Tag: 2013

2013 Deck – Week 09

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography2 Comments

I had never been into the Indian Monument Gardens before, and it seems that the one time I did venture in was when they were doing some new construction on a stage to the western end and had not done any recent cleaning near the monument itself, yet I still think I got a few usable photographs (if you ignore the weeds on growing near the monument and the stains on the base itself)

The monument itself commemorates the arrival of the East Indians to Guyana as indentured labourers, the first arrival being on May 5th, 1838, the first ship being the SS Whitby (symbolically represented in the monument).  The monument was erected in 1988 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of their arrival, a portion of the Merriman’s Mall was appropriated for the Monument Gardens.  (the area bordered by Church Street, Camp Street, North Road and Alexander Street.)

I found very little information in my short research, but it appears that a nationwide competition was held for the design, and after choosing the winning entry the design was made real by an “Builder” from India, the Gardens itself was laid out by two architects, one from India and one from Guyana (Albert Rodrigues).

I chose this angle because it shows some of the supporting structure of the Ship itself.

As always, click on the image to see it in the Gallery.

2013 Deck – Week 08

On By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography2 Comments

Most of my photographs from the recent Mashramani parade for Georgetown were of one particular style, but somewhere in the middle of all the fast flying shots that I took I managed to capture one that was quite different from the wide shots of the floats or the half-body close-ups of the revellers

I don’t know if it’s the photography book I have been going through, but for some reason this image stands out from the plethora of photographs that I took on Mash Day.

The book is “Through the Lens – National Geographic Greatest Photographs”, and it contains some truly amazing photographs.  I am certainly not claiming that any of mine can class with anything from National Geographic, far from it, but the “feeling” that I got from this one was different from the rest, and I think that it is a better photo for that.

You have to see it large, please click on the image to see it in the Gallery.

For me, this shows a woman lost in the moment; it’s just her, the music, the rhythm, the motion…  alone in a crowd, part of the band bu apart from the band all at once.  This is “the moment” for Mashramani 2013.  I hope you like it.

Mashramani 2013

On By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography4 Comments

I know that most people’s Mashramani photos are already out there, and I have to say that this year saw a large increase in not only the amount of photos out there but also an increase in the quality of the photography of the event.

In trying to “cover” the event I take a lot of photos, which means I then have to process those photos.  This year I used two cameras, I had a wide-telephoto Sigma 17-50mm on the Canon Rebel T1i body and the slightly longer telephoto Canon 18-135mm kit lens on the Canon 60D body (my favourite lens for the event, the Tamron 18-270mm, has an issue I cannot resolve as yet, it’s slow to focus, which is not good for moving subjects).  My favourites from these events have always been close shots rather than wide, but I decided to try to get a variety anyway.

As I expected, my favourites are still the close-up shots  🙂

Click on the Image above for the full Gallery

For a hand-picked selection, click on this Link, I selected my favourites, not necessarily the best ones, just the ones I like  🙂

2013 Deck – Week 07

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography1 Comment

When shooting an Event, it’s usually important to try to get photos that cover the gamut, spans the diversity, from the beginning to the end, so that viewers can get a sense of the whole, but amidst all of that I am usually on the lookout for that one shot that stands out, that transcends the transformation from reflected light, to digital data on a sensor to pixels on the screen and finally to ink on a page.

Does this image from the recent Children’s Mashramani Parade do that for you?  I know it does it for me.

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery, along with the other images for the Deck Project so far for the year.

Mashramani 2013 – Children’s Parade

On By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography4 Comments

Since I started carrying my daughter out to see the Children’s Mashramani Parade, I try to go every year.  It is shorter, it’s more entertaining and generally more fun than the Adult’s Parade, partially because you’re not bombarded by boomboxes every 10 feet, or trampled by revelers and spectators alike, as compared to the main parade on Republic Day.

I was disappointed by this years crop of photos that I got, but that’s because I compare it to my previous years’ takings, as well as having a bit of focusing issues with the camera, but I can’t blame the camera alone, I definitely missed the mark somewhere this year.

I still think I came away with some nice ones in the mix, click on the image below to see them in the Gallery, and I look forward to any and all comments  🙂

Maybe I’ll get something better from the Adults Parade  🙂

To all Guyanese, at home and abroad, have a Happy Mashramani this weekend!

2013 Deck – Week 06

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography2 Comments

I was taking some photos out by the seawall at Lusignan, and although I think I came away with some nice ones, there was one that I really wished I had taken a different approach to.  I saw a dramatic sky behind a stand of Jhandi flags, and I took a few photos, then moved on, then the thought struck me that I should have tried multiple exposures for an HDR.  By that time it was a little late since the clouds had changed significantly.

When I downloaded my images I was still struck by that scene so I decided to try an Pseudo HDR Technique on it, and this was the result.

Click on the image for a better view in the Gallery

2013 Deck – Week 05

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography1 Comment

Maybe it’s because I am a coast-lander that I feel the draw of the sea, but I keep going to the seawalls, if not for a photograph then just to feel the breeze, and hear the sounds of the waves.

This photo was taken at Ebb Tide, when the tide was beginning to recede from the shores, and as I stood there I could feel the wind around me, hear the sound of the waves as the crashed upon this rock and smell the salt in the air (which was probably not good for the camera)

As always, click on the image to see it in the Gallery

Calendars

On By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography2 Comments

I had mentioned in a previous blog (or two) that at the end of last year, some of my images had found their way into three Calendars for 2013.  I recently blogged about the one from Banks DIH, today I turn to the other two, I don’t want them to feel left out.

As someone who has worked in the Computer Graphic Design field for a number of years, I can tell you that some Calendars are in themselves works of art.  The standard multi-page calendar normally carried a photo at the top and the date pad at the bottom, this is nice for us photographers who don’t like people “troubling/editing” our images, it leaves the image alone at the top, simply as what it is… a photograph.

Other calendars are designed to incorporate the photograph into the design of the Calendar and these tend to be more conceptual or themed, and can be surprisingly pleasing to the eye.

Having a photograph used in a Calendar is a big deal for us, especially since most of the ones we see use “foreign” images.

The Banks DIH Calendar was designed and produced by Xc!aim Media, the one that featured photos on each page that were mine was from Maggie’s Snackette and Catering Service, it was designs and produced by F&H Printing Establishment and the last one (but not least) was one that featured images from myself and Nikhil Ramkarran, and it was from NT Computeac, designed and produced by Duane Ton-Chung at Micropoint Graphics.

Below you’ll find the images for the flats that contained our images (the artwork remains the copyright of the companies and individuals as listed above, the photographs in the Calendars are copyright to the photographers, namely myself and Nikhil)   🙂

2013 Deck – Week 04

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography4 Comments

On some photo-walks you just never know what you’ll come away with.  We were walking around the area near Parliament Buildings and Big Market (Stabroek Market), when we noticed this building.

It was aging, had a nice muted colour (due to faded paint by the harsh sun), and the paint was peeling.  If only I had caught someone leaning on the building!  But I still think it’s a nice shot, even without the person leaning on it  🙂

Click on the image to see in the Gallery.

A walk on the beach

On By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography12 Comments

A few Fridays back, I joined a few other photographers on a walk down to the large jetty (pier/groin) that marks the end of the Kingston seashore and the beginning of the Demerara River mouth.

As with all walks with photographers you go hoping to come back with a good image, or even a great one, yet when I downloaded my haul I was very disappointed, maybe I was hoping for too much.

Does this mean that the walk was not a success?  No.  It was what it was… a walk on the beach.  To be with friends, people with a similar pursuit, and enjoy the conversation, the breeze… that was enough.

All the photos were not horrible, but not jumped out at me, yet I decided to process at least one to make a show of reaping something from the toil of the harvest.

As I look at the image I processed, I wonder if this scene will get worse or better with the development of the new Hotel on the seashore.

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other Seawall related photos