2013 Deck – Week 44

On December 12, 2013December 12, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography5 Comments

In recent years I’ve taken less and less Diwali photographs, probably because I choose to spend the time with my family, and seeing as we’re not Hindus, we don’t usually light up Diyas, and the area I spend the time in is not usually very well-lit. This year was not very different, with the exception that in-laws decided to light a few Diyas, especially for the children to experience it, so I got a few photos of Diyas 🙂

As soon as I had taken this one, I knew that it would be my choice for the Deck Project, it just had the right feel for me, some people think it is simple and don’t see in it what I see, but that’s the thing about photos, every person has their own reaction, so I never usually expect people to love the ones I do.

Here’s my offering from Diwali.

Canon 60D, Canon 40mm Lens | 1/60s, f /2.8, ISO 1600

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery

2013 Deck – Week 42

On December 6, 2013December 6, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography3 Comments

This week, there was a photo-walk to Hope Beach to see the sunrise, then onto the Mahaica River. I knew from the outset, once I had seen the sunrise, that most likely my choice for this week would be a Sunrise photo.

I had already uploaded a landscape oriented one to the group, but I had taken a few portrait oriented ones as well, and it was one of these that I had already made up my mind to use for the Deck Project.

I had tried to get low, for a low perspective, and I was using the Sigma Ultra-wide again, I liked the texture in the rock I was using as a foreground object, but because I was hand-holding the shots, I knew that I wouldn’t do an HDR, not while balancing and trying not to fall into the water 🙂 But since I knew that I wanted that texture to come through, I had already decided on my post-processing… some shadow reduction and some dodging on the rock’s surface to bring out those textures.

I hope you like it

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery

2013 Deck – Week 41

On December 5, 2013December 5, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography4 Comments

I take photos of buildings, but I don’t share many of them, not many people seem to be interested in those types of photos. Originally this was going to be a photo of a building, and then the warmth of the late afternoon sun lit up the grasses in the area, and also the pontoons around the pump station, and I thought that it would make a better landscape image.

I was originally shooting in landscape (horizontal) orientation, but then I noticed the moon, and tried a portrait oriented version that I came to like.

After a slight crop, I decided that I wanted it for the Deck Project, even though I still think that there are others from this walk that I think are better. I had shot this with the Sigma Ultra-wide 10-20mm on the Canon 60D.

This is the pump station on the seawall along the Lusignan – Anandale area, I’m sure the fishermen in the area must be getting accustomed to seeing people with cameras in the area by now 🙂

This was one of the few times I approached a scene with a preconceived idea of what I wanted, and as usually happens, I usually never get what was in my mind’s eye, but keeping my mind open to the possibilities around, I came away with good images none-the-less, simply because the scene itself gave to the process.

I hope you like it.

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

2013 Deck – Week 40

On December 3, 2013December 3, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography1 Comment

This year, I think most of my photos come from the Seawall areas along the coast of Demerara, simply because I’ve had little opportunity to go elsewhere… but the amazing thing about the seawalls, is that I think you can take a photo there every week and still come away with something interesting

This one I was tempted to call “Low T”, but knowing the western mind-set it would probably be a bad idea 😀

Took this using a low perspective, with the Sigma Ultra-wide 10-20mm, even at 1/200s the bird in the sky shows motion blur 🙂 (Probably added a bit to that with the wide-angle distortion at the edges of the lens)

I hope you like it.

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery

2013 Deck – Week 36

On November 14, 2013November 14, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography2 Comments

I had taken a number of photos this week at the Lusignan seawall area, but this one stood out for me from the moment I chimped and saw the image on the camera’s display screen.

I frequently see Jhandi flags along the seashore, but was never witness to the actual planting of one or seen the ritual taking place at such an event. Needless to say, I still haven’t; but on my way back to the vehicle that day I did see some people bringing their flags to the wall, they had brought them in the back of a vehicle, and were passing them along to each other to put by the sea.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Click on the image to see it in the Collection, along with other entries for this year’s Deck Project.

2013 Deck – Week 34

On November 2, 2013November 2, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography1 Comment

There’s a certain satisfaction in getting the “feel” of a photo correct. I don’t go out with pre-conceived ideas in my mind of what I want to shoot or how I want it to look, I’ve seen this lead to disappointment too many times, but I’ve seen other photogs do it; they have a vision of what they want and the set about to get it no matter how long it takes them or what they have to do to get it. I admire that, but it’s not my current approach.

When I do come across some scenes that have a certain impact on me, I try my best to capture what it is that I see, what I want to convey through this medium to someone else who may look at it, and that takes a combination of not only getting the composition right but of processing it the right way as well, and I think I got it right on this one. 🙂

Canon EOS 60D | Sigma 10-20mm | 10mm, 1/200s, f/10, ISO100

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery.

2013 Deck – Week 33

On October 28, 2013October 28, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography2 Comments

The coastal seawalls of Guyana are definitely one of my favourite places to be, I’ve seen life anew, life renewed and life’s farewell there… I’ve seen families relaxing, fishermen working and many other activities of our coastal culture…. I’ve seen the sun rise and the sun set and I’ve seen scenes that I’ve failed to capture in photographs.

This blog is a bit of a ramble… just warning you 🙂

I’ve been visiting the seawalls, from Kingston to parts along the coast; Buxton, Lusignan, Plaisance, Montrose… just to name a few places… even Mariah’s Lodge and other parts along the Essequibo coast… and at each spot there is something new to see, but the feeling is usually the same to me. Whether I’m alone, or with friends or family, I could feel an almost instant sense of relaxation as I step towards the shore and feel the wind upon my face…

I’d hate for others to be offended, but whether I’m with others or not, I feel alone… not in a lonely sense but in a sense of self… I feel unencumbered and free…

I can walk along the beach with my best friend, engrossed in conversation… and still feel it… I can sit upon the wall with all my extended family… and still feel it, I could sit alone upon a rock and the feeling would be no less nor no more… Can I photograph that feeling? No. I think you either know what I mean, or you don’t.

This photo reminds me of that feeling… A man alone with his horse, walking the shore.

Click on the link to see it in the Gallery.

2013 Deck – Week 32

On October 18, 2013October 18, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography6 Comments

This year, my youngest sister, Mary, got married, and interestingly enough, practically every photo from Week 32 had to do with her wedding 🙂

My sister had asked since more than a year prior that I ask Fidal Bassier to photograph the wedding, and I was glad that he was the main photographer, I got to shoot alongside him and my brother André and get some good photos myself 🙂

There was a short photo-session between the Ceremony and the Reception (while the guests were getting settled), and this was one of my favourites from that shoot.

Joseph Lewis had also consented to loan me his Canon 70-200mm L lens that was a joy to shoot with.

So a big thanks to Fidal and to Joseph!!

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery with the other 2013 Deck Images.

Click on this album link for the 25 select images from the Wedding

2013 Deck – Week 31

On October 9, 2013October 9, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography2 Comments

I’d hate for a week to go by and not take a photo, not only would it halt the Deck Project, but I’d personally feel empty, but some weeks, the ones I do manage to take still leave me feeling that I should have tried to find more time to go further afield looking for something “extra”

That being said, there’s always something in the few that were taken, if I look at them with “fresh eyes” or just forget about what isn’t there and concentrate on what is… This was one of those photos that at first glance I discarded, yet when scrolling through I thought I saw something that wasn’t there before.. not sure what it is, but I felt it differently… and processed it right away with that feeling…

I hope you like it.

Click on the image for a better view in the Gallery

2013 Deck – Week 28

On September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2013 Deck, Photography4 Comments

I had stopped near the Shell Service Station at Ogle on the off-chance that there’d be something over the seawall to shoot, this was one of those times when I was not disappointed…. I took quite a number of photos trying to capture the mood, and I think this one comes close… I have others that I may use at a later date, but this one reflects a lot of what I saw… and hopefully conveys the mood to you as well.

It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon (remember we live in the tropics here in Guyana), but instead of a harsh overhead sun, we had very overcast skies, very fluffy clouds, not that dead-pan grey sky that depresses me, and the light filtering through the clouds was just enough to really lend something special to the scene.

As soon as I started walking along the wall I had company… a dog, apparently resident to the general area, but that’s a photo for another day 🙂 I photographed from on top the wall, from an eastern viewpoint, a western viewpoint, then went over the wall for another series of shots… all the while thinking about what’s the best angle…. what’s the best composition.

There are other photos, with other elements, but this one simplifies it for me and gets the idea across better 🙂