Steet Photography and People

I was considering today the ethics of photographing people on street photowalks. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to just forget all the stresses of thinking about whether a photo was ethical or not, and just take the photo. But, in our digital age where a photo can go viral or be shared to hundreds and thousands of people in an instant, perhaps we should be more cognizant of what we post or publish.

I’m not exactly sure about how I feel about the topic and I guess writing about it helps me to make some headway in the right direction. I guess if it feels wrong, it probably is, and if you have to think too much about it, then that’s also a red flag.

I’ll read more on the topic and gather my thoughts on this.

A parakeet perched on an antenna in South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown.

2024 - Continuing the Journey

Let’s just say that last year was a challenge to practice photography and handle being a new father at the same time. I still made some time to take photos but I certainly wasn’t as prolific or as active as I really wanted to be.

A few good strides were made, though, because Meshach Pierre and I did finally get some structure to our Seawall Photobook featuring photos we took over the years, and I have to say thanks to Meshach, it’s mostly done. There are a few tweaks to be made, but I’d say that one feat made the year 2023 a great success in my journey with photography.

2024 came and I really wanted to get back on the horse, and with good inspiration from a few fellow local photographers, I started back shooting and reading and learning more about photography - and more specifically - street photography.

A photowalk was recently organized by Fidel Bassier from Guyana Photographers - we took to Plaisance, somewhere I’ve never taken photos of, and it was quite refreshing to get out there, shoot, and chat with other photographers - and this really pushed me even further to learn more. It’s amazing how much you can learn from only one event.

So, what's new - dusted off my cameras, picked up a few photography books, rekindled my interest in photography on instagram, and started shooting with more enthusiasm again.

Below are a few shots I took recently. Perhaps nothing special, but, honestly, at this point I feel it’s important just to go out and shoot without expectations. Time to have some fun again.

Boys playing on Kingston Beach, Georgetown

Jandi Flags at Kingston Beach, Georgetown

Man and Boy Wading on the Kingston Beach, Georgetown

Popsicle Man - Mr. Mahadeo on Kingston Beach, Georgetown

Boys and the Mud at Kingston Beach, Georgetown

A View of Kingston Beach, Georgetown

A Few Shots - Here and There

I’m not going to even get into how long it has been since I last made a post there. Since the birth of my son, priorities have been shifted and naturally, he takes the top spot. But in adjusting and finding a schedule (somewhat) to do things that are important to me - physically and mentally, I’ve been able to find time to shoot some photos here and there.

Meshach and I are still working on publishing our first book with a collaboration of photos of the Seawall. It’s been a task finding time to go out, shoot, plan, discuss, and generally get the project to where it is now. Meshach is doing most of the work, I’m ashamed to admit, but I’m trying with the time I have. And our meetings have also allowed me to practice some photography on the Seawall - practice that was much needed.

I’ve managed a few shots which will be posted below. Nothing too fancy, but at the same time I was thinking - I’m doing this for me. I want to capture what I want to remember, what gives me calm, and what I find interesting. Photos don’t have to be spectacular; for me, they just need to pull at your heart strings, give you a moment of pause. Photography is meditation for me - it helps me focus on one thing, even get lost at times. There’s something in practice that brings me peace.

Days In The Park

You can walk the park everyday and it can seem quite mundane. I’ve been a frequent ‘walker’ in there recently, in the afternoons mostly, and I’ll tell you, it can become monotonous if you’re not as interested or observant, or curious as a child. So, sometimes I deliberately take my camera just to make things more interesting… and you do find interesting things. Life is interesting, and amazing, and beautiful. We just have to look, be keen, be sensitive, and observe, appreciate, and enjoy the bounty that surrounds us.

A Few Shots - Here and There

I had to remind myself to pick up my camera. I have those moments where I get so caught up doing other things that I forget to keep practicing my photography - nowadays, quite a bit less than before, and I’ve become more selective about what I want. Now it’s more about relaxing and more natural about the practice.

I’m an amateur - in for the love of the art. I don’t ever want photography to become a burden or a task I have to complete. But I did have to push myself a bit to get out for the Children’s Mash Parade, which I witnessed for the first time in my life. Later, on the day of Mashramani, 2023, I met up with Kwesi and Gracie for a walk down Church St., towards the beginning of the float parade on Main St. - another first time experience for me. Both were good experiences, not just for photography, but to get out and experience the events themselves and one of Guyana’s major cultural displays.

2023 - A Continuation of the Journey with Photography

Yesterday, I took a walk in the park with Meshach around 5pm - it was overcast and drizzling a bit, but that set the mood for a clam and quite therapeutic walk, and although I didn’t find much to photograph, there were a few moment that provided opportunities for photos in between chatting about wildlife and life in general.

I’ve come to appreciate that photography has a larger scope than what I had initially thought. Beyond my favorite genres, street and landscapes, there are the things that I take for granted, either due to their easy access or mundane nature. But mundanity of the everyday spectacles are actually my own lack of appreciation, and so I have now made a practice of finding more appreciation for the little things that make our surroundings and life in genera a bit more fulfilling, pleasurable, and nostalgic.

An interesting idea is that photography takes us away from the present moment, or the full experience of it - I’d agree and disagree. I believe there are moments that deserve our full attention, and don’t need to interrupted by us taking a photo, but there are others that, if we find a good balance and tact, can enhance the experience, while preserving a moment that can be relived (albeit fractionally) for generations to come.

2022 Wrap-up

12th December is here already, and I can’t say that I’ve been focusing on photography as much as previous years, but I did get some practice done. I can understand why you see some photographers go missing for quite a while and then make only a few posts now and then. We all have lives and priorities change as time goes by.
Nevertheless, I must say that although I’ve had quite a bit to distract me throughout the year, I did make some time to capture moments, and at the very least, publish them online. Some even made it on this blog - something I really do have to commit to doing more often.

Last time I went out shooting was in the National Park, and managed to capture two decent images on the GRIII - they’re published below.

The rainy season is here, and I want to head out into the streets and the seawall. Let’s see what happens.

A Group Photowalk 27th November, 2022

Apparently the first photowalk for the Guyana Photographers group for the year 2022. A few of us took the trip to Hope Beach, which seemed more like a social event for me. The crew included Fidal, Bela, Yancey, Avinash, Gracie, Kwesi, Meshach and myself. It was a great walk - peaceful and scenic. The atmosphere was cool and the weather was a bit overcast which provided nice light and my type of mood.

My initial instinct was to go for shots of people, and I wasn’t sure if I’d get anything because I was a bit apprehensive about approaching people, but once we reached Hope, and got exhausted photographing the natural landscape, and boats, I wanted to challenge myself to just get a personal shot of someone while also having some meaningful interaction with the person. Eventually, I saw this man cleaning fish at the koker, and not the friendliest looking fellow either, but I said to myself what’s the worst that could happen if I ask him to take his photo while cleaning the fish? Rejection? In that case I just move on.

So, I went over to him, introduced myself, and asked him, and after a pause he said ‘Why not…” So I just began shooting and asking him a few questions about what he does and where he lives. He eventually told me he was in a motorcycle accident and couldn’t walk far and that the doctor told him it would take eight years for him to fully recover. I found that interesting because I didn’t ask him, but he seemed to want someone to just talk with him about this issue which was bothering him. Eventually, I wished him well and moved on with a new experience and approach to photographing people, especially strangers. Most of the time there isn’t anything to be afraid of - either they will allow you to photograph them or not, and either one is fine. There is nothing to take offense over or take personally. But more importantly than the photo, for me, is the interaction and what we learn from our fellow humans through those interactions. The photo is now a memory of the encounter, and reinforcement that we have to face our fears and apprehensions to get to the good stuff in life.

A fisherman at Hope Koker, East Coast Demerara, Guyana | 27th November, 2022

Value of the Mundane

Recently took a trip to the Rupununi with my brother - only three days, but there’s always something to learn by changing my space so drastically. Dwelling in the city can limit your perspective and I understand why many people appreciate travel so much - there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained by moving to different spaces, experiencing different ways of life, landscapes, and challenges.

I wanted to create a post about appreciation of the mundane, the everyday, the norm. Life is extraordinary in all its forms, and deepening our appreciation of our surroundings, being more aware, certainly heightens the experience that we have, and, as a photographer, the images that can be captured. That is not to say that those images will be appreciated by everyone - viewers will see what they want, and more than likely move on to the next. It doesn’t matter - producing art from your own experience is what matters. Your goal matters.

Deepening appreciation for the mundane can excite the ordinary everyday moments, into the extraordinary, and, incrementally make every experience something very special.

The Blue

There’s a fantastic blue glow that develops at the seawall during the late afternoon and twilight period, and particularly on cooler and rainy days. There are different shades on different days, but as the light dwindles before night, the blue becomes a deep, calming, and sensational experience for the senses - it’s one of my favorite experiences at the seawall.

Some Monotones Near the Atlantic

Since my last blog post, Meshach and I have done some more trips to the Seawall, with great company I might add - notably Annalise Bayney and Kwesi Isles.

Our last walk was on the Kingston Beach and Jetty where we met Mr. Mahadeo, a popsicle man selling on a modified motorbike, and with a pleasant personality - he turned out to be more than just an intriguing subject, but helped us all create a memorable experience with his conversation and stories of the past.

I managed (somewhat luckily) to grab a decent shot of him handing me a popsicle. Not long afterwards, we were greeted with a stunning sunset. Great day.

Mr. Mahadeo - The Popsicle Man

Art Through Perspective - A Fine Art Photo Project With Meshach Pierre-Archer

It’s almost 12am and I really don’t plan to make this a long post, but I need to make some notes before I forget something or the other about this.

I call it a photo project, but it’s really a collaborative effort that keeps evolving in different directions. I met with Meshach for lunch / coffee at the Coffee Bean on Church Street to begin some serious discussion about producing some fine art prints of our photos. We decided to start with the theme ‘Seawalls’, and things progressed from there.

It was decided that on Monday, 8th August, 2022, we’d do our first photo walk on the Seawall to shoot some birds (with our cameras), and other interesting things along the way. Quite amazing how my whole photographic experience and method changed through this one experience - I saw the seawall and beach in a whole different light because I had never actually taken time to observe the birds, fish, or plants at the beach until yesterday. It’s like this opened a whole other world for me and I’m truly grateful for that (thanks Meshach!).

So, there’s still some editing to do because I took a whole bunch of photos ranging from landscapes / seascapes, birds and other wildlife, plants (young mangroves - maybe), people. I had a great deal of fun and learned quite a lot - I’m sure Meshach did too.

After an epic sunset, it was time to get some refreshments and leave the seawall. The day was quite busy for me with work, but the photowalk truly helped to clear my mind and allowed me to focus on somethings I truly enjoy - nature, photography, and learning new things.

The gallery here has a few shots I took and edited so far - there are quite a few more to run through and I’ll be adding them a bit later… maybe in this post or another.

Sunday, Rainy Sunday

Quite a downpour of rain on Sunday, and I took the opportunity to take some photos around the yard.

I haven’t been taking much photos recently, so I wanted to give my finger some exercise - plus - I find that I really enjoy the photos I took around the house and the yard in the past.

Not much to write - I’ve been suffering from a flu over the past few days and finally got some energy to do some writing and reading today, so here I am on the blog just dropping a note and a few pics from Sunday.

Forgot the Camera

When I say forgot the camera, I mean I forgot my dedicated camera (usually the Ricoh GRIII). I’ve made a post about this camera, I think. Either way, I had my phone on me, and more and more I’m beginning to get tired of always having to move around with a camera to take photos. I think I’ll try using my phone more often just for convenience sake, although I’m sure this will seem a bit weird at first - especially for street photography.

So, anyway, I forgot the camera last Saturday while I was on a drive and just happened to spot this beautiful scene at the seawall. The tide was extremely low and the water and mud were like a layer of glass reflecting the sky. The mood was exceptional and calm - just the way I like it.

I really didn’t expect much from the iPhone camera, because I know from experience that when you’re taking photos with it, the photos seem awesome, then when you reach home and begin really going through them, quite a few of them are disappointments. This time, however, I found something I quite appreciated, and it has encouraged me to take more photos with my phone.

That’s not to say that I’ll abandon my camera altogether. I truly believe that the camera will perform much better, but for the sake of convenience and sometimes pure necessity I’ll make sure I remember that the phone camera can still be quite awesome and dependable.

Sometimes you get those perfect blue sunsets. Georgetown Seawall - 9th July, 2022

After a While

So, it’s been a while since I went out to the Seawall and Kingston Beach. I’ve been feeling really cooped up and I think work has been a bit overwhelming lately, so I just decided to get some fresh air by riding out and taking some photos.

There have been a few new (albeit slow) developments at the beach and its surroundings. There’s a new walkway being built on the tarmac, to the south there’s an area being developed for small stores, and the tarmac has some new chairs which don’t look tacky. For the most part the landscape doesn’t change much, though. This afternoon it was quite peaceful and we had one of those mostly blue hues that makes the place seem cool and calm. Rain clouds scattered across the sky, with the introduction of a huge dredge on the horizon that, thankfully, won’t be there permanently. I like vast horizons without interruptions.

Here are some shots I took and am quite happy with. Think I’ll be doing mostly coloured photos for my street photography from now on. I don’t have much patience with editing either, so I’ll be minimizing that too. It’s quite something to find the extraordinary within what is considered ordinary.

Some Time with the Tides

Saturday I took a drive out to the Kingston Beach, Bandstand area. I had just planned to take a walk to clear my mind facing the ocean, and take a few photos during the process.

Photography is great - it allows you to focus on the process instead of dwelling on other thoughts you may have occupying your mind.

Usually, when I head out there, I try to see what unique images I can compose since I’ve shot the same location countless times over the years. I generally come away with similar scenes to ones I’ve shot before, but recently I want to focus more on recording the moments as I want to remember them, and as authentically as possible. I want to record Guyana as it is - something for posterity, something for us.

Independence Walk

Today it just so happened that I planned to take a drive up to Bushy Park Beach and I had already planned to take a walk on the Parika Stelling. There’s always this fear that someone will have a problem with me taking photos when I’m out in public, but I feel a bit more free on the stelling - it just seems that people are bit more laid back there. Not that I go sticking the camera in everyone’s face, but I get some of the shots I want while not interrupting people and their work.

Today I was happy to capture plantains being offloaded from a speedboat to the stelling where a truck was being loaded, more than likely to head to Georgetown. Quote a bit of history in the photo, as you can see the age of the wood used to build the stelling and that’s what I happen to like most about the whole photo.

The more I look at old photos of Guyana, the more I realize how important street photography is. This is history being made with every photo. Street photographers are few in Guyana at the moment, but ones we have are really good. I’m glad to be a part of capturing that history. What is more important now is publishing the photos - a work in progress.

Plantains being offloaded at the Parika Ferry Stelling - 26th May, 2022.

A Wedding in Essequibo

14th May, 2022 - I took a weekend trip to Essequibo Coast to attend a wedding. Naturally, I took the opportunity take some photos along the way. I’m a bit more selective with my shots, and even more selective now with that I decide to post. That is not to say that many of the photos that aren’t posted right away are no good. On the contrary, I’ve found that many of the photos that I ignore initially are quite good after allowing them to rest for a while - perhaps a year or two.

I did manage to get a few shots during the wedding, but I was keen not to interfere too much with the ceremony as there were already dedicated photographers and videographers there to record the event. Lucky I managed a few good shots I’m happy with and glad to have experienced what I would consider my first Hindu wedding.

Guyana truly has a rich and complex culture that seems to work harmoniously most of the time. It’s one of the things that I’ve grown to truly appreciate over the years, and believe that I’m truly blessed to be living here. What a truly wealthy nation this is.

The bride at a Hindu wedding on the Essequibo Coast, Guyana.

Young tassa drummers at a Hindu Wedding - Essequibo Coast, Guyana.

Parika Stelling - The portal to many parts of the Essequibo, and landing area for food supplies that sell at markets along the coast.

Parika - Supenaam speedboat and captain await passengers before taking off. This was taken at the Parika Stelling.

Easter 2022 and some Street Photography

This past weekend, I was determined to take some time to get some street photography done. Saturday afternoon I was out on the street after a long time - took a walk through Stabroek, Regent Street, and Bourda / Robb Street. I was particularly looking for activities relating to kites but didn’t quite get the shots I wanted - not surprised either - I’m out of practice and rusty. No matter - I usually get at least one shot that I’m satisfied with and that gives me a bonus for the walk itself. It is good exercise, after all, and a way of practicing your photography regardless of what the outcome is. The experience in itself is usually worthwhile.

Monday I was out again on my bike to find some action in the streets. I passed through the Seawall Bandstand area, going east along the Seawall towards Kitty. The bandstand had a lot of activity, but I realized how difficult it is to find a good scene when too many people are around doing random things. I did a few shots and actually got a Venezuelan guy who posed for his photo with a Guyana-Venezuela kite.

The second shot that I knew would be a good one as soon as I reviewed it was one I took at the 1823 Monument. I had taken a few shots prior to the one I published. I wasn’t even sure I’d get it, but I already had an idea of what the photo should look like and what I got was close enough.

Afterwards, I took a ride further east on Rupert Craig Highway and decided to turn back and head to the National Park. There was nothing much there I found too interesting for photography so I just took a walk through and headed home.

Interesting how that bit of street photography ignited my passion for the activity, so I found myself taking photos today, and plan to keep on doing so once I can make the time for it.

I think the important thing for me right now is just to keep my camera handy and keep shooting, even if the shots are not exactly what I wanted.

Kite Flying at the 1823 Monument | Easter Monday 18th April, 2022

Guyana - A Land I Love

There are some times when it can be really frustrating living in Guyana, but at the opposite end of the spectrum, there are times when your heart explodes with love for this country. It could be on casual walk, or drive, or while listening to the radio play songs that reek with nostalgia.

Many times, for me, it’s when I’m out in open spaces like the Rupununi, or on the seawall on a good day when families are out enjoying a walk, or in the National Park. I guess that’s why photos are so important to me - they can capture a time that you can revisit, and sometimes relive just a bit. They can portray your emotions for what you saw, they can preserve, they can demonstrate in ways words can’t.

Recently, I took a trip to the Rupununi - two days - but it was the refresher I needed to remember that there are more important things to life than just working for a future that never comes. It reminded me to live in the present and soak up all the juices of life - bitter and sweet, and live.

I took a few photos, although this wasn’t a photographic expedition, and it was great to just be and not take things too seriously for a little while.

Quarrie Village, with the Kanuku Mountains in the Background. 5th April, 2022

Rupununi, Guyana.