Photographer, travel guide, artist, and entrepreneur Michael Sykes has taken numerous flights into Cuba during the 1990s. With a camera in hand, he roamed the streets to capture an authentic look at the people of Havana. Recently Michael sat down for an interview with Creative Director David Brady to reflect on his adventures.
DB: Michael, your images are very natural, and the subjects appear very comfortable. When did you first start photographing people?
MS: It started in Havana when I found myself surrounded by a wonderful assortment of attractive and diverse people. Add the backdrop of a once-grand city that had faded but still held its rustic charm. Taking a walk through Havana I would come across scene after scene of photo-worthy scenes. It was a street photographer's paradise.
DB: Unlike most photographs, the images in the book were shot with film and not digital. Do you still shoot with film?
MS: I know some photographers still use film but I am not one of them. I have zero nostalgia for film, it became obsolete for a good reason.
DB: People photograph the walls of Cuba often, what is your fascination with them?
MS: Decaying walls can be an interesting metaphor for impermanence. A small flake of color might be the only visible sign of a previous inhabitant. I used to be a house painter and I remember my customers taking great pains to pick out the perfect color. When I study multiple layers of peeling paint, which might reach back as far as 300 years in the case of Habana Vieja, I think about all the families that lived in the house and I imagine that timeless debate between husband and wife when it came to picking a color. This is a weird ex-house-painter thing I suppose.
DB: Your book "Cuba 1995" focuses on the people of Havana, have you photographed another city or culture?
MS: Not to the extent I have in Havana. When I came to Cuba in 1995 it was immediately evident that I had stumbled into something very special. The reaction of the people, or should I say the non-reaction of the people on the street made them ideal for street photography. The innate trust the Cuban people feel towards strangers is captured in my images.
DB: Why did you decide to create this book?
MS: It was an impulsive idea. The part of my ADHD that I try and embrace. People often toss out good ideas after too much analysis. Particularly as you get older and think you are being prudent. The only part that gave me pause was that I wanted to make sure I was not deluding myself in regard to the quality of the photographs. As much as I have faith in my own personal taste I didn’t want to assume that other people would find the photos engaging. The surprise for me was that I began to like the photos more and more as I spent time with them. As an artist, I am familiar with the fact that my feeling about my own art evolves. It is always nice when you find yourself appreciating something you are already very familiar within a new or different way. That was a good lesson for me. Be patient. Keep looking and leave yourself open.
DB: If you could travel anywhere today to photograph the people there, where would it be?
MS: I would like to do a project where I could photograph children and teenagers in rural areas of America. The practical challenges of this idea are a little intimidating but I also like the idea of doing a road trip and traipsing up to strangers in strange places and telling them I want to take their picture. I love that moment. People have stopped trusting strangers and that is something a street photographer must overcome. If you can, it is a very satisfying experience.
DB: Do you create in mediums other than photography? If so, share a bit about your process.
MS: I spend most of my creative time in my workshop carving figurative pieces out of marble which is a very tedious process often requiring 300 or 400 hours. For faster gratification, I make wood furniture. The best way to describe my process is that I make a lot of mistakes and often find ways to turn those blunders into new ideas. I am constantly being reminded of how absent-minded I am and laughing (and cringing) at my stupidity. I just keep plugging along.
DB: When deciding to tell your story through images, what led to you taking to pen and writing down your thoughts on this?
MS: Initially, I just thought an introduction would be sufficient and wanted to be done with it. I have an aversion to long-winded introductions and I felt mine was too long. The book slowly evolved into separate sections that were part of David’s design concept and I realized my long-winded text was better appreciated in smaller bites. And then more small bites that directly related to what some of the photos meant to me or some back story that I felt would be relevant to the reader. It was a wise decision based on the feedback I have received.
DB: Has this process of making a book piqued your interest to create another?
MS: Now that people have it in their hands and are paying me lovely compliments, my ego tells me to attempt another. But I know that my experiences in Cuba will be difficult to recreate. The idea of setting out to do a new project is a little intimidating, but anything worth a damn normally is.
DB: What are you up to in the studio these days?
MS: I am not in the studio very often. I am currently 600 hours into a memoir which has been rather satisfying from a self-knowledge point of view. It has also given me a window into the writers' life, that must be experienced to appreciate. God only knows if anybody will ever read my book but I am mostly enjoying the process.
DB: Is there anything about creating the book that surprised you?
MS: Quite a bit of brainstorming went into the book and there were far more decisions that needed to be made than I expected. As a rookie, I had a serious learning curve to overcome and throughout the two-month process, David was patient and good-natured. He was open to my ideas and did not hesitate to mock up one of my concepts to see how it looked. We had a comfortable collaborative relationship and he never lost his enthusiasm or appeared weary, always reminding me that we would not stop until I was satisfied. Sharing our mutual excitement about the book as it took shape made it fun for me. In the end, we were both proud of what our combined efforts produced.
DB: Well the entire team at Brady Book Design is proud of this publication. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with everyone Michael. Let’s do it again!