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.
I had mentioned somewhere (might have been Facebook) that as artists (photographer, artist… whatever) we find the strangest subjects to focus our attention upon.
This photo and the way I took it is nothing new, others have done it before, many others will do it again, but I like it!
Canon EOS 60D | Sigma 10-20mm | 1/160s at f/9.0, ISO100
Annandale, East Coast Demerara, Guyana
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from this year’s Deck Project
I’m about to mention some things of which I am quite ignorant about, so anyone wishing to clarify, extrapolate, correct or otherwise educate me on it are welcome to do so.
I usually like to say something about the photo I am presenting, so here goes:
On the coast of Guyana, we see large shipping vessels (trawlers) heading out to sea for fishing, some smaller boats do so closer to shore (but often out of sight us of land), we see men (and women) cast-net fishing, we see some fishermen using rods and lines, and there are likely more methods than I know of, but one type was explained briefly to me because of a photo I took in which I was trying to identify the craft/vessel/device being used by the fisherman, this was the pin seine method.
Pin Seines are usually about 6 feet high and vary in width, the seine or fishing net usually carries a mesh size of three and a half inches or less; the seines are usually pinned to vertical stakes/poles, they are set up at high tide in the intertidal zone (between the tide lines/marks). When the tide ebbs, fish are trapped in the nets and retrieved by fishermen.
One method of retrieval is by using what is locally called a catamarang, not to be confused with the more stylish catamaran. The catamaran is a double hulled boat, while the only resemblance to the “double” part that I’ve seen on catamarangs has been the two long boards lashed/secured together forming the base of the vessel. The catamarang basically consists of the wooden base which is about 14 to 18 inches wide by about 7 to 9 feet long (I haven’t measured one as yet), with a central wooden box the width of the base by about 2 feet long and about 12 to 18 inches deep (high). It is operated by the fisherman kneeling or standing with one leg upon the base and pushing across the mud with the other leg, the central box is used to store the catch.
Seeing them skim across the top of the water/mud is usually impressive to me, probably because I’d be afraid to try it myself.
All that just to show you a photo of a fisherman returning to shore with his catamarang (and a few fish that are unseen) under a dappled sky.
Canon EOS 60D | Sigma 10-20mm | 1/160s, f/9, ISO100
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery.
My fascination with the seawalls continues.
Almost every weekend, I stop somewhere along the walls… sometimes never taking a photo, just walk along the wall, or to the water’s edge for a few minutes.
Sometimes I take photos that never see the light of day, but sometimes there’s one that falls just into the type of image that I like taking, processing and sharing.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm | 10mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 100
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from this year’s Deck Project
Some photos simply do not need words.
Walking to Masjid | Instagram | Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Duos
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I don’t generally do portraits, I never am very happy with the outcome when I do try, but at the insistence of my friend Fidal, I went out to do a few informal family portraits for his family. I had processed the usual ones and given over to him, of course… there are ALWAYS unprocessed images, aren’t there?
This is one that is more along the lines of what I’d normally shoot…. there’s a bit of “street photography” a bit of “landscape” in there, and I got some of the cloud details that I like too.
Canon EOS 6D | Canon EF24-105mm f/4L | 1/250s, f/4, 28mm, ISO 320
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery
On the suicide culture in Guyana…
Walk.
Let me walk,
hold not my hand…
reflective clouds welcome me;
Let me walk,
across the sand…
into the waves that I see.
Let me walk,
away from shore…
Sun and wind won’t find me;
Let me walk,
’til I’m no more…
‘neath waves my soul shall flee.
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery
Come away with me…
As I sat and processed the image, those words came to mind, as I sit and look at it after I have finished the processing, it still remains lingering and softly playing over and over again in the cerebral auditorium. I titled it simply “Basket”, but the feel I get is still “come away with me”…
Each photo has a different effect on each viewer, but this one, more than most recently, has a deeper more calming effect, I can feel the breeze, smell the salty air, hear the sound of the surf, feel the warmth of the sun on my skin… I can hear the voice of Ms. Jones, soft, sultry, creamy, crooning to me to come away…
Kingston Seashore, Guyana, South America.
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery, along with some other images from this year’s Deck Project.
I’m using this blog-post to express some opinions. No one has to agree with me, or even bother reading, you can skip to the photo 🙂
Guyana’s Sound – recently there has been talk about developing a unique sound for Guyana, someone was even telling me that there was talk about using the Ringbang name – I say stop right there!! For one thing, Ringbang is not Guyanese, it’s Caribbean, it’s more encompassing than what most Guyanese think and it is not “we own” (I know, Ringbang is Eddy Grant’s creation, and while he is “we own” the idea behind Ringbang was regional and not local). Not many people might remember that Guyana actually had a sound, a unique style of music that died off as suddenly as it was born… and all before our time, it was called Shanto, and the man responsible for its popularity was Bill Rogers, while I don’t remember all the songs I do recall the Fifteen Cent Sweetheart and BG Baghee. Another identifiable style was that of David Campbell, very folk oriented and probably unknown to most Guyanese living here… Our world-famous artistes all sing or trade on existing genres, and they do it well. Eddy Grant is arguably our most famous musician outside of our borders, I think most Guyanese can name at least two of his songs (which in itself is a tragedy, melodically the albums were very good; lyrically, let’s just say that Guyanese should really listen to more of his tracks than just Electric Avenue and Johanna). Dave Martins is likely the most well-known and well liked, it is not uncommon that people know the lyrics of his popular songs perhaps even better than he does, his music speaks to us as a nation, we identify with it, is we own. Is it a unique sound? That is hard for me to say, it is calypso and folk, and a lot of Dave. Our newer artistes like Natural Black, Timeka Marshall, Jomo, Adrian Dutchin and Slingshot all sing in the reggae, dancehall and soca genres (with some R&B influences), the ever popular Terry Gajraj and similar artistes of the Chutney field did very well for a period. There was a period in the 1980s when there were a lot of Bands, and while many were mostly cover bands some were striving to get original songs on the airwaves and played publicly; these included the Yoruba Singers (out of which came Charmaine Blackman), Mingles Sound Machine and EC Connection, to my ear, EC Connection had a different sound to many other performing bands across the region, likely due to the compositions of Burchmore Simon. Here’s my opinion on the Guyana Sound that we seem to be looking for, you can’t necessarily develop it, it has to be born then nurtured; encourage musicians to create, encourage them to be the drive that the industry needs, this is where the DJs come in, they simply play more to the imported music, understandable, but they need to be creative themselves and help make the sounds of Guyanese heard here.
I was going to try posing a “plan” for a weekly event for musicians, but that will have to be a different forum I think…
Another local blogger raised a question recently asking about where or when is Guyana’s Renaissance happening… I think it is now.
We are living in a time of change, of relative hardship, of freedom of expression, of creativity. Nothing is going to be handed to us, so stop expecting the government to give you something, or the corporations to want to give you contracts just because you say you’re an artist. The arts collectively cannot have one plan to do this together, that is impractical, the needs and the development of each genre is different and diverse, but I also say we cannot each do it alone, we must be supportive of the other, to work together when possible, and to let creativity be the driving force as individuals, but the love for art be the driving force collectively.
Copyright and Intellectual Property rights are always touted as the factor that hinders the arts from progressing, while I agree that it forms a basis upon which the artists can earn from their work, the lack of proper legislation should not stop us from creating. There is always a lot of talk about IP legislation, but little action, I have yet to see a group of advocates put forward the writings that may form the basis of any legislation, but I may be in error on this. I think that now is the time for these advocates to act, to put forward the documents, the artists are eager to give voice.
This is the time of our Renaissance, we have musicians eager to perform with some breaking through, we have writers eager to be published, we have performance artists making headway on stage and on-screen, we have painters, sculptors, photographers and every type of visual artist expressing themselves daily through their work. To everyone in the Visual arts, the performing arts and the literary arts, I say it is time to create, to get your work out there, we are the artists of Guyana’s Renaissance.
Geotube Groyne – Thomaslands, Georgetown.
If this photo has anything at all to do with what I’ve written is entirely up to each reader, if you are a member of the creative people of Guyana or simply like to see the works of the creatives, ask yourself what element would you be in this image…
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with the other photos for this year’s Deck Project.
My fascination with Jhandi flags continues… either that or there’s a severe lack of things to shoot along the seawalls 🙂
We each want to be unique, to stand out from the crowd… the same crowd that we spend so many days trying to fit in with, to identify with, to be a part of. After years of shooting everything and anything, learning bits and pieces about photography (and still learning), a portion of my photography had developed a style that had become recognizable, and the subject matter in tandem with that style of capturing and processing lead to a project called Oniabo.
During 2014 other local photogs used similar styles on similar subject matter, at first I was flattered that others were also pursuing and experimenting this way and proud of the achievements of these photogs, then I began to wonder if in this manner, I would become just another of the photogs who “also” did things this way, composed this way, processed this way…
For a while this year, I stopped seeking out the scenes which made me so happy to shoot and process, instead looking for other things to try, other avenues of expression. One of those experiments has borne fruit, but it is not one filled with passion. I still seek out different ways to express myself photographically, but I also cannot turn off the zeal I have for this particular type of image, so I’ve taken off the blinders that I adopted, chosen to express myself the way I want, they way I should, and I look forward to the rest of the journey with all these talented photogs, who inspire me even as they tell me that I inspire them.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20 | 1/200s, f/10, 10mm – 2:39pm
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images for this year’s Deck Project
I’m not a street photographer, far from it, I am not only very hesitant to engage with people on the street, I am also very afraid that when taking candid shots they will see me shooting and think I’m up to something nefarious and then accost me (verbally and physically). While I like the genre, understand some things about it, try to encourage others into pursuing it, I don’t see myself excelling at it at any time.
While there are times when I am afraid to take a photo of people as they go about their daily lives, there are those other moments when the people of Guyana surprise me (whether they mistake me for a tourist or are just in that mood, I don’t know) and they literally ask for their photo to be taken, most times I am still hesitant, but I do sometimes simply swing the camera in their direction and shoot.
Georgetown Seawall | Seawall Public Road
By the way, that’s a Banks Beer in his hand 🙂
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery
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