Dr. Isaac Vaisman, APSA, PPSA
June 2026 - Havana Cathedral
About the Image(s)
On our National Geographic guided photography tour of Havana – Cuba, every morning we went out to walk the streets of Old Havana way before the sunrise. We reached the Plaza of the Cathedral at the time of the blue hour. The only living creature besides us was a dog.
The Cathedral was built between 1748 and 1777 and run by the Society of Jesus. The remains of Christopher Columbus were held there which were returned to Spain in 1898 after the Cuban War of Independence.
Used the Nikon D750 with the Nikkor prime 20mm f/1.8 with these settings: ISO 1250, f/8 and 1/20 sec (on a tripod at low vantage point). The image was PP in LightRoom and minimally cropped.
2 comments posted
I've been admiring this image ever since it was posted last month but only posted for this month due to the server problems experienced by PSA. This is a classic blue hour image, but with a subject not lighted with incandescent light, which usually is the case with blue hour images, but being a living creature. The solitude and emptiness of the early morning is added by the presence of the dog which focuses attention on that early-morning solicitude and that actually serves as a counter-subject to the cathedral. The image is sharp, well-exposed and has good depth of field. The low vantage point likely reduced the bend of the adjacent buildings making for a good image. Well-done. Posted: 06/01/2026 05:59:56
Would not be the same without the dog. Great image. Posted: 06/06/2026 14:38:09