2014 Deck – Week 16

On October 14, 2014October 14, 2014 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2014 Deck, Photography2 Comments

The evolution of each photographer never really stops, and by this I mean their knowledge of the craft, their view on what makes a good composition, their approach to colour, their use of tools… it is a process that each of us goes through, and it really doesn’t stop.

We may settle into a favoured style, and we may be known for things such as capturing facial expressions, or the use of colour in portraits, or known as a black and white street photographer, but often these are not things a photographer does to the exclusion of all else, but merely a focal point (pardon the pun) at a given period in his/her evolution as a photographer.

While I have read about this before, the realization was brought home to me when I was preparing images for my recent presentation at Moray House, and I went in a somewhat unexpected direction (for myself, anyway), I presented all black and white images of areas along Guyana’s coast, and I liked what I chose… I really did (although the worry was still there that no one else would like it).

So, after all that rambling, today I veer in the opposite direction, to an image that I think helps define how I think colour should be used in a photograph, not just to be there as part of the whole, but to make a point.

Canon EOS 60D | Canon EF40mm | 1/100s, f/3.5, ISO100

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

2012 Deck – Week 43

On December 3, 2012December 3, 2012 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2012 Deck, Photography5 Comments

I was passing by one of my favourite buildings in Georgetown, the City Hall, when I noticed the tree to it’s south-western corner in bloom, pink blossoms that I thought added a little colour to the imposing edifice 🙂

Click on the image to see it in the Gallery 🙂

Touch of the Goddess

On March 21, 2012March 22, 2012 By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography, Poetry18 Comments

Although I am a Catholic, I have always been fascinated by the old myths and legends of ancient civilizations, so sometimes that comes through in my art 🙂

As Selene departs, another night done
She comes charging, the day’s begun
Sky aglow from her robes of saffron
As her mighty steeds keep galloping on.

Firebright and Daybright in the cool early morn
together they pull her Chariot along
the harbringer of Helios; the master of day
she dispels the night with her soft golden rays

Mother of the winds and the Morning Star
lighten the darkness, let night leave no scar
Upon a world of cold night chills
bring warmth, bring light, bring what you will

The Dawn-bringer comes, her tears on the flowers
creatures of dark, well should you cower
I stand on a mountain in the far distant west
And patiently await the touch of the Goddess.

Please click on the photos in this post to see them larger at the Gallery, I think the small sizes here may do them an injustice.

2011 Deck – Week 41

On December 15, 2011December 15, 2011 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2011 Deck, Photography8 Comments

The month of October is earmarked in many countries as Breast Cancer Awareness month, and although I have quite a number of photos for the week, but I happen to think that this one has a more meaningful effect for me and for others.

While I do not normally go for these selective desaturated images, or the “accent colour” black and whites than some others do, but I thought that it was something that worked for this particular image.

The Beauty and Home Systems Inc. Guyana (the local Avon people) annually make a big deal of this and the wrap the trees lining the avenue down Camp Street with Pink cloth (possibly as a representation of the Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon), for a few years I have been meaning to stop and take a photograph, but never did until this year.

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

2011 Deck – Week 37

On December 10, 2011December 10, 2011 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2011 Deck, Photography10 Comments

It’s the little things. Whether its an unexpected hug, or a smile to brighten your day, it’s the little things that make a big difference sometimes.

I was at my mother’s place and my daughter said she was going to see the flowers and she wanted me to take photos of them, I know many of my fellow enthusiasts are not “flower people” and many of the female Photogs I know are very into taking photos of flowers. I went with my daughter to see the flowers, and while I wasn’t enthusiastic, I found myself being caught up in her joy and simple pleasure of seeing the flowers.

Sometimes, it’s the Little things that matter.

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

2011 Deck – Week 11

On March 19, 2011March 19, 2011 By themichaellamcollectionIn 2011 Deck, Photography14 Comments

I’ve been feeling a bit depressed this week, probably a combination of factors, and not a feeling I am familiar with. I need to leave it behind, but maybe the photo for this week will reflect some of that in it.

As befitting the week, I only shot photos on one day, so I didn’t have much of a variety to choose from, there were two I favoured, so I chose one and hope that someone other than myself would like it, although it is the more “depressing” of the two, I preferred it overall, I will post the other image in a later post.

100

On January 21, 2011January 21, 2011 By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography13 Comments

Normally on a Friday, I post the newest photo for the Deck Project, but I will have to post that tomorrow. This is my one-hundredth post since starting this blog, so I was looking for something special to do to mark it.

I decided to go through the photos that I’ve taken since using this current camera, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i, and I found three images that I thought would mark the occasion nicely.

Firstly, an image taken on the one-hundredth day of 2010, I only took photos on one subject that day, so I had to choose one from those, and one that I had not already uploaded. I may never see Washington DC (especially when the Cherry Blossoms are blooming) so this tree is our Guyanese version 🙂

Secondly, the one-hundredth photograph, or more specifically the one-hundredth shutter-activation of the T1i. This was from a project I did for Banks DIH, they were soon to open the new fine-dining restaurant and bar now known as OMG! This scene is from inside the restaurant, This is among the first experiences I’ve had with a Digital SLR camera.

Thirdly, I had reached and surpassed nine-thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine shutter actuations on the camera, and the numbering had started over, so the next photo is the second one hundredth image by number on the camera, so technically it’s the ten thousand and one hundredth image.

I started this blog with a post called “Before Our God”, with an image taken at the funeral of my maternal grand-mother, coincidentally on the one-hundredth post, an image from that same day is numbered 100.

For all those who have gone before us, those with us and those to come after us, most of us eventually realize that photography is more than just clicking the shutter-release button, it’s about the Moment, the Memory and the Meaning of the scene you have captured.

A Touch of Colour

On January 11, 2011January 12, 2011 By themichaellamcollectionIn Photography18 Comments

I often remark to Nikhil that he should start a collection called “A Touch of Colour”, or in his case “A Touch of Red”. He usually finds these scenes where there is one item of colour, usually red, that stands out in his compositions 🙂

While processing these two images I remembered what I so frequently tell him and decided to title this blog-post with this same concept.

The first image is an image that has been selectively desaturated to emphasize the Red, the processing is unusual for me but I rather liked how it turned out this time.

The second image was not treated in the same way, it was of some gaily coloured flowers against an old almost colourless background, I went close with my zoom lens and worked to get some nice bokeh from the background.