Kopinang

On a recent trip to Kopinang from the 29th September to 3rd October, 2018, I found some of the most outstanding scenery, I’m quite sure, in the whole of Guyana. There’s no questioning the beauty of Kopinang, and the Potaro Region in general.

Naturally, I applied some new techniques, since I’ve been considering changing and evolving the way I take photographs, so most of the time I shot in colour. The trip wasn’t a dedicated photographic mission, but a cross between pure pleasure, documentation, learning, and overcoming challenges.

On the journey, we experienced the nature of the rainforest within the Northern Pakaraimas, which is relatively untouched except for a few trails and camps in the forest. The views are stunning, the water is crystal clear, and the waterfalls are like none I’ve ever seen. Wildlife is abundant, although we didn’t encounter much large animals or birds on this trip, so what I photographed included mostly landscape shots.

We didn’t spend much time in the village and I was asked by our host not to photograph people, which I completely understand and respect. So, what about the photos? I moved away from black and white to colour. Not only did I want to try something new, but I realised that colour adds another dimension to photography and can even make it more challenging, but at the same time more rewarding. It’s easy to subtract colour to get the desired effect of a black and white image, but to add colour and compose correctly for the desired effect of the image you want to create can be even more rewarding and worthwhile.

I’ve also learned the pleasure of capturing small moments with a decent camera phone. There are just some moments that you can’t always have your camera with you to capture, and that’s where a phone comes in handy. The image doesn’t have to be pixel perfect, or well lit - it just has to convey the most important parts of the scene, or subject - viewers will fill in the rest, and for that reason - I recently began uploading street photos that I am now capturing with my phone. More on that later.