Tag: Black & White

Kurupukari Crossing

On By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography2 Comments

I was reading somewhere recently (online) a caption for a photograph that said “crossing Kurupukari” and it occurred to me that some people probably genuinely think that the river that they are crossing with the pontoon/ferry is actually called Kurupukari – the river is none other than the mighty Essequibo.

Kurupukari is apparently the historic name of the Amerindian village now known as Fairview, which happens to be the only Amerindian village located within the Iwokrama Rainforest Programme Site.  The rapids or waterfalls seen near the “crossing” is referred to as the Kurupukari Rapids or Kurupukari Falls, the area on either side of the river where the pontoon/ferry and boats come ashore is/are referred to as the Kurupukari Landing; this landing allows for the transport of vehicles across the Essequibo River along the Linden-Lethem Trail / Road.

I’ve taken many photos at the crossing, as have many other people, it has a scenic quality that is endearing but not necessarily easy to capture on camera.  While photographing it this last March I realized what was one of the things that I loved about it, it was the openness, the width of the river, the wide expanse of sky above.  In this photo I try to convey that sense of openness and also the scale (there’s a boat/canoe crossing the river).

Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm  |  Essequibo River, Kurupukari, Guyana, 2016

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery

2015 Deck – Week 52

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2015 Deck, Photography3 Comments

I was going to use one of Instagram posts from last night, but as that is already fresh in the memory of the handful of people who follow my posts (here as well as  on Instagram and Facebook) I decided to use one more photo of my youngest daughter, Malina.

Malina  |  Canon EOS 6D, Canon 24-105mm L

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with the entire collection of images for this year’s Deck Project.

2015 Deck – Week 50

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2015 Deck, Photography1 Comment

Not everyone believes in a supreme being, a creator of all that was, that is and that is to come; even fewer believe in the power of prayer to such an entity.

There are many religious beliefs and belief systems, but most followers in those believe in the power of prayer and in the idea that as humans we should choose to be good rather than evil.

I would never seek to force my belief upon another, express it, yes, try to explain it, maybe.

I dedicate this photo to those of my family and friends who have suffered this year, I hesitate to call names, but three stand out right away for me; from my alma mater, Saints Stanislaus College, I think that prayer and fellowship worked wonders, if not physically, then certainly mentally for people like Racquel and Dara, and hopefully for our friend Mercer.  To all of you, stay strong, and even if you don’t believe in prayer, believe in the friends and family who are there for you every step of the way.

In tacitus volverem apparuit  –  15-8945  |  2015

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery

2015 Deck – Week 47

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2015 Deck, Photography1 Comment

Between trying not to get run over on the busy East Bank Public Road, heeding the warnings from the workmen that I was in their way, and trying to get to my vehicle across the now doubly busy road, I was also trying to get a good photo.  This was one of those occasions when you can see the finished photo in your mind’s eye, and as you click the button you’re just praying that it comes up to scratch.

It’s not as sharp as I’d like, but since I was on the move, I’m happy with what I did get 😀

Men at Work 15-0401  |  East Bank Public Road, Providence.

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery.

2015 Deck – Week 46

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2015 Deck, Photography, Poetry2 Comments

Oniabo

A different scent
in the air,
sounds of birds,
fishermen toil;
Clouds adrift
upon the horizon,
a distant sun
in heaven’s vault.
The moon upon
the oceans pull,
the fish upon
the tide at play;
Meandering shore,
of rocks and
mangroves,
shore of sand,
mud and life,
Oniabo I hear,
the sea, it calls,
Oniabo I fear,
the sea, it calls!

Oniabo is the name I have given to a currently ongoing Black and White Seascape collection of photographs.  Oniabo is an Arawak word meaning “water”; the selection that I used for a presentation at Moray House Trust can be seen here.

A video of that presentation can be seen alongside other presentations of The Photography Sessions at Moray House Trust at www.ThePhotographySessions.com

Oniabo 15-0380  |  Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from this year’s Deck Project

2015 Deck – Week 42

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2015 Deck, Photography1 Comment

Following a week of hospitalization, I had another couple weeks of confinement to Barracks.  As it happens this first week in my comfortable cell (house and yard, but mostly the bedroom) was even more productive for me and Instagram. 🙂

Here’s a view from my bedroom… complete with the wrought iron barrier for the prison-like feeling 🙂

Backdoor Grill  |  Instagram  |  Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Duos

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from this year’s Deck Project.

2015 Deck – Week 34

On By themichaellamcollectionIn 2015 Deck, Photography2 Comments

I realise that this one might need some context…  which, in the eyes of some, makes it a less successful photograph that it could have been.  Of course, I could just as easily not give context and it could probably be a better photograph for it…

But, I will put in my few words anyway 😀

Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm.

Main Street/ High Street, Georgetown.

Basically, I wanted a photo of the pedestrian in the distance with the recently knocked down / destroyed sign in the foreground; the sign that once indicated to drivers and pedestrians that there was a pedestrian crossing ahead.  🙂

But this photo got me to also thinking about the street upon which I took the photo; this portion you see is called High Street, the portion behind me (which is obviously not in the photo) is called Main Street, as you proceed further south it then changes to Avenue of the Republic and then back to High Street.  Why would what is effectively one street have four different named sections?  From what I’ve read, it was possibly once called simply “High Street”; the portion running through Cummingsburg was then named Main Street, and then when Guyana attained Republic status the portion running through Lacytown was renamed to Avenue of the Republic.  Interestingly, after a slight detour around St Saviour’s Church, it becomes Saffon Street, this, however, never seems to be considered as part of the “High Street” issue.

Stretches of streets within Georgetown which have multiple names is normally attributed to the fact that Georgetown was originally built as a number of different wards, and the streets were never meant to be contiguous, then the wards were joined together, the multiple names resulted, along with some streets having a slight turn to continue since the original ones were not in-line.  The wards involved in the High Street issue are Kingston (High Street), Cummingsburg (Main Street), Lacytown (Avenue of the Republic) and Stabroek / Werk-en-Rust – and part of Charlestown (High Street).

Click on the image to see it in the gallery.