learn to cope with the challenges of chronicling an evolving environment and culture by photographing people as they go about their daily lives.

Throughout the semester students will discuss and apply techniques used by documentary photographers to capture visually appealing images telling the story of a country and its people and be introduced to the history, traditions, and culture of Cuba. Students can expect to produce images worthy of their portfolio and display on campus and online. In addition, their work will be published in The Boston Globe Sunday Travel section and on boston.com accompanying an article documenting their experiences.

Applicants to the class must have taken at least one prerequisite from this list of courses: JO 250, JO 303, JO 305, JO 304, JO 351.

Gymnastics: Chaos to Balance

Melrose, MA 032912 Girls practice at the Melrose Family YMCA during a gymnastics class. (Essdras M Suarez/ Boston Globe) BEHIND THE SCENES: I had about 20 minutes to get about five images for our North Weekly section. I was truly bummed out because it was about 50 girls of all ages doing somersaults, handstands, beam work and bars all at once. The scene just begged to be shot for a while but 20 minutes is all I had since they needed me back in the city for a man-on the street interview. I chose these two images because they characterized the mayhem in the place. At first glance the scene looked downright chaotic but then a coach would clap their hands and the girls would all fall into place. Pretty amazing. INTERESTING NOTE: Whenever I'm teaching a photography workshop I always try to tell my students to not only make the photos they have in front of them but to take the time to look behind them to see what is going on. I almost walked away after photographing some girls doing back flips but I remembered that maxim and stopped and looked around and this is what I got. TECH STUFF: Pretty dark place but I still did not want to use a flash. ISO 1,600 to 2,000, WB: AWB, speeds: 1/125th to 1/2ooth of a second.

Romney Votes in MA during Rep. Primaries

Belmont, MA 030612 Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney voted alongside his wife Anne Romney at the Beech Street Center in Belmont, MA which Romney lists as his permanent address. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET BEHIND THE SCENES: Candidates like Romney move around with an entourage of media, public relations personnel and campaign staffers. A lot of times it is these staffers who make the calls as far as who do they let in to an event or not. Such was the case yesterday. The traveling media was allowed in before he arrived and I was told to wait outside until they made a "decision." Romney walked in and at the last minute I called out to the staffer and asked, "so you are just leaving the Boston Globe out?" He kind of looked at me sideways and said, "Follow me." By the time I got in all the front spots on the small stage where members of the media had been told to stand were already taken. I squeezed in a corner and hoped for the best. I managed to get the shots but the Globe decided to go with an AP photo instead. The photographer who made the photo is part of tight-pool traveling the campaign. Pretty much the same photo only his was taken from five feet to the left of my position... I don't make the calls, I just take them. TECH STUFF: 70-200mm 2.8 and 16-35mm 2.8, WB AWB and Cloudy, ISO 1250-640.

Boston Weather

Boston, MA 030112 Boston residents experience a plethora of weather changes in a matter of 24 hours. From rain, to flurries to a light blanket of snow. (Essdras M Suarez/ Boston Globe) BEHIND THE SCENES: I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't know of any other business other than meteorologists that pays so much attention to weather changes than newspapers and newspaper sites. When the weather is as erratic as it was today I have an editor who simply calls me and says to me, "Essdras! the beast must be fed! Whatdoyougat??" Thus I'm always looking for little details in daily life which I might find visually appealing such as the girl trying to catch snowflakes with her tongue, the lonely walker in a snowscape or the ladies whose eyes kind of match that of the pattern found in her umbrella. TECH STUFF: 70-200mm 2.8, ISO 800. WB cloudy, camera mode Aperture priority to begin with then Manual.

Jason Segel

Cambridge, MA 020312 Hasty Pudding Theatricals Haravard University's 2012 Man of the Year Award recipient was comedian Jason Segel which received on February 3, 2012 the Pudding Pot during the annual event which included a roast by members of the famed histrionic troupe. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/ MET
BEHIND THE SCENES: This is the third time in 10 years I've covered this event. I did Ben Stiller, Charlize Theron and now Jason Segel. As it is the case with most recipients, Segel was a good sport and even donned a muppet brassiere and a Miss Piggy wig. The good news about working for a prestigious well-known organization like the Boston Globe is that people treat you well when you say who's your employer. In this case the PR people at Harvard went as far as saving labeled-seats with our names on it. There were only about four major media outlets allowed and the Harvard photographer. On the one hand this is very good because you are assured a good shooting position. On the other hand once you sit down you can not move from your assigned position. TECH STUFF: Nikon D3s, Canon MarkIV, 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon lens, and 16-35mm 2.8 Canon lens. ISO: 2,000- 4,000, speeds 1/125th to 1/40tth of a second. WB: Auto. EXTRA NOTE: Mr Segel suffers from tall-man syndrome. He never looks up. The spotlights being used in the venue never quite hit his eyes, thus the raccoon-eye effect.

Mixed Bag

FOOD, SPORTS, FEATURES AND WILDLIFE: These is pretty exemplary of the range of assignments a photographer working for a newspaper gets to experience. These images were shot between last Friday and today 012512. BEHIND THE SCENES/ HOW THINGS WORK: Most of us staff photographers at the Boston Globe are required to be able to photograph whatever is needed on that day at that moment. We all shoot food, some better than others. Others shoot sports, I don't do it that often and that is why when sent to cover a track meet the photo I ended up liking the most was that of the start-gun going off. But when it comes to weather, that my friends is the "great equalizer" among the staff members. It doesn't matter who you are or what your perceived specialty might be we all have to pay the piper when it snows, rains, when the sun comes out,when the sun hides,etc, etc. The frog image I made during an day off visit to the zoo. TECH STUFF: the only technical aspects worth mentioning here is the two food shots were shot on location with two off-camera strobes at a crisscrossed pattern at about 11 and 4 on a clock face. Speed is maximum synch-flash speed for my Mark IV 1/320th of a second, lens: 60mm 2.5 macro.

Elizabeth Banks

Boston, MA 012012 Actress Elizabeth Banks was in town to promote her new movie Man on a Ledge. We photographed her at the Liberty Hotel on January 2012. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff)/G BEHIND THE SCENES: In the course of my job I have gotten used to photographing people from all walks of life. From US presidents to actors to regular people. So I just don't get star struck anymore. However I apparently can still become "beauty struck." Banks possesses such a natural and radiant beauty it is kind of hard to look at her for too long when her full attention is upon you. Thankfully, she was really nice and a professional when it came to being in front of the camera. The whole shoot took about five minutes and not because that is what I was allowed- sometimes that is how much time you are given with movie stars and alike- but instead it was that short because that is how long it took me to make the photo that I wanted. Some days my job is just that easy. (:-) I also knew she had been doing interviews and photo shoots all day long and that I was the last one on her schedule so I didn't see the need to keep her longer than necessary. I got what I wanted really fast and I believe on quitting on a high note. TECH STUFF: I had originally set up a mono-light with a medium rectangular soft box but I also kept paying attention to a shaft of light coming from a reflection off a building and through the window. When I saw her up close I knew immediately she was the kind of subject who could handle such dramatic light and I was correct. ISO 500, aperture 2.8, speed 1/500th of a second, WB sunshine. Cameras MarkIV and Nikon D3s, lenses 17-35mm 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 EXTRA TECH: While using aperture priority- my favorite mode- the matrix metering in the camera wanted me to use a 1/160th of a second at 2.8 I know the limitations of my gear so I used that to my advantage and increased the speed to 1/500th of a second to expose just for the highlights. (for those old school shooters you may recall this is how we used to shoot chrome.) Thus creating the dramatic effect seen on these images.