Photography; I shoot what I like, and sometimes people like what I shoot. All photos are copyright to Michael C. Lam unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Sometimes even images I select in a seemingly random way often tend to have a theme of sorts running through them. I was processing these and uploading, when I noticed a theme of sorts, or maybe I was just stretching it 🙂
I took these in 2020, for us that would have been considered first wave COVID-19 I suppose.
Time to checkout, click on the images to see them in the Gallery along with other Street Photography
There once was a time when we created not just for function but for appeal, when we designed things to make our lives easy, as well as for those things to be easy on the eyes. There is a sense of loss, its physical, but also emotional, when the older buildings are removed and replaced with structures that closely resemble steel slabs or concrete cuboids.
I don’t do it often enough now, but I once had a fascination with capturing old buildings around Georgetown… but they seem to be vanishing faster than ever now; I hear it’s the sign of progress.
Like everything else in life, if we don’t fight to keep it, then we will lose it, but most of us seem to have grown up in a time when that “fight” is not in us, where we accept the decisions of others, because we believe that our voice, our opinion does not make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm | Regent Street, Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana.
Click on the image to see it in the gallery, along with other images from around Georgetown, Guyana.
Street photography is not something I pursue, but some days, you can’t help but see some scenes that seem worth taking a shot at. This was one of them; a bit busy, but I think it was worth the shot.
Canon EOS 60D | Sigma 17-50mm
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from this year’s Deck Project
I lived in Charlestown (Georgetown, Guyana) for a short while after we got married, if I crossed the street, I’d then be in Albouystown. Back then I had my first access to a digital camera, an Agfa ePhoto 1280 (Megapixel? what’s that?). It was mainly for work purposes, but through it I learnt a few things about digital photography, and it probably rekindled my interest in photography at the time.
I had read somewhere that Charlestown (and Charles Street) was named after the Duke of Brunswick, Charles William Ferdinand (or Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, his original German name), but why a Ward of Georgetown, Guyana is named after a German Duke is a question I can’t answer.
Charlestown, at the time I lived there, was still quite “quaint”, in respect to the type of buildings, but even then things had begun to change, with one or two square concrete building being erected where once stood more aesthetic wooden structures, but times change, and change is inevitable. Fortunately, change is also slow, comparatively, and some of the older buildings are still standing. I walked, rode or drove past an old wooden building on the corner of Broad Street and Charles Street for many years, when I took up photography a bit more seriously, I kept an eye on it and kept putting off taking a photo, one day I decided that the “For Sale” sign meant that it may be bought and torn down, so I made the extra effort to stop and spend a few minutes grokking the scene seeking out a nice photo, waiting for the “perfect” photo was out of the question, so I just wanted a “nice” one.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 17-500 | 1/400s, f/10, ISO 400
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images in the “Georgetown, Guyana” album.
I never really liked the whole Kite-flying thing… don’t get me wrong, the idea always appealed, but the fascination wore off minutes after the kite was actually airborne. As Easter approached each year (when I was somewhat younger, anyway) I would look forward to the whole idea of visiting relatives, flying kites, picnicking and so forth, but in hindsight, it was the totality of the experiences that made Easter special, not just kite-flying.
One of the fun parts for us as kids was helping to decorate the kite, finding magazines to cut things out of, or gift paper, or any printed matter with an image on it, that was to add to whatever fancy snow-flake pattern a parent, aunt or uncle had already cut out of coloured paper to stick as the centre-piece.
I thought of that as I saw this kite-vendor choosing pre-printed stickers to apply to his kites, was the child who got the kite going to think that he /she missed an opportunity to decorate their own kite, or would they be happy that they got one already prettied up and ready to fly?
Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM | 1/250s, f/8.0, ISO 200
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery
Last year, I walked a short distance from my office to see what I could snap for International Street Photography Day, I had used one of those images and posted it on my site. Yesterday, Fidal was asking if I had ever used the Canon 40mm pancake lens on the Canon EOS 6D, I knew I had, but couldn’t remember the circumstances… and it turned out that on that short walk I did use that combination, as I was checking the images, I decided to process and share a second one of those… same scene different take on it (much much closer to the subjects)
Canon EOS 6D, Canon 40mm
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery
Although I am keeping an eye out for “square(s)” upon which to base my compositions this month, I didn’t intend to include one in each photo I choose for the Deck Project, but, coincidentally, this one met both criteria (so to speak)
I noticed the square shape of the front of the food cart (or juice cart), and the square doors, I ran upstairs to grab the camera (light conditions not ideal for the phone), when I came down the vendor himself had moved away from the cart (still to be seen wearing a beanie cap or tam and glasses at the back of the group of people), I was lucky enough to catch this “active” scene.
Everyone was trying to stay dry, from the cart-man to the pedestrians to patrons of the fast-food restaurant on the corner.
Staying Dry | Canon EOS6D, Canon 24-105L | 1/200s, f/5.0, ISO 200 (cropped)
I cropped the image for the final composition, because, frankly speaking, I was trying to stay dry too 🙂
Click on the image to see it in the gallery.
As the year progressed, I expected to be using more Street Photographs, as I am not getting the time or opportunity to do lots of the scenic ones I like. So this week’s taking did not surprise me that most of what I had were Street shots, and the only one I thought worth tackling to process and share was this one.
Those who know me, know that I have a thing about having the horizon level, especially where a scene is involved, but I’ve been told and shown many photographs where having the horizon absolutely level is not optimal or necessary from an artistic standpoint or through necessity.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think I could have tilted this to get the horizon straight… but it is what it is… 🙂 And I actually like it the way it is.
I’m not very good at it, but this is one of those shots using the “From the hip” technique 🙂
Many years ago I missed the photo-walk that Nikhil, Naseem and André took around Georgetown. They had termed it the Georgetown Safari, and they covered much of Georgetown over two days. I have always meant to try to cover as much of historical Georgetown as I could, but never seem to get a good start on it.
I was on my way to work, and driving past the Red House when I noticed the sky beyond it and thought this was as good an opportunity as any to take the photo I wanted of this building, the point of view is not unusual, there are dozens from this vantage point, but I like to think I did the scene some justice.
It is a single exposure, but I did some tone-mapping to draw out some detail from the scene, and I cloned out a short piece of electrical wire that sneaked into the frame in the upper corner.
Canon 60D | Sigma 10-20mm | 14mm, 1/125s, f/5 | Nik HDR Efex Pro
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from around Georgetown, Guyana.
I always figured that the building got it’s name because it was red, but never knew that it was because it was covered with Red Wallaba Shingles. It dates back to the days of Colonial Rule, and records indicate that the “Colony of British Guiana” acquired it in 1925, from then until 1953 it served as the place of residence for many Colonial Secretaries.
During his stint as Premier of British Guiana, from 1961 to 1964, Dr. Cheddi Jagan also used it as his Official Residence. Under subsequent leaders, it was utilized for various government offices. In 1999, two years after Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s death, while serving as the fourth President of Guyana, the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre was established in the building (a purpose it still serves to this day)
It is apparently also referred to as Kamana Court, a name I had not heard until today, and for which I can find no more information
Although I like to think of myself as a photographer who likes to take Landscape photos, there is not a lot of scope for that living in the city, but I’ve always had an interest in capturing images of buildings, especially old ones that may not survive due to neglect or just continued development (or any number of other reasons)
During the third week of the year, I had an inexplicable desire to take some photos of St Rose’s High School, just before attending a presentation by Hew Locke (an artist with some amazing work), Nikhil and I took a walk around the block, and I got my chance to take a few images.
To emphasize the building more, I used an “orange filter” setting whilst processing, this darkened the sky and made the building more pronounced. Although I did not intend to combine “street photography” into it these two boys strolled past just as we were there.
As always, click on the image to see it in the Gallery
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