Quatro Amigos…. (back to Homepage)

After a few days of riding trains, tractors and tomato trucks through the Cuban countryside with my pal Barry in 1997, we approached 4 local tobacco workers just back from a hard day in the fields. Always quick to recognize a great shot, and tired of my photographic shyness, Barry politely introduced ourselves and, without hesitation, captured the photo below with my camera. And after sharing a quick coconut break that included some impressive machete handiwork, we continued on our journey westward with fond memories of our new ‘Quatro Amigos’ (Spanish for ‘four friends’).

The significance of the moment wasn’t captured just in the photo, but also in me…because from that moment, I started to gain both an appreciation and the courage to take photos of people in other countries and cultures. Now seven years and several countries later, it’s easy to see that this theme is present in any region where you might find 4 guys just hanging out…just being ‘quatro amigos’.

The Original Quatro Amigos: Cuban tobacco workers in a village near Pinar del Rio. Photo by Barry.