This photograph is one of my favorites from Cuba, and I shot it on the first day. To be sure, I took other memorable photos over the subsequent days, but I was happy to have captured this scene. I printed it large at my local camera store and plan to hang it on the wall.

While the street may look similar to one from the last two days, it’s different. I made it 7 minutes after the picture from yesterday as we continued walking through the old city. I believe we are a block or two from the previous street.

A few things came together to create this atmospheric mood. First, we have the late-afternoon sun shining through the trees, forming a nice glow and casting long shadows. We also have smoke, which created a hazy environment. The smoke is courtesy of a street vendor frying churros in a park out of frame on the right.

I shot several pictures anticipating the passing of these two pedicabs. I opted for the one that was large in frame on the left. Layering in the character-filled architecture in the background, and you have some splendid visual elements that came together. My only gripe is the man on the right, who is partially cut off and adding clutter. Ideally, I would prefer not to have him in the picture. However, this is how I shot the photo, with no cropping.

I did some minor post-processing, mainly increasing the exposure and lifting shadows. Beyond that, the actual environment made the image. That and the timing of the shot.

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