I have undertaken portrait assignments and done a lot of interior, architecture and product photography.
Living Cuba Band outside the Caravelle Hotel Saigon where they regularly perform
I have really enjoyed working with the vibrant and musical Cuban community who bring next level entertainment to Saigon’s bars, clubs and events.
Victoria Queen Singer/songwriter from Cuba
Music Videos
Victoria Queen is a wonderful collaborator and we continue to live and work together in a creative bubble.
A video we made of an original song about the birth of our son Mateo by Victoria Queen
A video we made of Drakes’s song “Hotline Bling” filmed on the streets of Saigon. Victoria Queen TV
One of my first and most enjoyable jobs here was to produce a catalogue for Memoria Art, Vintage Deco. They make beautiful home-wares using old maps and poster art from the French Colonial period in Indo-China.
Through Saigon Photo Walk I have been involved in organizing 2 photography exhibitions. This is a wonderful community of Street and Portrait photography enthusiasts. There is such a vibrant street life here in Vietnam and people are friendly and approachable.
Aerial photo of Starlight Bridge in District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City Exhibited at Saigon Photo Walk Exhibition in 2020Aerial photo of Thu Thiem Bridge and Ho Chi Minh City Skyline Exhibited at Saigon Photo Walk Exhibition in 2020
Corporate Videos
The higher end commercial work has given me the greatest opportunity to see how this manufacturing powerhouse that is Vietnam works.
Kerryn Haig of Saigon Equator has been a great support and is involved with design, marketing and large-scale manufacturing and export of beautiful furniture and home-wares.
In recent months I have been slowly discovering an area near my home that appears to be slightly disconnected from the rest of the inner districts around Ho Chi Minh City. I find myself as the only expat when I go walking around. It’s an island between 2 canals. I feel very conspicuous but people are friendly even if they do wonder what the hell I’m doing there in district 8.
I’m coming here when I need to clear my head and get back to real photography. Initially I came here to lead a photo walk late in 2020. What struck me was that the area seemed to be stuck in a time warp.
There is evidence that the area was once an important part of river trade and it sits opposite Cho Lon on the canal that leads to the Mekong Delta. Cho Lon (Chinatown) was and still is a vibrant district famous for it’s Binh Tay market, and classical Chinese architecture dating back to 1778.
District 8 has well preserved examples of French Colonial architecture, a very traditional central market and many interesting street markets. Partly a low lying area, it can easily flood with heavy rain or when the canal overflows.
Once a year in the 2 weeks before the lunar new year, there is a spectacular flower market along the canal in district 8. Boats come down from the Mekong Delta to sell their flowers. It is a favorite subject for local photographers.
There are large and small bridges along the waterways and areas where traditional wooden riverboats can unload their cargo or restock.
I am taken by this place and its people and will return so watch this space! To see more of my photography and video work please go to http://www.paulgreenphotovideoart.com
Havana is a great place for me to do things like this writing blogs and working on the huge backlogue of video editing I’ve created for myself. Having a Cuban girlfriend brings me close to Cuban people and I’m very interested in their lives which are very different and difficult. The news that the U.S is discouraging tourism and is scaling down its embassy staff in Havana by 60% will have a huge impact on the ordinary Cuban who in most cases lives way below any poverty line we know of in the rest of the world.
Old American Car on the Malecon after Hurricane Irma
Despite this poverty imposed from above and outside Cubans remain proud, creative, resourceful and hopeful that things will improve. President Raul Castro stands down in February 2018. Next month there will be municipal elections to select candidates who will decide on the new President. Cubans are hopeful for positive change bringing modernisation, more efficiency and opportunity.
Children’s Art Class in Prado, Central Havana
I have avoided walking the streets with a camera on the last few visits to Cuba. I see many street photographers walking around with their Leicas and various other symbols of photo artistrty all trying to create cliches of cliches and I guess I’m guilty of it as well. It is hard to avoid cliches here.
Graffiti after President Obama’s visit to Cuba
My first visit to Cuba was shortly after Obama’s. There was a big improvement in the relationship which also trickled down to the average Cuban. Without giving it much thought Donald Trump has pledged to be a wrecking ball for any of the good things that came out of the Obama administration.
Graffiti of Donald Trump in Havana
The average salary for a Cuban is around U.S $30/month. One hotel worker I spoke to told me how he went twice to the U.S embassy to apply for a visa to visit family at a cost of U.S $160/application only to be refused in less than 5 minutes each time. That’s more than 10 months salary gone in 10 minutes.
Shop in a doorway in Central Havana
Now there is a fear campaign because of the Sonic attacks on U.S diplomatic staff both in the embassy in Havana and in a hotel run by the Cuban military. I don’t believe the Cubans are capable or responsible for this kind of attack nor would it be in their interests to deliberately damage their relationship with the U.S.
Old Street Musician
Havana has some beautiful old buildings and many are being restored. Others are crumbling around their inhabitants. There is money being made but the average person is poor. Supermarket shelves have very little to offer the customer and the basic diet is lacking in variety. Government controlled internet is of very low quality at an exorbitant price.
View over Central Havana and Vedado from Lincoln Hotel
A reflection on my first three days in Cuba 12th, 13th,14th September 2017
I was supposed to arrive in Havana on the 9th September at 8pm but so did Hurricane Irma. After 2 days in Zurich waiting for a flight I was transferred to Frankfurt where I waited to hear whether there would be a flight to Cuba that day but no.. the Cuban airports were closed. The biggest problem for the airlines was evacuating tourists from the resort area of Valadero which had been hit hard by Irma.
The near empty Condor flight from Frankfurt to Valadero and then Havana took off and a small group of Cuban and Italian passengers proceeded to get very very drunk, loud and boisterous, boasting and demonstrating their portable sound systems.
The deal with this flight was that we passengers would get off the in Valadero to allow evacuated passengers to get on in Valadero and Havana . We would have to travel by collective car or taxi about 120km.
Side elevation of Teatro Nacional from roof of Hotel Inglaterra
12th September
First problem: The luggage didn’t get taken off the flight in Valadero. We waited and waited and waited but due to inefficiencies by the airline and a very lazy and poor effort by airport staff it was explained to us that we could collect our luggage at terminal 3 in Havana the following day.
So passengers started congregating in the carpark of the Valadero airport trying to negotiate transport to Havana. By this time is was around 2am. A long queue for changing money also had to be waited out. There was no way any Cuban driver was going to accept Euros. Fares started to blow out from the normal amount of 80CUC to around 400CUC . Cuban taxi drivers are very good at assessment of supply and demand. Along with a European couple I negotiated a fare of 100CUC and the long dark night drive to Havana began.
Yailin (Centre Performing with her group “Vocal Renacer”)
My main reason (my only reason) for coming to Cuba was to visit my girlfriend Yailin. We hadn’t seen each other for 3 months and I wanted to see her after all the delays. I had booked a hotel room in Old Havana from the 9th September to 14th September but it had remained empty until my arrival at 6 am in 13th September. I wanted a place to stay in the event that I arrived before the hurricane but also a safe place for Yalin and her mother to stay if something happened to their house in the hurricane.
View from the roof of Hotel Raquel over Old Havana
Hotel Raquel in Old Havana is a beautiful old building and is a Jewish themed hotel. We stayed in the Abraham room number 101. There is a mezuzzah on each door and a small Judaica section in the lobby shop.
Jacob Room Hotel Raquel
13th September
Having paid for 4 nights in Hotel Raquel for 2 people without being there I asked the reception if I could have breakfast. I had checked in a 6am and they said because I had checked in early that breakfast wasn’t available and I would have to pay extra.
In disgust I left the hotel to do get a decent breakfast at my favorite café in Old Havana, El Café.
From Parque central I went into battle to find a Taxi to drive me to the airport to retrieve my luggage. Once again the dutch auction system began. Starting at 60CUC I found a driver who was prepared to do the 2 way trip for 30CUC.
I found the lost luggage department at terminal 3 and proceeded to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. The one commodity that has no value in Cuba is a person’s time. It seems the electricity and computer system were not working but eventually after about 3 hours I was able to look for my luggage. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. I was taken to a woman inside the airport who told me the flight hadn’t come to terminal 3 it had come to terminal 2. So I went in my taxi to see if my luck would be better at terminal 2.
After a short time I found my luggage and returned to Raquel and to see Yailin for the first time in 3 months which was beautiful.
14th September
We arrived at our apartment in Central Havana. It’s a nice place in a street busy with human activity. There is an abattoir, many congregations of children playing, people of all ages sitting in the doorways passing that thing that has no value. I feel conspicuous when I walk around and even though I try to blend in Yailin tells me it is not possible. I am and will forever be a tourist in this place.
I was walking around the city trying to find AAA batteries. I went to Obispo, San Rafael and Galliano Streets but didn’t have any luck. Things we take for granted are impossible to find here. The Cubans are creative, intelligent and imaginative in the way they deal with everyday obstacles. While looking at for batteries I met an American tourist named Bernardo. He was visiting from Pennsylvania with his daughter and spoke Spanish fluently.
He offered to buy me a coffee and asked if I knew of a good place. I took him to another favorite, Café Archangel in Concordia St. It was after I had finished my coffee that I realised I had been separated from my wallet. Welcome to Fucking Cuba!
Hotel Racquel is a nice building but never stay there especially if you don’t like cold showers and appalling food. If you would like to hear Yailin’s songs please check out the links below and like her fb page:
European Photography by Paul Green. I started of in Budapest in the 3rd week of August to work on a family history project for a private client. Budapest is a city that I knew a bit about but always wanted a reason to visit. It’s a charming city with magnificent architecture. I enjoyed walking around in my spare time.
(Detail) Memorial For Jews shot by Nazis on the bank of the Danube
Formula One came to town and that was my cue to leave. I decided to have a look at some small towns in Poland and headed by bus to Katowice. I was interested in the Pre-war Jewish history and it’s always difficult to find any traces. I found the Jewish cemetery and a couple of monuments. There is still a very small community in the town.
From Katowice I went to Zakopane in the south of Poland. Here I was interested in the architecture and the mountains. I started doing some timelapse sequences and did a lot of walking.
Timelapse combining sequences from Zakopane and Radomsko
Radomsko was the home town of my father’s grandparents although they didn’t ever talk about the place much. It was a major Hassidic centre in Poland. When my great grandparents lived there it was part of Russia. There are still a few old buildings there so i was trying to look at things they also would have seen. Trying to share experiences with them.
My second job was in Zdunska Wola. This was a beautiful art project entitled “The missing mezzuzot of Zdunska Wola” by Estelle Rozinski. This was my 5th visit to Zdunska Wola and it was primarily a filming job. I took very few images for myself but I was struck by a stack of mazevot (Jewish Grave Stones) in the back yard of the museum. The Jewish cemetery in ZW is very beautiful partly due to the excellent stone masonery .
Stack of Jewish Tomb Stones Zdunska Wola
After filming the 73rd anniversary commemoration of the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto I arrived in Warsaw.
A reflection on my first three days in Cuba 12th, 13th,14th September 2017
