Havana’s Creative Photography School: A magical place

“Without a doubt, we are living in the best documented era,” Osvaldo Muguercia, a teacher at the Creative Photography School of Havana (EFCH), tells Negolution.

He must be right, as today it is common to see anyone and everyone with a camera, and that means that images are constantly generated. But how to learn how to take good photographs?

The EFCH has existed from almost nine years, as a Cuban enterprise that defines itself as a creative group that teaches photography. Its founder is renowned photographer, Tomás Inda. To being with, the school was located in Marianao, but for many years now it has been located in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood.

Each month, an average of 150 students pass through its classrooms, among them 50 newcomers, and although its work is visible on social media, the teaching staff don’t believe that their success lies in the digital sphere, but has been thanks to the experience that they have shared with those who complete their courses.

“We have seen that direct marketing is what works best for us. People arrive for the first time because they hear of our work through others. We already enjoy prestige and that is conveyed to others,” states Ana Mahé Inda, EFCH director.

But what is taught at this school?

The teachers recommend focusing on four fundamental aspects: learning how to handle a camera; taking interesting and visually impacting photos; the correct lighting of the photographed figure, be it with natural or artificial light; and learning how to digitally process images to ensure the best finish.

The school’s courses are a balance of theory and practice that favors learning and the creation of skills. All the courses and workshops conclude with the discussion of individual or collective work, depending on the theme. Each level concludes with a final exercise where students put their knowledge into practice, to later receive the corresponding certificate.

Right now, the teaching and administrative staff totals 21, a considerable number of people that make this enterprise a family.

“Here we see ourselves as a family, that’s what we are. Each new student has to understand that, as when they graduate from our courses we remain in contact, sharing, learning,” Mahé Inda notes.

But it is not only courses that are offered at this innovative school, among other proposals popular among students are the photographic excursions (photo safaris), which offer the perfect opportunity to take photos based on a genre or specific theme. Likewise, there are collective exhibitions, which offer the possibility to present and show the artistic principles acquired.

The added value of these experiences is that the teachers also participate, meaning students always have the company of a professional to indicate, explain and accompany each event organized by the school.

Another conquest of the EFCH is the creation of the photography magazine, Negra, a publication that over the last few years has brought together the visual memory of important national and foreign photographers. The most outstanding works by students are also published, thus offering an opportunity to visualize what the latest artists behind the lens are doing.

The success of this enterprise lies mainly in the way it works, and the team it has acquired. Its founder, Tomás Inda, in the introduction to each course states: “The school aspires simply to graduate good people, youth that arrive with a longing to learn, but that at the same time spread all the good they have learned within society; if that happens, we will be satisfied with the results.”