Tourists lineup to enter the famous La Bodeguita del Medio bar Havana Cuba | Limited Edition of 10
A Crowd Gathers at Cuba’s Most Famous Bar
Havana has a rhythm all its own—part music, part history, part daily improvisation. This image captures that unmistakable energy in front of La Bodeguita del Medio, the legendary watering hole made famous by Hemingway and frequented by just about every tourist with a sense of literary nostalgia or a thirst for a mojito.
The scene isn’t staged or romanticized. It’s exactly as I found it: a crowd of people from every corner of the world, all jammed into a narrow Cuban street, half waiting, half watching. And look closer—some are laughing, some are annoyed, some are soaking in the atmosphere like they’re trying to bottle it. You’ve got street grime, stroller wheels, baseball caps, linen shirts, and scribbled walls layered with names left behind by generations of wanderers.
I shot this in black and white because the colour—though it was brilliant—almost got in the way of the details. Stripping it back reveals the emotion, the postures, the layered textures of the walls and the people. This is a moment of anticipation. Everyone’s here for the same reason, but they’re all having a different experience of it. And that’s what travel feels like sometimes: shared places, private moments.
There’s something uniquely Cuban about this photo—not just the architecture, but the theatre of public life. Havana doesn’t hide its stories behind glass. It spills them out onto the pavement, loud and proud. And this little bar, for all its tourist traffic, still holds that pulse of old Cuba if you’re patient enough to wait for it.
If you’ve ever been to Havana, this scene probably feels familiar. If you haven’t, well, this is the closest I can offer to standing in that slow-moving line, surrounded by strangers, watching history and reality blur together on a sun-washed street.
You can find more scenes like this in my Cuba Photography Collection and the focused Havana Photography Collection.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2017
Limited Edition of 10
This photograph is released as a signed and numbered limited edition of only 10 prints in total across all available sizes combined—not 10 prints in each size.
Every size is drawn from the same edition. Whether the photograph is purchased as a small print or at the largest available size, it uses one of the 10 edition numbers.
I personally sign and number each print on the reverse, and every print is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity recording its title, dimensions, medium, edition number, and date of issue.
Once all 10 prints have been sold, the edition will be permanently closed. No additional numbered editions of the photograph will be produced in another size or format.
Premium Archival Fine Art Prints
I personally produce every photograph using archival pigment inks on premium archival paper with a subtle luster finish.
The paper provides rich tonal depth, excellent fine-detail reproduction, and a refined surface that reduces distracting glare under normal indoor lighting. It is especially well suited to both color and black-and-white photography.
Each photograph is sold as an unframed fine art print, allowing it to be framed according to the collector’s space and personal style.
Before a print leaves my studio, I carefully inspect it for color, tonal accuracy, surface quality, and overall presentation. Nothing is outsourced, and every finished print passes through my hands.
Worldwide Delivery Included
Every print is personally produced, inspected, signed, numbered, and carefully packaged by me at my studio in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada.
Worldwide delivery is included in the listed price, so there is no additional shipping charge added during checkout. I select an appropriate tracked delivery service based on the destination, print size, and current shipping requirements.
Delivery times vary by destination and may be affected by customs processing or circumstances beyond my control.
Because I also travel extensively to create new photographic work, studio dispatch may occasionally be delayed while I am away. When that happens, the print will be produced and shipped as soon as I return to the studio.
