My Taxi project started few years ago when I was on an assignment in Mumbai India and I had couple of days just to wonder around the city. The little taxis (Fiat Padmini) caught my eye. I ended up traveling the city’s endless roads hopping from one taxi to another and capturing the Padmini taxis and their drivers. I was shooting them against Mumbai’s landmarks, shady boulevards and congested industrial area. That way I was able to tell the real stories. I have around 55 images in the series called Mumbai Taxi Company.
The second series happened last summer, when it became easier to travel to Cuba. I’ve been wanting to go to Cuba for a long time. It’s a place that has always been visually unique with its rich textures, its interesting people, and of course, its uncommon fleet of taxis (which are mostly American cars from the 1950’s). With Cuba moving to a new era, that is going to change quickly and I knew I had to go now if I wanted capture it in its real form.
The trip was amazing. I spent my days walking the streets from sunrise to sunset, connecting with locals (many of whom did not speak a word of English). The pace of Cuban life is a slow one, so people have time to stop and spend few moments with me. I was invited to some of their homes to meet the family or have a beer with them on the local corner bar. The experience left me with not only a new series of portraits, but also with some great stories of people I met.
The photos reveal the city. I wanted to tell the story of the location and people and environment with a simple setting. I am always trying to catch images which are positive, hopefully with slight humor. I have around 45 images in the series called Havana Taxi Company.
I was capturing in both places history that is about to disappear. Padminis will be swept aside by Fords, Hyundais and BMW’s. Old American cars will soon be coming to the end of their trip and replaced with Asian cars for sure.
Markku Lahdesmaki