2014 Deck – Week 27

On November 18, 2014November 18, 2014 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2014 Deck, Photography2 Comments

Every year, at least once a year, there’s a large parade of police officers and associated personnel through the streets of Georgetown, fortunately for me they usually do it on a Saturday and they usually pass right in front of my office.

I never know beforehand that it’s about to occur, except for the sudden thudding of the drums coming down the street, so, like every curious citizen, I grab my camera and head out to the street to see what’s the cause of the noise.

I always snap a few photos, just on the off-chance that I may need something of that nature or that one may come out special.

I think I have a few more images in this week’s takings that qualify as “better”, but I saw this one and thought I think I like it, and I think I’d like it in sepia, with a vignette; so I actually wasted very little time in processing it, I just went straight to task and made the few adjustments that were already in my head.

f/6.3 @ 105mm, 1/250s, ISO200

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery.

2014 Deck – Week 23

On November 1, 2014November 1, 2014 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2014 Deck, Photography1 Comment

On the face of it, I look Chinese, that plus the camera in hand usually sets people in Georgetown to thinking that I’m a tourist; this means I’m either a target for criminal elements or people think I’m harmless and do things in front the camera that they wouldn’t normally do for most other local male photographers (I distinguish the gender because I’ve also seen that most people are more comfortable and open in front of female photographers).

This street photo is one that I liked, it’s not the perfect composition as I was on the back of a moving truck (no shocks to speak of, Georgetown roads, and a driver who used his accelerator, breaks and clutch as if they were piano keys).

I just wanted the horse-cart in the foreground of the Shell Service Station, and the man on the horse-cart suddenly posed 🙂

105mm, 1/3200s, f/4.0, ISO500

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery.

2014 Deck – Week 04

On February 19, 2014February 19, 2014 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2014 Deck, Photography2 Comments

This week I will let the photo do the talking.

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.

2012 Deck – Week 42

On December 1, 2012December 1, 2012 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2012 Deck, Photography2 Comments

Sometimes, in any art form, you have to break away from the norm, step away from the straight and narrow line that you’ve followed all along, and try something different.

I’ve broken the rule about shooting into the sun before, so this is not new…. but trying to get the palm tree and horse as the focus while doing so was different for me, and even then I was not ecstatic about it, when processing, I went for a duotone processing that I don’t do, and I though that the result was pleasing.

Although the original duotone processing had much more colour to it, I toned it down a bit to bring the focus back to the photo rather than the duotone, and the result; “sunset Liliendaal” 🙂

Click on the image for a better view in the Gallery!

2011 Deck – Week 6

On February 12, 2011February 12, 2011 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2011 Deck, Photography18 Comments

Strange enough I had a totally different image in mind for this week’s Deck Photo, I hadn’t processed the images as yet, but I had sorted out in my mind the images I had taken and had somewhat settled on a particular image. On importing the photos into Lightroom, I saw one that I had dismissed mentally, it was taken hastily and I did not think that I had captured what I wanted. As I looked at it I realised that it had some merit, and as I processed the image it grew on me to the point that I haven’t bothered to process the rest until I finish this blog post 🙂

It was a nice lazy afternoon at Good Hope on the East Coast of Demerara, and I was probably on my fourth Cuba Libre, and I saw them coming down the street, barely time to put down my glass (carefully), go for my camera bag, take out the camera, frame up and shoot. There was no second take, just the one shot.