Seldin’s photograph of a street scene in Havana.

Seldin teaching a workshop in digital printmaking in his Montclair studio.

Seldin in India earlier this year, showing local children the pictures he had just taken of them.

Jay Seldin’s 2009 photograph of a denizen of Old Havana, posing with her demure folding fan and generalissimo-sized cigar.

In Cuba, cigars—the bigger the better—are part of the culture, and it isn’t unusual to find women as well as men smoking them. Photographer Jay Seldin, shooting in Old Havana this year, came across this woman flaunting the island’s signature smoke.

Seldin, a much-exhibited artist and teacher whose studio is in Montclair, will be returning to Cuba next spring, leading one of his 10- to 14-day Creative Photo Excursions (CPE) with John Isaac, who was the United Nations’ chief photojournalist for nearly 30 years. CPEs are a special kind of guided tour limited to fifteen artists and photographers, whether established or emerging.

“We show you the back roads, not just the well-known sights,” Seldin says. “Our workshops have a lot of detours. Somebody says, ‘That looks interesting,’ and we go. Every day’s shoot is a different story.”

In 2007, Seldin led a group of photographers through Tuscany and Umbria in Italy. A CPE will leave for Southern India on November 1 (at press time a few positions were still open). A CPE to Himalayan Indian and Bhutan is planned for late 2010. Each day the travelers share breakfast, lunch, and dinner at their hotel or in local restaurants. They can shoot in groups, follow the leaders, or explore on their own.

Everyone participates in discussions of the day’s shooting, and every other night the leaders view and discuss the participants’ pictures. The Cuba itinerary includes Havana and Santiago as well as small villages and side trips to cafés to hear music, and to local art galleries, museums, and artists’ studios, such as that of the respected printmaker and painter Eduardo “Choco” Roca.

“If you’re looking to build your portfolio in travel,” says Seldin, “this is the way to do it.” All meals, accommodations, and local travel are included in the cost of the CPE. Air travel to and from the destination is the participant’s responsibility. For more information, go to 2800kphotoworkshops.com.