A Pay Phone? What's That?, a photo from Sancti Spiritus, West

Photographer's Note

Have you ever noticed how we have almost written off the Pay Phone as one of our utilities we use in daily life?

All around the world cities and governments are spending money to remove pay phones from street corners. Its almost a rare find to spot a pay phone nowadays. At least where i live anyways, and i many cities i've traveled to.

Except Cuba!!!! Pay phones are everywhere!

I will never forget one paticular moment - It was late at night in Havana, ahead of us were a large group of 20 somthing year old girls in party skirts and high heels. For sure getting ready for a night out on the town. They were all standing around chatting and laughing, having fun. When all of a sudden 1 girl left the group and started walking towards me.

I thought what the heck is going on here? Then I noticed it...to the left of me was a wall full of pay phones!!! She left the group of girls because she had to make a phone call. When was the last time you saw that ??????? It was as if i was literally standing in 1990 all over again :)

Obviously I don't have a photo of that fun moment, but I do have this one. The colors, the acid-wash jeans, the door...it all appealed to me. And of course she's using a pay phone.

Hope you like it

snunney, Romano46, pajaran, holmertz, ikeharel, RhodieIke, jjcordier, danos, Kamilutka, SnapRJW, worldcitizen, tatadalou has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (130967) 2014-04-24 1:51

Hello Craig,
It's true, mobiles have taken over virtually everywhere in the world, except here is would seem. A well framed shot full of old world charm. I like the lighting and, especially, that lovely wrought iron gate. Well spotted and nicely presented.

Romano46 (18472) 2014-04-24 2:59

Ciao Craig
questa foto denota un gran bel colpo d'occhio.
Non solo mi piace la composizione per la piacevole contrapposizione tra la bella porta e le due figure femminili, ma trovo anche particolarmente attraenete l'uso appropriato sia del colore che del contrasto per valorizzare la foto.
Una cattura eccellente e valorizzata anche da una nitidezza straordinaria.
Bravissimo
Romano
P.S. - Ho letto nel tuo commento che prevedi di venire a Roma. Se riesco a liberarmi dai mille impegni che ho per il periodo del tuo viaggio mi farebbe piacere incontrarti.

batalay (41261) 2014-04-24 3:30

Hello Craig,

Love is in the air! I like very much the photo and your note. I hope that the red telephone boxes that have characterized the UK will not disappear, even if they are to offer people privacy in using their cell phones. Well timed capture!

Warm regards,

Bulent

pajaran (116011) 2014-04-24 3:59

Pozdrav.
Interesantan i dobar tekst o mestu i trenutku, lep pogled na devojke telefonsku govornicu ...
Dobar trenutak snimka i kontrast, lepo pokazano mesto i trenutak sa devojkama, lepe boje.
U Srbiji ima telefonske govornice.
Sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greetings.
Interesting and good article about the place and moment, a nice view of the girls phone booth ...
Good time recording and contrast nicely shown the place and moment with girls, beautiful colors.
In Serbia, a phone booth.
All the best.
Paja.

rbassin (27472) 2014-04-24 4:20

hello Craig
une sc閚e bien mise en image, les couleurs et les d閠ails sont superbes.
Bonne journ閑
Roland

sandpiper (6788) 2014-04-24 4:20

Hi Craig

A fascinating view into the past which is still the present. We still have payphone here in Sydney, but they are rare. Gee, you brought back ancient memories of when I was young and walked up the street to ring my girlfriend, LOL.
Great composition and colours

Chris

Sergiom (117241) 2014-04-24 5:26

Bonjour Craig

Probablement un des derniers vestiges d'une 閜oque presque r関olue.La dame semble 閜rouver beaucoup de plaisir et le partager avec la rue au complet. Une belle sc鑞e de la vie quotidienne.

Amicalement

Serge

Royaldevon (85932) 2014-04-24 6:02

My goodness, Craig, we do seem to keep booking adjacent lots!
You are right about the demise of the payphone. I can think of none in my immediate neighbourhood. Besides being obsolete, they were, also, a target for vandals!
This is such a great daily life scene for this country and so different from the countries we know well. It looks as if it might have had some privacy surround which gives us further information about the country - it has been removed for some reason, the weather is good enough for it to be exposed. It wouldn't survive for long with English weather!
A fine composition with all elements well positioned.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

photographer_sg (6059) 2014-04-24 7:37

Hello Craig
That's surely a nice bit of history on the sidewalk : ). Liked the elegant patterns of the ironwork and the lovely shaft of light on the wall and of course the colour contrasts.
Thanks for sharing and have a great evening.
Satya

holmertz (102800) 2014-04-24 7:43

Hello Craig,
For someone who has spent so much time taking pictures of architecture and cars you're really doing well as a street photographer too. Cuba seems to have liberated your mind:-). This is not just an amusing glimpse of life in the street, it's also a very well composed photo, nicely cropped, with good colors and showing an interesting and very well guarded door.
All the best,
Gert

abmdsudi (95869) 2014-04-24 7:44

Hi Craig
They are the prime candidates for colour popping! the old style of making phone calls well found but having the two standing side-by-side is great bonus! Surprisingly the coinafon still survives here but how long would this still stay there with all the mobile phones invasion. This is in Cuba and the reasons are obvious but how lovely that you were there just at the right time to catch this fun, it's technically well performed street shot and a great social comment. A pleasure to view, I luv it. Congrats
Best regards

ikeharel (113453) 2014-04-24 8:23

Some phone conversation made a lady happy...
Nicely spotted the street scene, the other lady was not in eye contact, probably notaware about you and the camera - and now maybe not knowing she is on TE.
Apperently Cuba still in the early days of "Tech" and payphones are still a mean of commu. I am also impressed by the high door with the grilles.
Best regards, Craig.
Ike

siudzi (34141) 2014-04-24 12:32

Hello Craig,
I like it a lot! All elements of the view look great and work together very well. The huge doors and the lovely blue wall gave a superb background for the scene. Taken with a perfect sense of the moment. TFS!

Best,
Gosia

kathryn_weir (2056) 2014-04-24 16:19

Hello Craig,
A great photo and great accompanying note. Nowadays the queues are for the ATM machines, not the telephone!
One of the things I loved about London were the great red phone booths which are so much a part of the city. Sadly many of the phones were often vandalised and the booth was often smelling more like a latrine than not. Still it would be very sad indeed if they were all taken away.
I love the long afternoon shadows and the diagonal approach- that is also one heck of a door as a backdrop, Well realised composition.
thanks for sharing
Kathryn

nikkitta (17070) 2014-04-24 16:58

Hola Craig

Charming, natural street scene, only in Cuba because of the window

Like the smile of the girl and the mix of architecture and people

Well done
Cheers
Maria

Pay phones are going, but this seems to be new and in good state, if you want to see them in full action , go to...India, they are elsewhere and for a few dollars you phone or talk the country you want without worring about the price

Didi (61589) 2014-04-24 17:04

Hi Craig
Interesting subject but a paid phome is important for people who have not cell phone it's a question of securiry
Nice scene of daily life good frame quality
I prefer the girl on the left :)
Kind regards

RhodieIke (11752) 2014-04-24 22:47

Hi Craig,

This looks a cheeky one!
Well spotted, these girls look like they are out for a good night.
Amazing the payphone still works being out in all weathers.
Super Pov, splendid to include the gated door, super management and presentation.
As the youngsters say over here it's Sick.(I know, what a word to replace good)

Cheers, Iain.

jjcordier (79299) 2014-04-24 22:53

Craig
Une sc鑞e devenue bien rare par chez nous! Belle composition exploitant les versions pile de face des cubaines.
Amicalement
JJ

adidas5nb (5743) 2014-04-24 23:09

thats a great daily life street shot.love the candidness and the timing.also the framing is so attractive with the colors and the door being included.love the door.
regards
dwaipayan

danos (110407) 2014-04-25 0:01

Hi Craig,
nice the snapshot from this section of the town with the women to use the pay phone to communicate.In Greece such phones have abolished decades ago and were replaced by telephones with telephone cards and these from mobiles.

Regards,Danos

lousat (139342) 2014-04-25 1:35

Hi Craig,payphone are everywhere because they haven't a personal mobile...ehehe...an excellent idea for a nice daily life scene,i remember my difficult calls to Italy from there with a prepaid card,a lot of number to do and a lot of messages difficult to understand for me..ehhee...have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

Kamilutka (8107) 2014-04-25 2:39

Hi Craig,
I remember this time very well when almost nobody had land line phone and definitely nobody had ever heard about mobile phone. The queueing to the pay phone was always interesting, because one could listen to other people conversations and there was very often some arguing, since everybody was eager to take the phone over.
This picture is a perfect illustration for that, however didn't expect it to be so recently taken. It feels like journey to the past.
Nice composition, good colors and very interesting subject. Well spotted and executed.
Thanks for sharing
Kamila

SnapRJW (31631) 2014-04-25 3:10

Pay phones.... standing in a queue in the pouring rain; trying to phone the UK from South Africa, seeing how many people we could squash into a box. Distant memories Craig but I did like the sound as one pressed the button and the money fell into the collection box and the call was connected!

A well observed DL shot, so many things in Cuba seem to be from another era.... looks as if the fashions are fairly up-to-date though!

Warm regards

Rosemary

Silvio1953 (221751) 2014-04-25 13:10

Ciao Craig, lovely composition with nice scene, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful bright colors, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

worldcitizen (16106) 2014-04-25 14:44

Hello Craig,
Pay phones are definitely dying here in the US. I recently took a photo related to this topic and might post it soon. In this scene I like the grille that's next to the phone, and the color of the wall. Pay phones are still very necessary in Cuba not just because cell phone service is relatively new there, but many people never got land lines installed in their homes. A friend of our family has no phone, and has to use her neighbor's. They waited for installation, but it never happened...

emka (158204) 2014-04-25 23:41

Hi Craig, I know very well what the payphone is. In communist Poland it was very hard to get telephone at home and I had to wait for it twenty three year, Can you imagine. The time of one generation I had to look for a pay phone to call on someone, and worse that no one could communicate with me. Great that this time (with many other things) is long over. But I can appreciate what I have now.
Very nice composition, beautiful iron work of the window and nice girl. Semms hdr-ish but nice.

WArm regrads MAlgo

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-04-27 5:47

Hi Craig!
Very interesting and attractive daily life & people photograph!
Colors, exposure, vertical format and composition are highlights in this one here!
Do they also got bothered for having their picture taken? It seems in Cuba you were a bit more up to doing this sort of work!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

rogerl (1632) 2014-04-29 5:56

Craig, I love so many things about this shot, starting with the huge door that dominates the photo. Great decision to vertically frame the image to include the entire door rather than just make it a snapshot of the two girls. The colors, as in all your photos from Cuba, are really great --- Cuba looks like a colorful place --- and of course there are the girls themselves, talking on the phone. It is so rare to see one of these in the U.S. these days that it's always commented upon. Lovely detail and great composition. Thanks.

Roger