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.
Where is your home? Is it an apartment, a flat, a house, a condo, a boat, a trailer, a bench in the park? For many, the word home simply means a dwelling place, for me, it is a place where I am comfortable.
My family is my home.
Guyana is my home.
At work, I’m at home.
Certainly, on the seawalls, I am at home.
Home | Canon EOS 60D | Sigma 10-20mm | January 2016
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Apparently, I took this photograph on the Fourth of July, last year. I remember taking the photo, but the date doesn’t ring a bell; I only know it was the 4th because the metadata says so. Metadata is handy, you can tell a lot about an image from the metadata, from the type of camera used, to the focal length, ISO, speed and aperture settings, to a host of other miscellaneous fields, these days, even the GPS coordinates. The Canon 60D doesn’t have built-in GPS though, so that wasn’t included.
Across cultures we find that the importance or significance we place upon one thing may not be the same that those who live in another country place up a similar thing. Take the Fourth for example; Americans (as in those who live in the United States of America, and not just anyone who lives in the Americas) are very proud of their Independence Day, the 4th of July, it’s a big deal, so much so, that by just saying “the Fourth” anyone in that country knows what you’re referring to. In Guyana, it used to be the case that our Independence Day passed largely unheralded, with more emphasis being place on Republic Day, or as it is more commonly known here, Mashramani. That has changed over recent years, but the emphasis is still skewed that way.
I suppose photography is similar, as a parent taking quick photos of their children, the emphasis is centred on the child (most times literally centred in the frame); as a fashion photographer, the subject is the model and the articles being displayed by said model; as a wedding photographer, the bride better be the main subject or somebody’s not getting paid; I get asked sometimes about my seawall photos, why do I shoot them?, what is it I see that makes me take so many? I figure I have to be a lousy photographer to be asked what it is in the frame that I’m trying to show.
The subjects of my photos are not always front and centre (hardly ever actually, unless it’s people on Mash Day, or that kind of thing), the subject is often the entire scene; the lines, the textures, the tonal variations, the clash or harmony of nature and man; If a photo doesn’t make an impact on you, just move on; if it made you stop for a second, then it was good, if it made you feel something, anything, whether good or bad, then it was a great photo for me.
Meander – 15-9718 | Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm | Georgetown Seawall, Guyana
Click on the image to see it in the Collection, along with others in the Black and White Gallery
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Finding Treasure. That’s what it feels like when you pop a memory card into your camera and realize that it is full of images from a year ago, it was a 4GB card, but it was full of RAW files.
I don’t recall how it is that I never copied off the images, but given that it was not one of the cards I normally use, but more of a backup or emergency use card, it seems that I forgot that I had used it for a few days of shooting.
As is usual for me, it will take time to get to the images, but here is one that I spotted and wanted to share.
Canon EOS 60D | Sigma 10-20 | Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, Guyana
Click on the image to see it in the collection along with others in the People Gallery
Thomaslands, Georgetown, Guyana. 2015
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A walk on the sea,
Adrift on a wayward cloud,
Awash in sunlight.
Click on the image to see it in the Collection along with others in the Black and White Gallery.
Sometimes, its necessary to stop, let everything that’s weighing on your mind take a backseat, and just let the wind, the waves, the sun and the sand speak to you.
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm | Thomaslands, Georgetown, Guyana | 2015
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other Black and White images
I was reading somewhere recently (online) a caption for a photograph that said “crossing Kurupukari” and it occurred to me that some people probably genuinely think that the river that they are crossing with the pontoon/ferry is actually called Kurupukari – the river is none other than the mighty Essequibo.
Kurupukari is apparently the historic name of the Amerindian village now known as Fairview, which happens to be the only Amerindian village located within the Iwokrama Rainforest Programme Site. The rapids or waterfalls seen near the “crossing” is referred to as the Kurupukari Rapids or Kurupukari Falls, the area on either side of the river where the pontoon/ferry and boats come ashore is/are referred to as the Kurupukari Landing; this landing allows for the transport of vehicles across the Essequibo River along the Linden-Lethem Trail / Road.
I’ve taken many photos at the crossing, as have many other people, it has a scenic quality that is endearing but not necessarily easy to capture on camera. While photographing it this last March I realized what was one of the things that I loved about it, it was the openness, the width of the river, the wide expanse of sky above. In this photo I try to convey that sense of openness and also the scale (there’s a boat/canoe crossing the river).
Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm | Essequibo River, Kurupukari, Guyana, 2016
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I saw this recently, but I didn’t get a great shot…. I have to go back at different times of day and different lighting situations… it has some potential…
Remains | Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm
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A different scent
in the air,
sounds of birds,
fishermen toil;
Clouds adrift
upon the horizon,
a distant sun
in heaven’s vault.
The moon upon
the oceans pull,
the fish upon
the tide at play;
Meandering shore,
of rocks and
mangroves,
shore of sand,
mud and life,
Oniabo I hear,
the sea, it calls,
Oniabo I fear,
the sea, it calls!
Oniabo is the name I have given to a currently ongoing Black and White Seascape collection of photographs. Oniabo is an Arawak word meaning “water”; the selection that I used for a presentation at Moray House Trust can be seen here.
A video of that presentation can be seen alongside other presentations of The Photography Sessions at Moray House Trust at www.ThePhotographySessions.com
Oniabo 15-0380 | Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm
Click on the image to see it in the Gallery along with other images from this year’s Deck Project
A walk on the seawall… or at this point, the dam that has rocks beyond it.
Maybe not appealing on an artistic level to many, but to Guyanese, it has some appeal 😀
Saturday 1 | Instagram | Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Duos
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