Cuba: Rodeo at Havana’s Lenin Park
Photo Feature by Elio Delgado Valdes
HAVANA TIMES – In the rodeo arena of Lenin Park in Havana there is programming year round. Besides the Cuban national rodeos there are also events with teams from the United States and Mexico.
Rodeo in Cuba began as a sport of Cuban farmers, but today is a show suitable for audiences of all ages who enjoy watching the skill in handling horses and cattle.
In Cuba there are 136 teams and over 250 rodeo tracks, where the sport is practiced.
The Cuban Society of Rodeo Cowboys represents some three thousand members and is governed by international standards.
This photo essay shows one of those shows presented Sunday January 20 at Lenin Park.
Click on the thumbnails below to view all the photos in this gallery. On your PC or laptop, you can use the directional arrows on the keyboard to move within the gallery. On cell phones use the keys on the screen.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable photo essay, Elio. Thanks.
It surprised me somehow that Cuba has rodeos, cowgirls and cowboys. I wish more people in the US could see this photo essay.
Your manipulation of shutter-speed is interesting, but I think it was probably accidental. In some cases the effect was stunning, lending a sense of action combined with clear-enough focus. Mostly the effect was superb. (Other shots however should probably not have been shared with us.)
Shooting in bright sunlight helps a photographer to manipulate shutter-speed during high-speed action shots. It allows you to stop-down and extend your in-focus depth-of-field, while slowing down the shutter-speed just enough to blur the faster-moving parts–legs, etc.–to give the illusion of action.
While I was somewhat critical of one of your former photo essays for lack of character revelation, I am delighted with this one for your developing artistry.
I remain an enormous fan of you posts. Best wishes.