Meet Daryl Hawk
For the past 35 years, explorer and international documentary photographer, Daryl Hawk, has traveled the world telling stories with his camera. He spends weeks at a time documenting and immersing himself into different cultures and landscapes. With a visually and interpretive style, Hawk tries to capture the heart and soul of the country with his photographs, depicting the characteristics of the landscapes, as well as the timeless moments and passions of the people.
Hawk is also a professional lecturer, travel writer and workshop instructor whose articles and photographs often appear in magazines and newspapers worldwide. He has also been featured several times on NBC’s Today Show and Fox 5 Television. He is a member of the Explorers Club, founded in New York City and whose mission is promoting the exploration of land, sea, air, and space. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and member of the Professional Photographers Association and the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists.
Hawk is the former host and producer of the cablevision television show “The Unconventional Traveler” which featured some of the world’s leading explorers, adventurers and filmmakers sharing their work from various expeditions and documentaries. He produced over 100 shows over a ten year period with such notable explorers as Buzz Aldrin, Jane Goodall, Reinhold Messner and George Schaller.
Additionally, he has also published six hardcover photography books. The first, “Distant Journeys,” consists of 386 color images from around the world. His second book entitled “Quiet Moments” is a compilation of 120 black and white images of nature, nautical scenes, New York City, New England, and miscellaneous travel images. His third book, “White Pond” is a tribute to a small lake in southern New Hampshire. “Manhattan” is a color retrospective with 250 landscapes, buildings, and street scenes of New York City. His books “Into the Heart of Cuba.” consist of two volumes and 500 pages based on his eight journeys around Cuba between 2016 – 2023. His latest book “Mountains Beyond Mountains” consists of 125 landscape photographs from New Hampshire and Vermont.
In April 2016, a long time dream came true for me. I was able to travel to Cuba alone and shoot an in-depth documentary in my usual “unconventional traveler” style. I have always been extremely fascinated about Cuba. It was always the forbidden land with a history filled with revolution. What I did not expect was to fall in love with people so much that I would return to this magical island eight more times over the past seven years. Their hearts and souls captivated and inspired me and now my goal was to do the most in-depth photo documentary ever done on Cuba. Cuba’s diverse coastline, fertile lowland plains rich in sugarcane, renowned tobacco plantations, caves and the forgotten small towns and villages were included in the documentary.
Never in all of my travels have I ever experienced such a perfect combination of beautiful light, color and perfect chemistry with the native people. I can honestly say that now that I have truly discovered Cuba, that it was my destiny to be part of this magical country as both a photographer and tour guide.
NEW: Cuba Music Tour
Join us on our Cuba tours and immerse yourself in Cuba’s authentic music performances and cultural delights. Our tours offer a unique opportunity to connect with the Cuban people and their rich musical heritage. Whether you’re a musician or simply someone who loves music, our tours have something for everyone.
We provide a life-changing experience that includes Cuban dancing, top-rated restaurants, Cuban farming, mindfulness, art, education, museums, architecture, shopping, and meaningful interactions with the Cuban people. Our tours are carefully planned to take you on a journey through the history of Cuban music, where you’ll meet some of the best musicians around Cuba.
Each night, you’ll visit a different music club, theater, or event, where you can listen to different music styles, such as Son, Rumba, Latin Jazz, Boleros, Afro Beats, and maybe even some Cuban Reggaeton. We offer tours with different themes and durations designed to accommodate your interests and travel time.
NEW: Cuba Photography Tour
This trip is authorized by the US Government under the category of Support for the Cuban People.
Our Cuba Photo Tours emphasis (indeed all of our tours) is on small, group tours – usually 10 participants or less. And, wherever we travel, we focus on the best available – with local flavor of course – accommodations. Our tours are conducted with the flexibility to “stop along the road,” either for a special photo or simply to enjoy a view or activity. We also like to build in diverse cultural experiences, achieved by working closely with local guides – guides we know and trust. At The Unconventional Travelers, we seek to strike a great balance in our tours, so you get the most out of the trip from a photography standpoint, and simply as a great tour – all led by a passionate teacher of the art of photography!
Join Daryl Hawk on this memorable photo tour to the most photogenic destinations in Cuba. He has traveled to Cuba since 2016, leading photo groups there since 2020, and has established long-time relationships with many people there. We’ll get to see many of the finest iconic sights that Cuba has to offer, but we will dig much deeper into the lives of the amazing Cuban people. We will interact with Cubans from all walks of life while taking advantage of the best light, and with a flexibility that allows us to make the most of opportunities as they arise.
We will start in Havana, with its world-class street shooting and so much more. We will organize photo shoots, such as the most important boxing gym in Cuba, Afro-Cubano dancers, and ballet dancers from the Cuban National Ballet posing in an old mansion. Everywhere we go we will meet and photograph the friendly people of Havana.
Next, we will explore the tobacco-growing region of Vinales – with its stunning limestone cliffs, or Mogotes. Vinales would be an important photo destination just for the scenery alone, but it is the traditional farmers that make it so great. We are friends with many of the farmers in the area, and they will invite us into their homes, affording photo opportunities that the typical group will never have.
Finally, we will journey to the colonial city of Trinidad. Many consider this Unesco World Heritage site the most beautiful city in Cuba. With the backdrop of the perfectly preserved colonial buildings, we’ll photograph cowboys riding horses and pulling horse-carts through the cobblestone streets, along with the classic American cars. We’ll meet a local photographer there and visit a cowboy ranch outside of town, where we’ll be served an authentic country-style lunch. Trinidad also hosts a thriving local live music scene, and we will have the opportunity to photograph local musicians there.
Register for more information, contact us here.
