All photos by Eric Van Nynatten. Used with Creative Commons permission.
Havana remains one of the most popular cities for travelers with an affinity to old-world charms, especially intrepid photographers and visual artists. We’ve featured a lot of projects that support this, and we’re more than happy to include another to the list. While some of the scenes and locations may be familiar, we think there’s a unique mood to the perspective captured by New York City-based Eric Van Nynatten. But, if you have yet to visit Havana and still dream of prowling its charming streets, we think this series will entice you.
According to Eric, these snaps from his Havana Observations series were taken during his visit in 2017. “I was taken around for a drive by locals and also wandered around on foot for a couple days exploring the touristic Old Havana to the more under kept Centro Havana.” There, he said he was welcomed into many local homes, and shared many cups of coffee on their balconies and rooftops whenever. He also noted that his photos provide only a “superficial view of a city that has so much more to offer,” as if inviting us to seek our own unique experiences of the famed Cuban capital.
We’ve seen Havana through a myriad of perspectives — the side of the city and Cuba itself that isn’t given a lot of attention, a peek inside the country’s legendary boxing gym, an architectural study in punchy monochrome, and the perspective of a space explorer seemingly landing in an alternate version of the city. Eric’s series, while more straightforward, reflects the experiences that made his perspective unique. It provides a wanderlust-inducing feel of being driven and walking around town, as if we’re sharing these experiences with him.
Check out Eric Van Nynatten’s website, Instagram, and Behance portfolio to see more of his photography.
