Get The Shot - Parque de la Fraternidad, Cuba

Parque de la Fraternidad is a park and square in Havana, Cuba, which is a great location for photographing the old classic American cars of the 1950’s left behind as relics of the times before the American embargo.

 Facts

• Distance – 0 

• Difficulty – Very Easy 

• Time – Early Morning

• Season – Autumn 

• Elevation – Nil 

Access

This is a public space wth easy access near the centre of Havana.

Photo location

This photo was taken from the kerbside at the North East corner of the park, facing towards the Capitol Building.

Map

 

Outline

Taking photos here, or just being present here in general, is a dream if you’re a fan of the classic 1950’s era cars of the USA. Havana in general is pretty safe – there isn’t much crime and they’re used to tourists. The thing to watch for is being approached by someone who may want to scam you with fake cigars or swapping you Pesos (CUP) for Convertible Pesos (CUC), leaving you losing out on a few dollars in exchange for a local coin bearing Che Guevara’s face.

Detail

The park is surrounded by roads on all four sides, and they’re fairly busy. The area was originally a mangrove swamp, some 200 years ago, and became a park after it was a military practice range. When it became a park it was fenced with four majestic gates which were each emblazoned with coats of arms in homage to an important Cuban personality. The park now contains the busts of other Latin heroes, and the tree at the centre is planted in the soil from 28 American countries. It’s the fraternity park, and that tree is the tree of American fraternity. Be sure to get some Cuban sweets or churros from a street vendor while you’re here!

How it feels

This park, along with much of Havana, has a wonderful, friendly vibe. The tranquillity of this city versus others throughout the world is evident, and you’ll find lots of people relaxing here in the park and using it as a place to meet friends or pass the day.

What to bring

Dress appropriately for the weather which will likely be hot, but bear in mind afternoon rains and the strong winds of the tropical storms.

Gear

I shot this photo with my Nikon D810 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, secured with my BlackRapid Sport Breathe strap.

Settings

This shot is 1/160th with an aperture of f/3.5, ISO 100, at 18mm focal length.

Accommodation

I stayed at a Casa Particular, which is a local’s house - they’re great and they’re available on AirBNB.

The information in this post is geared around how I got the featured shot, and as such the information may or may not be true to other seasons.