The market, a photo from Matanzas, Ouest

Photographer's Note

While in Havana have arisen in recent years luxury stores and well-stocked supermarkets, in the country it has remained still pure Castro era of the special period began after the fall of the Soviet Union. Here you are entitled to have bread or other products with a card state, but as you can see, the products available are very few, especially the soap is considered as valuable. I think it will happen to many who have visited this island, to come stopped outside the hotel by someone who asked the soap .... take a look also to WS 2 if you want.

IL NEGOZIO

Mentre all'Havana sono sorti negli ultimi anni negozi di lusso e fornitissimi supermercati, in campagna si è rimasti ancora alla pura epoca castrista del periodo speciale iniziato dopo la caduta dell'Unione Sovietica. Qui si ha diritto ad avere del pane o altri prodotti con una tessera statale,ma come si puo vedere,i prodotti a disposizione sono davvero pochi,in particolare il sapone è considerato come prezioso. Penso che sara' capitato a molti che hanno visitato questa isola,di venire fermati fuori dall'hotel da qualcuno che chiedesse del sapone....date uno sguardo anche ai 2 WS se volete.

pierrefonds, bukitgolfb301, Wanda1, ourania, papagolf21, ikeharel, jhm, macjake, snunney, ktanska, holmertz, cornejo, danos, PaulVDV, gildasjan, clic, Graal, annjackman, adramad, adores, worldcitizen, mcmtanyel, njmv79 trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

batalay (41261) 2016-01-22 13:50

Ciao Luciano,

A sad statement of reality. The ws gives additional detail. During the Soviet Era I remember visiting stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) that displayed items for sale you could count on the fingers of one hand. The available light image is excellent.

Warm regards and have a good weekend. Here in the Washington area, we are currently being blanketed by snow. I hope it is better where you are.

Bulent

mesutilgim (0) 2016-01-22 13:50

Hello dear Luciano,
You've chosen here a wonderfull pov !
I do not know what CHIRINO means bet it sounds like schirin in Turkish which means "beautiful" !
The frontal light creates a perfect depth of field effect. Nice framed.
TFS and have a nice weekend
MESUT ILGIM

carlo62 (81265) 2016-01-22 14:10

Bel colpo Luciano
hai ripreso al meglio la situazione più nostrana.
Belle foto, tutte, un ottimo reportage, curioso e veritiero.
Buonanotte e buon we
Carlo

PiotrF (54538) 2016-01-22 15:37

Hello Luciano,
interesting view of this shop.Good framing and lovely natural colors. Clarity and sharpness are perfect made. Very interesting notes.
Nice shot!
Regards
Piotr

pierrefonds (114347) 2016-01-22 15:41

Bonsoir Lousat,

La personne au comptoir semble perdue dans ses pensés. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails des produits sur les tablettes. L'image est c;aire et nette. Bonne sporée.

Pierre

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2016-01-22 16:15

Hi Ciao dear Luciano

The Greatest snap image. The best composition and framework shot. Empty table and back and her profile is very very appealing and let us know something.

All the best and have a good weekend! Takero

Wanda1 (15142) 2016-01-22 20:59

Hi Luciano,
An interesting note accompanies this nice daily life shot. I like the natural light that is coming in and lights up the lady and her few rare products well. I also like the angle of view that you have chosen to incorporate all the shelves and their contents. Also I like that the lady is looking away from the camera. A good documentary image.
Regards
Wanda

ourania (51103) 2016-01-22 23:14

Ciao Luciano,
le tre foto e la tua nota ci offrono un reportage molto interessante. In effetti, il negozio sembra molto piccolo e la merce scarsa. L' angolo che hai scelto per la foto principale ci presenta in modo semplice ed accattivante la merce e la sua sistemazione, l' atmosfera stagnante e l' assistente troppo annoiata. La prospettiva, l' illuminazione e la resa cromatica sono superbe, hai superato la sfida dei contrasti molto abilmente. Complimenti e grazie!
Tanti saluti e buon fine settimana,
Ourania

papagolf21 (152607) 2016-01-22 23:46

Bonjour, cher Luciano,
Merci pour cette présentation photographique des aliments. Le magasin n'est pas très garni. Merci pour ce partage.
Un compte-rendu de la vie quotidienne !
Amitiés.
Philippe

emka (158030) 2016-01-22 23:55

Ciao Luciano, I see that this is the hint for me - I must to take a few soaps. The lady doesn't have much to do in this shop. Probably it will be ezsier to understand all this for me, as I remember well the Polish shops when only the vinegar and tea was available. After thirty years it is difficult to imagine. Interesting scene. Just tomorrow!! :)

Warm regards MAlgo

jhm (211736) 2016-01-23 0:54

Ciao Luciano,

Your two additional picture are a lovely addition, very relaxed.
The woman as seller wait on customers .
Sharpness and clarity are excellent done.
Composition and presentation are pleasant to look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

macjake (98402) 2016-01-23 0:56

Hi Luciano
I wonder what some locals would think if they could visit our supermarket stores with all the available goods for sale, it would be so different for them.

this is a true to life portrait and daily life from Cuba, its perfect. I experienced the same sort of thing in Havana, very difficult to find bottled water on the shelfs for sale.

excellent colors and subject material. cool post
cheers
craig

Nicou (193806) 2016-01-23 1:00

Hello

cette dame appuyée au comptoir quelle vue de ce magasin peu de produit sur les étalage mais quelle scène et vue quel captage dans le vif fantastique compo.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

snunney (130967) 2016-01-23 2:25

Hello Luciano,
The lady looks decidedly bored; it must be a very difficult life having such a limited range of goods to offer just like in a wartime economy. Your exposure is perfect making excellent use of the available light. A well chosen point of view that sets everything in context. Excellent clarity.

Karolina999 (0) 2016-01-23 2:29

Dear LOusat,
fine woman, fine shop, fine scene and scenery, nice colors, good POV and DOF, superb framing.
Thanx for sharing.
Cheeers!

ktanska (44714) 2016-01-23 3:37

Hi Luciano,
A shot in true "learning about the world" spirit. Rough conditions and sparsity of available goods is quite evident. Good framing, good sidelight.
Kari

Silvio1953 (221463) 2016-01-23 3:38

Ciao Luciano, in effetti gli scaffali son di un vuoto desolante, e il sapone merce rara e preziosa, unica cosa abbondante il pane, come ben mostri nei WS, interessante documentazione, bravo, buon fine settimana, ciao Silvio

rbassin (27472) 2016-01-23 4:58

ciao Luciano
une scène bien saisie, une activité humaine bien mise en valeur dans ce petit magasin.
Bons contrastes entre zones sombres et zones éclairées
Bon W-E
Roland

ikeharel (113241) 2016-01-23 6:09

Buona sera Luciano,
A very humble shelves with little to offer - but probably that's the way people in Cuba lived for centuries already, maybe nowadays with resumed relations with the USA, a more abundance of food, mainly, will be presented there.
The lady in red was on the shining "path" from the outside light, face expression show calm and content, left leg on the chair - a wonderful bonus to the scene. Well spotted POV.
Arrivederci,
Ike

pajaran (115779) 2016-01-23 6:21

Dobar dan.
Lep pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici, lepo pokazana prodavnica sa robom, lepo uhvacen trenutak sa prodavcem.
Teska vremena i kriza, nesto se i nadje za kupovinu u prodavnici.
Lepo popodne i sve najbolje za vikend, srecno.
Paja.

Good day.
Nice view and moment, a good text ...
Good work with beautiful photographs in the workshop, nice demonstrated outlets, caught a nice moment with the seller.
Hard times and crises, and find something to purchase in the store.
Nice afternoon and all the best for the weekend, good luck.
Paja.

holmertz (102604) 2016-01-23 6:24

Hello Luciano,
This doesn't look like the shops I am used to. It seems more like a museum, and maybe soon things will be different if influences from the US are allowed to get a grip on the country. From this POV, and with the lady in red sitting like that, it is an interesting and even attractive photo and one that really calls for a closer study.
Kind regards,
Gert

Fis2 (170639) 2016-01-23 8:06

Witaj Luciano!
Super scene from daily life.
Interesting market.
Good framing and colors.
Have a nice evening.
Krzysztof

abmdsudi (95869) 2016-01-23 8:13

Hi Luciano
A pleasant indoor shot, love your vpoint and their juxtapositions which creates an excellent composition and there's plenty of interesting things to look at and works so well with the eye popping red drawing the eye in. Your balanced lighting is seamless and lovely ambient befitting the atmosphere and mood. A fine shot, Congrats
Best wishes

cornejo (61504) 2016-01-23 11:40

Ciao Luciano, molto buona immagine di questo vecchio negozio di alimentari, molto ben catturato in questa immagine interessante con una buona nitidezza, luce, colore e qualità. Molto buono e interessante lavoro ben fatto, complimenti mio amico. Grazie per aver condiviso questo bel lavoro.

Buona notte e buona Domenica.
Cordiali saluti da sud della Spagna.
Angel.

jmdias (115046) 2016-01-23 14:47

luciano

a curious thing is people in my town produce its own soap trying to avoid to buy it, some people says it is much better than the industrialized. soap is something simple to produce.
very interesting aspect of the daily life.
hugs

jorge

rychem (72187) 2016-01-23 19:36

Great documentary photo, it show the reality in Havana, very well captured with perfect details
regards Ryszard

berek (50518) 2016-01-23 22:37

Dear Luciano,

The person at the counter seemed lost in thought. The shooting allows you to see details of the products on the shelves. nice daily life view from Cuba .
Greetings
Burak Erek

Tue (92302) 2016-01-24 2:26

Hello Luciano,
Great photo of the interior of this shop. The shelves look pretty empty indeed. You managed the light so well, it adds a great mood. The lady in red waiting for her next customer is well captured from the side too.
Lars

Royaldevon (85862) 2016-01-24 2:48

Ciao caro Luciano,

A most interesting photograph showing conditions that we might remember 40 years ago, in our own countries. The lack of supermarket, whilst inconvenient, is very exciting; to browse the shelves for simple, home made goods is like stepping back in time!
This shopkeeper has time to relax and meditate! So different from the sales assistants in supermarkets who need to check goods rapidly and can get very stressed!
A good aspect draws us easily into the shop. I'll have a couple of bread buns please!

Have a lovely Sunday,
Bev :-)

danos (110407) 2016-01-24 3:14

Ciao Luciano,
nice the interior view of the shop of Havana with the WS to complete perfect the whole scenery about the 'philosophy' of Cuban products.I like a lot the pure plates of soaps as their prices.A good reportage shot from the daily life of the vendor.

Have a good Sunday,Danos

Cricri (176) 2016-01-24 3:53

ciao Luciano
Une heure peut être très calme que la dame semble attendre , le regard lointain, mais toi tu es là :-) bon POV des étagère et ces compositions
beau dimanche
cricri

PaulVDV (62846) 2016-01-24 4:28

Hello Luciano,
The former central - and eastern European situations still seem to exist in Cuba.
However since a number of years quite a lot of tourists are visiting this wonderful country. Apparently, this is not of much significance. I wonder if it will become better once the relationship with the US will again be completely normal. I'm not sure that a boycott is responsible for problems with the bread or soap supply. The country will need a lot of changes in its economic system.
A very good picture to draw our attention to the everyday problems of the population of this country.
Best regards, Paul

cristina1 (1165) 2016-01-24 5:08

Ciao LUciano
ricordo perfettamente questi negozi di Cuba dove si acquista con la tessera annonaria.
Si tratta ancora della vecchia Cuba, ma non so ancora per quanto tempo. Il tutto molto caratteristico.
Buona domenica
Cri

federico (6109) 2016-01-24 14:47

ciao Luciano una foto interessante qui che ci mostra la vita quotidiana a Cuba, cosa si puo' trovare in vendita in un negozio , il tutto con una bella luce diffusa
complimenti
Federico

npecanhuk (79329) 2016-01-24 14:48

Ciao Luciano!
Excellent note!
Great daily life picture!
Loved the WS versions!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov and composition are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Buona settimana,
Neyvan

eldancer1 (36343) 2016-01-25 7:49

Very nice documentation of the daily life of people, unfortunately this market looks sadly empty of goods. Nicely captured with good lighting and nice details. Well done, tfs.

gildasjan (43826) 2016-01-26 6:51

Bonjour Luciano
Bon cadrage de l’intérieur de ce magasin épicerie avec cette femme bien placée dans la composition.
Bonne soirée
Amicalement
Gildas

dekanski (9357) 2016-01-26 9:01

Hi Luciano,

I have nothing to add, just that I like it!

Regards,
Saša

clic (76) 2016-01-29 7:14

Ciao Luciano
Belle lumière latérale pour un relief de style 3D sur ce magasin général qui semble déserté par la clientèle...matière à rendre songeuse la caissière!
Amicalement.
Robert

Graal (103040) 2016-01-29 9:53

Ciao Luciano,
interesting reportage and theme about the daily life at Cuba. So sad. So poor. Perhaps it will changed in future. Good 3 photos.
Have a nice evening.
Aleksander

serp2000 (47063) 2016-01-29 11:11

Hi, Luciano,
I do remember similar times in the last years of USSR. But we did not have so warm climate and the warm ocean around. Very informative note and excellent illustration of your words. Thumbs up! Serghei

adramad (72934) 2016-01-29 11:31

Hello Luciano.
Three sensational images that give us a very clear idea of the difficult lives of Cubans, lacking the most necessary products, the store does not have many shelves, but has plenty of space, is a magnificent picture of everyday life.
Great photo, beautiful natural colors, very good lighting and excellent sharpness.
Well done. I love.
You enjoy the weekend.
Best wishes. and thank you for your kind greeting.
Luis.

adores (46979) 2016-01-29 17:10

Hi Luciano!
This is a very nice one, looks like some stores we used to have here. Great details and the pose of the seller is excellent! I saw some interesting stores there, but not like this!

COSTANTINO (116377) 2016-01-30 0:50

Ciao Luciano,
Una scena triste che l ho vista pure io
e proprio cosi peccato,
complimenti per il reportage,
almeno speriamo che tutto va bene
cari saluti,e buon weekend
Costantino

Matyas (0) 2016-01-31 1:26

Ciao Luciano! Very fine shop. Fine women. Good pose. Good take and frame. Original work. Splendid effect. Reggards!

worldcitizen (16048) 2016-02-01 16:53

Ciao Luciano,
It's different, and a bit sad, to see the inside of this market with such a limited selection of items. I don't think anyone will spend too much time deciding what to buy there like we do in the USA or Italy. I like the pose of the woman at the counter. She looks a bit bored; business must be slow. I hope that as change comes to Cuba, the people will finally have the things they need, like soap and other basic items.

mcmtanyel (68383) 2016-08-01 20:14

Hello Luciano,
Apart from the attire of the woman, this looks like a page from history. It is a sight I would find in museums depicting stores of colonial times.
Regards,
MT

njmv79 (611) 2016-08-08 23:16

Ciao Luciano,
My wife is half Cuban, and definitely the country I would love to visit, despite all of that, no one I repeat, no one dies from hunger, everyone has access to eat, medical, and schools.
thanks for sharing that reality my friend,
Nelson

[workshop] [compare]

Miguel82 (47110) 2019-06-27 12:29

Luciano, instructive photo report showing the shop system in Cuba. A state card is used to buy the few products available in that grocery. I see bread and wine bottles on the shelves. The vendor looks lost in her thoughts. Neat image.

mkamionka (74311) 2022-01-02 10:19

Ciao Luciano,
I managed again to find a photo in your gallery under which I didn't write my comment yet. Nice scene from this particular shop, they seem to have bread and wine only. I suppose this is enough for a meal. The lady has a look as if she was contemplating something. May be watching tourists passing by.
Very well spotted,
M