Although the purpose of my trip to Cuba was to experience and photograph the country, the trip was also an extended photographic seminar with my friend and mentor Nancy Ori. During the trip she offered tips on how to frame a shot, what exposure to use in a given situation, and when to use a smalll reflector to get more soft light on a subject. (She did this last with a farm worker in a tobacco barn as we all clicked away--as seen here:)

Cuban tobacco farm workerThis young man worked on the tobacco farm we visited. He was extremely polite and a very patient subject.

One of her frequently repeated dictums is "find the light, then compose the shot." This may seem obvious and something that a good photographer should do instinctively. The truth is we do not always do this, so it is worth discussing for a minute.

In reviewing some of my photographs recently, the truth of Nancy's dictum became clear. My best images where those where the light zeroed in on or called attention to part of that image, making it the undisputed center of attention. This is also true when the photograph is mostly light and the subject is dark. This no doubt holds true for all kinds of photography, from sunsets, to landscapes, to street. Indeed, in a show I recently visited, the images where something in the light-- such as a cat, or a face, or a spoon--was mostly clearly the center of attention were the images that received the top prizes.

The eye of God.This image was captured while on the New Jersey Turnpike heading south. It is of a sunset over the Meadowlands.

It never ceases to amaze me how the eye instinctively is attracted to the greatest contrast between light and darkness. This is something the brain finds interesting. For most people, it takes a conscious reminder--in my case Nancy--to force a person to realize and understand what they are attracted to and actually see. This, it seems to me, proves the point made by Henry Cartier-Bresson when he said about photography that  "the art is in the seeing." In other words, when when we see the subject in the light in an image, we are really seeing the art in that image.

Bay reeds.The reeds near a marina, highlighted and make the center of attention by the afternoon sun.

Finding just the right light in an image, the light that grabs the eye, and tickles the brain, and makes the viewer go  "WOW"  is certainly a goal I will continue pursue in all of my photographic work!