Michael Borg Portfolio Contest Winner
Good Neighbor, Havana, Cuba, 2013
Havana, Cuba has been a popular destination for photographers in recent years, especially since relations between the United States and its island neighbor began to thaw in 2014, making it easier, if not exactly a breeze, to travel there. Havana is still a long way from making the list of top ten photographed cities in the world, but not for lack of effort on the part of photographers drawn to its culture and architecture, its people and its vibrant street life.
But getting to Havana is only half the challenge. The other half is not to become so seduced by its visual charms that one ends up making travelogue images. It takes rigor, discipline, empathy and respect to avoid the visual cliché and to capture deeper and more authentic images of this historic city. One such photographer is Michael Borg, who hadn’t been taking photographs for very long when he visited Cuba with a photo group on a cultural exchange trip in 2013.
But getting to Havana is only half the challenge. The other half is not to become so seduced by its visual charms that one ends up making travelogue images. It takes rigor, discipline, empathy and respect to avoid the visual cliché and to capture deeper and more authentic images of this historic city. One such photographer is Michael Borg, who hadn’t been taking photographs for very long when he visited Cuba with a photo group on a cultural exchange trip in 2013.
Watching from Above, Havana, Cuba, 2013
“We spent time with a number of Cuban artists, including Roberto Salas, who was one of Castro’s state photographers during the revolution,” Borg says. “His stories were fascinating and helped give us firsthand insight into the Cuban culture.”
Aided by Salas’ shared knowledge and insights, Borg was able to compile an impressive portfolio of images during the week he spent in Cuba, most of it in the capital. One of the more striking aspects of this work is the way it simultaneously conveys a sense of apartness and solidarity on the part of Havana’s residents.
Aided by Salas’ shared knowledge and insights, Borg was able to compile an impressive portfolio of images during the week he spent in Cuba, most of it in the capital. One of the more striking aspects of this work is the way it simultaneously conveys a sense of apartness and solidarity on the part of Havana’s residents.
Playing Alone, Havana, Cuba, 2013
“I think the solidarity comes from the fortitude of the people of Havana,” Borg says. “There was a natural tendency for the people to be suppressed or affected by their surroundings. I was taken with how different people coped with this, and in some cases transcended it, while others had no choice but to succumb.”
Borg is also alert to intriguing juxtapositions implicit with historical and/or political undercurrents. The pairing of an aloof soldier and statue of revolutionary philosopher Jose Marti in the image “Watching from Above”—which is ironically and effectively shot from a low angle—evokes a subtle reminder of Cuba’s turbulent history. Even seemingly innocuous images like a man making roadside repairs or a young boy playing a solitary card game resonate with some unspecified tension privy only to the photographs’ subjects, but which are nevertheless somehow sensed by the viewer.
Borg is also alert to intriguing juxtapositions implicit with historical and/or political undercurrents. The pairing of an aloof soldier and statue of revolutionary philosopher Jose Marti in the image “Watching from Above”—which is ironically and effectively shot from a low angle—evokes a subtle reminder of Cuba’s turbulent history. Even seemingly innocuous images like a man making roadside repairs or a young boy playing a solitary card game resonate with some unspecified tension privy only to the photographs’ subjects, but which are nevertheless somehow sensed by the viewer.
Policia, Havana, Cuba, 2013
Yet Borg doesn’t set out to make overt statements about social conditions. Emotional resonance always has priority.
“When I photograph, I respond to what I am seeing, and push the shutter on an almost subconscious level,” he says. “I don’t want to overthink what I see through the viewfinder. That being said, isn’t life itself a study in duality? We all have to come to grips with it in our lives. Painters use a brush to explore this, and photographers use a camera. I think without that duality, we have no tension or conflict, and without that, there is little visual interest, means or reason for a viewer to connect with an image. By the same token, I don’t walk out the door in the morning with my camera in hand expecting to tackle the social conditions of the world. I like to keep my photographic process as simple as possible. As I evolve as a photographer, that might change, but I hope not.”
“When I photograph, I respond to what I am seeing, and push the shutter on an almost subconscious level,” he says. “I don’t want to overthink what I see through the viewfinder. That being said, isn’t life itself a study in duality? We all have to come to grips with it in our lives. Painters use a brush to explore this, and photographers use a camera. I think without that duality, we have no tension or conflict, and without that, there is little visual interest, means or reason for a viewer to connect with an image. By the same token, I don’t walk out the door in the morning with my camera in hand expecting to tackle the social conditions of the world. I like to keep my photographic process as simple as possible. As I evolve as a photographer, that might change, but I hope not.”
Roadside Repair, Havana, Cuba, 2013
Borg is, however, careful to calibrate his approach to street photography depending on the situation and environment in which he operates.
“A slightly longer focal length lens allows me into the subject’s space without being in their face. Sometimes walking within a group of people can help. Trying to blend with the surroundings helps allow subjects to be themselves. Many people in Cuba seemed aloof, or at least unaware of photographers, which makes things easier. Other times the subject will see you coming and try to stare you down—like the soldier next to the Jose Marti statue. Those always make for interesting shots.”
“A slightly longer focal length lens allows me into the subject’s space without being in their face. Sometimes walking within a group of people can help. Trying to blend with the surroundings helps allow subjects to be themselves. Many people in Cuba seemed aloof, or at least unaware of photographers, which makes things easier. Other times the subject will see you coming and try to stare you down—like the soldier next to the Jose Marti statue. Those always make for interesting shots.”
Dean Brierly
Fact File
Minneapolis, MN
michaelborgimages.com_
mike@gibbco.com
Prints on 13 × 19 stock are available for $375.
Fact File
Minneapolis, MN
michaelborgimages.com_
mike@gibbco.com
Prints on 13 × 19 stock are available for $375.