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