Good News Only, People, Arts James Bairaktaris Good News Only, People, Arts James Bairaktaris

Documentary Photographer, Former Westporter to Give Lecture on Cuba Travels 

Contributed photo. 
Press Release:

International documentary photographer, Daryl Hawk, will present a photo documentary and lecture entitled “Into the Heart of Cuba” to the Appalachian Mountain Club on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30PM. This special event will take place at the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East in Westport.

Daryl was one of the first Americans to travel alone without any restrictions and unlimited access to all areas. Riding in a 1953 Chevrolet for 2 weeks, he fell in love with this unique country within hours of his arrival. “The visual stimulation that I experienced from dawn to dusk was truly exhilarating.  I have never seen such a perfect combination of beautiful light, color and the friendliest and most welcoming people in all of my travels. Explorers all have stories to tell. Mine is told through the lens of a camera. I am a visual explorer.”

Daryl has made six trips to Cuba between 2016 – 2022. He started his Cuba journeys in the capital of Havana where the day to day street life and architecture was his main focus. He then made his way to the rural Vinales region which is world renowned for tobacco plantations. From there he continued to head east through the cities of Cinfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Camaguay, Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa, the most eastern point in Cuba. The stunning architecture, colorful cars from the 1950s, remote caves, environmental portraits of people from all walks of life, and dramatic landscapes are all covered in the presentation.

Daryl travels to Cuba with the goal of shooting documentaries for magazines and television and will share his nonstop, day to day adventures, experiences, discoveries, and valuable lessons he learned on these incredibly spiritual journeys. He will discuss his style, philosophy, and various techniques he uses when photographing subject matter. Equipment, lighting on location, environmental portraits, and travel tips on planning a trip to Cuba will all be covered as well. 

For the past thirty years, Daryl has explored some of the most remote and isolated places in the world telling stories with his camera. He is a photographer, travel writer, lecturer, and explorer whose articles and photographs often appear in numerous national magazines and publications worldwide. He is a member of the Explorers Club, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and member of the Professional Photographers Association. He has been featured several times on NBC’s “Today Show” and Fox 5 television.

Daryl owns and operates “Unconventional Travelers”, a small personalized tour company that focuses on inspiring travelers to the world in a new way by experiencing first hand other cultures and lifestyles. These stimulating photographic explorations inspire and connect people with some of the world’s most beautiful places.   For information on trips for 2022 and 2023 to Cuba  www.unconventionaltravelers.com. 

He is the author of five published photography books. “Distant Journeys” consists of 150 color images from the Arctic, the Andes, Patagonia, Antarctica, Bhutan, New Zealand, and much more. “Quiet Moments” includes Hawk’s favorite 120 black and white photographs taken over the past 25 years. Nature and nautical landscapes and abstracts, New York City scenes, and misc. travel landscapes and portraits are all highlighted. “White Pond” is a tribute to a small lake in southern New Hampshire. “Manhattan”, is a color retrospective with 200 landscapes, buildings and street scenes of New York City. His latest book, “Into the Heart of Cuba” consists of 450 images from his recent circumnavigation around Cuba.

Daryl is also the former host and producer of the television show “The Unconventional Traveler” which featured some of the worlds’ leading explorers, travel photographers and filmmakers sharing their work from various expeditions and documentaries. He produced over 100 shows over a 10 year period and some of his guests included Jane Goodall, Buzz Aldrin, Reinhold Messner and George Schaller.

For more information on this event, please contact Eleanor Sasso at (203)216-6814 or easasso7@icloud.com. Daryl Hawk is a former resident of Wilton and Westport.

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People, Good News Only, Sports James Bairaktaris People, Good News Only, Sports James Bairaktaris

Westport’s Oscar Edelman Grabs Gold in Israel during The 2022 Maccabiah

Westporter Oscar Edelman brought home gold for the United States with his basketball skills and pride in his heritage at the 2022 Maccabi Games in Israel. Edelman and Maccabi USA won the final basketball game against Israel during the international sporting event that brought 10,000 athletes and high ranking leaders, such as President Joe Biden and Israel alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, together for competition and celebration. The games celebrate Jewish heritage and tradition, something Edelman has enjoyed both on the courts in Israel and here at Westport’s Greens Farms Academy. GFA’s John Nash spoke with Edelman last year after learning that he’d been selected for the team, with Edelman telling him “I’m usually the only Jewish kid when I play and now I’m playing with kids wearing yarmulkes, which was really cool.” Edelman comes from a family of Jewish athletes, including his mother - who was also invited to the Maccabi games - his grandfather who was a tennis player, and great grandfather who also excelled in basketball, according to GFA. Edelman was back home today and was celebrated by the local & State community leadership for his gold medal and hard work. Contributed photo.

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