Tag Archives: Guyana Photographers

by

Sebastião Salgado

PhotoTalk 2020/10

2020-10

I think any photographer who happens across Sebastião Salgado’s work could agree that it leaves a lasting impression. His journey as a photographer is very interesting, and certainly one I would recommend any photographer to familiarise themselves with.

For a brief biography along with some of his photographs:

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/sebasti%C3%A3o-salgado?all/all/all/all/0..

What is extraordinary and striking about Salgado’s work, for me, is the dedication, and level of immersion that he devotes to his projects – sometimes spanning years in extreme locations to capture remarkable photos in his distinct monochrome style.

He is described as a social documentary photographer, and photojournalist, but there is a level of artistry that he has achieved that sets him apart from the rest.

In his TED Talk, which can be found on YouTube, Salgado reveals quite a lot – about his life and photography, including the process, and its effects. He also gives insight into the purpose of his work and what he has been able to achieve – it’s truly inspiring.

I’ve attached one of Salgado’s most famous images for discussion – Mining, Brazil.

The photo was taken in 1986 at the Serra Pelada gold mine in Brazil where Salgado spent weeks observing and taking photos. I do not believe one can truly grasp the scope of his work from one image, so you may want to check out other images from this series, and others.

What are your first impressions? How does the work of Sebastião Salgado and other photographers inspire you? Do you see photography as art, or a medium for recording, journaling, and reporting, or both? Why is photography important to you?

The following links will give some insight into the life and work of Sebastião Salgado:

TED: The Silent Drama of Photography – Sebastião Salgado
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH4GAXXH29s&t=841s)

Haunting black and white images of the Brazilian gold rush by Sebastião Salgado (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/photography/haunting-black-white-photos-brazil-gold-sebastiao-salgado-a9110031.html)

6 Ways the Life and Photos of Sebastião Salgado Will Stun You
(https://learn.zoner.com/6-ways-the-life-and-photos-of-sebastiao-salgado-will-stun-you/)

Thanks for joining in,

Darrell Carpenay.

The original was posted to the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook Group on April 17th, 2020. For the original comments and discussions, please check that post.

by

Bobby Fernandes

PhotoTalk 2020/08

2020-08.cdr

I started off this series of chats with photos from two local photographers (Kester Clarke and Kwesi Isles), because I think that it is important to recognise and highlight our local talent, while also learning from the established and legendary photographers from around the globe. Today I want to share an image by one of our own local legends, Mr. Robert J. Fernandes, better known as Bobby Fernandes.

Although not my favourite image from him, I think that this image exemplifies some of the things that has always made Uncle Bobby’s images meaningful to me. This one is called “Rainy Season at Cipo”.

What follows are my own views, I can’t speak for anyone else; I grew up seeing his works on calendars, whether it was nature or architecture I was always fascinated, I think I learned more about local buildings, and about our country from seeing his photos on calendars than I did from the papers, mainly because I would ask questions of my parents or grand-parents about the images I was seeing. His images of anywhere outside of Georgetown were captivating to me, and he became known for these, I believe mainly because he had something most others didn’t, and that was access to these places, but I remember my parents and grand-parents saying to me that Bobby had “the eye”. He saw things and captured them on film in a way other people here didn’t.

As I myself got to know Uncle Bobby in later years, as I myself was beginning to learn about photography, I was surprised to learn that when I spoke about shutter speeds and aperture, ISO and bracketing, and all the other camera techniques I was learning about, he’d be amused in a way, because to him those were “camera tricks” and not very important to the final image, he was all about what he was seeing, yes, he’d use the camera and its settings, but the visual impact was more important; and there it was, it dawned on me that my parents and grand-parents were right, he had “the eye”.

I remember one conversation with some other photographers one Friday evening where we were discussing his work, and the lack of technical excellence in Bobby’s work came up, and at the end the general consensus was that Bobby wasn’t a gear-head like some of us are these days, he was a photographer, and the results speak for themselves.

He lived in the Orinduik area for many years, and his images of vistas, water-falls and life there will always remain with me, as will his other works of wildlife, natural patterns, and much more. If you can get your hands on his last book “99 Best” you would not be disappointed.

Michael C. Lam

Our eighth post in the PhotoTalk series, this was posted to the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook Group on the 7th April, 2020. The original comments and discussion can be seen on that post.

by

Red Jackson – Gordon Parks

PhotoTalk 2020/07

2020-07

In 2018, I had the privilege to view the Gordon Parks exhibition at the National Gallery in Washington D.C.

It was the only photography exhibit (if I remember correctly), and this is in a Gallery with some of the most astounding works of art from different eras. There is no doubt that Park’s work deserved to be there. I first learned about his work through the YouTube channel ‘The Art of Photography’ which is run by Ted Forbes, but to witness his work first hand was quite an experience.

I will not give you a biography about Gordon Parks since you can easily find that information online. What I want to do here is discuss the importance of photography. Each photographer has a reason for taking photographs – some practice as a hobby, others risk their lives to tell stories that would otherwise never reach the world had it not been for their passion and determination, and there’s everything in between.

I’m usually curious as to what stories photographers want to tell through their images, what they wish to achieve, what do they wish to portray?

Feel free to share in the comments below.

Now, let’s get to the image shown – the title is Red Jackson, Harlem, New York 1948. Gordon Parks spent a few weeks documenting the life of a Harlem gang leader, Red Jackson, and the photos were featured in a photo essay in Life magazine in 1948. Without getting into much detail, Parks told a story with his unique artistic style, of life in Harlem during that period. It’s now preserved as part of history, and something current generations can still access and learn about. Not only was he a photojournalist, but he was an artist and pioneer. I believe there is honesty and intimacy in Parks’ work because of the relationship he had with his subjects and the communities he photographed, and his artistry helps to deepen the connection between the viewer and his images.

What relationship do you have with your subjects as a photographer? Why do you believe your work is important to you or others? Let’s get the conversation going and deepen our connection with photography and art.

For more information and photos by Gordon Parks:

http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdP4DPfNZ9w

Aside from the main image, I took the liberty of sharing some photos I took of the Gordon Parks Exhibit at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. in November, 2018.

92137012_2743348649117748_7550695451469545472_o

92188701_2743348789117734_8693896671991431168_o

92231677_2743348669117746_7305307730577719296_o

92360087_2743348819117731_607369677722615808_o

Thanks for joining in.

Darrell Carpenay.

The original post by Darrell Carpenay was posted to the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook Group on April 5th, 2020. The original comments and discussion can be see in that post.

by

Ghandi – Margaret Bourke-White

PhotoTalk 2020/06

2020-06.cdr

Let’s talk about a famous female photographer, but not necessarily about her famous photo.

Margaret Bourke-White is known for her famous photograph of Ghandi and the Spinning Wheel; it is a notable photo for several reasons, among which are the fact that its a photo of Mahatma Ghandi, she was the last person to do his portraits before his assassination (and interview him, a story in itself), it captured Ghandi as never before, the simple man at his then infamous charkha, she was the first woman to break into the photojournalism field, her photo was the cover of the very first TIME magazine, and the list of her accomplishments goes on.

The amazing thing to me is that she became famous for doing something she originally didn’t want to do, photograph people, especially those in politics. She started out shooting waterfalls to make ends meet, then into a bit of architecture, until she got to shoot subjects she was passionate about, machinery, things in industrial America (and the wider world), then into photojournalism, the war, etc.

I could go on, but you should check our her story yourselves, as well as photos from those earlier periods.

So let’s talk, got opinions? got questions, let’s chat!

Original post to the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook group was done on April 3rd, 2020. Original comments and discussion can be seen on that post.

by

Bruce Gilden – Street Photography

PhotoTalk 2020/05

2020-05.cdr

Let’s venture into some Street Photography discussions (almost always contentious).

There are different types of Street Photographers, yes there are, who would have thought it!? Among them are those who sit patiently and wait for the right moment, there are those who walk about and capture as they go, there’s a few others, I won’t go into all. Mostly, street ‘togs tend to use small cameras, to be as discreet as possible, to not interact or affect the scene… mostly. There are those who interact with the subjects amiably and derive some amazing street portraits as well, and then there’s Bruce Gilden.

What made Bruce different was his habit of walking around with his camera and a flash attached to it, and he would walk right up to his intended subject(s) and press the shutter button also triggering his flash, most times shocking the unsuspecting subject.

You should check more of his work, this image is but one that represents his collection, his work captured the 1980s New York City scenes memorably.

Is Street Photography simply about capturing candid moments? Some of us may consider it voyeuristic, is it? Is such photography an invasion of privacy? Is Gilden’s approach any better than that of other street togs who choose not to interact? What’s your opinion and your own questions?

Originally posted to the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook Group on April 1st, 2020. original comments and discussions can be seen on the original post.

by

Ana Brandt – Dione Vanderhyden

PhotoTalk 2020/04

2020-04.cdr

I’m blessed and honoured to be part of this project at the invitation of Mr Lam…  He is one of the many photographers i admire.

I admire, follow, gather inspiration and sometimes even try to recreate the work of some of my most influential international photographers.

One such person is Ana brandt who’s photo is above…

She was one of the first person that popped up in my online search back in 2015, when i was looking to get inspired.

Her years of experience and execution has earned her many awards in her field.

I have been closely paying attention to her wrapping and posing techniques as well as client interactions.

She works with both natural and artificial lighting.Her light source below was from a softbox while mine was from window light.

I found and actually sourced white sheer sheets to defuse my window light after this particular image was taken.

I hope to use it when my studio reopens to better defuse my window light for future shoots.

I hope to one day teach and conduct workshops in this particular line of photography, not only in Guyana but Internationally as well.

Ana believes in the phrase knowledge is power, so do I.

Ask me anything……..

Dione Vanderhyden

Number 4 in our PhotoTalk series on the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook page, the original comments and discussion can be seen on that post.

by

Ansel Adams – Michael C. Lam

PhotoTalk 2020/03

2020-03.cdr

One of my inspirations has always been Ansel Adams, his black and white landscapes have always fascinated me. Ansel shot film back then and did his own dark room work, concentrating on his “Zone System” to get the details he needed. You should read more about that. While “The Tetons, Snake River” isn’t my favourite Ansel Adams photograph it illustrates my description of what he accomplished, and some of what I’ve aspired to. Feel free to discuss the good / bad of his work, whether you think his work was great or over-hyped, etc. 

When I started this PhotoTalk series, Dione had asked me how I get my black and white images to be “Black and White”, she says all of hers a tinge to them, red/yellow/orange… I do most of my processing in Adobe Lightroom, my base processing involves getting the highlights and shadows where I want them, and also making sure that there is the sharpness I need. I do tend to go for high contrast black and whites more than softer low-contrast images. I’ve juxtaposed one of mine here with that of Ansel’s for comparison and contrast. When I get the image where I need it in lightroom, I either use the LR Black and white tab to ensure that its in BW or I do further processing in DXO Nik Silver Efex.

Calling them Black and White is actually incorrect, they are monochrome images, lots of shades or grey. When I am printing, I ensure that I use black and white/monochrome files and that the printer uses as close to only Black ink as possible instead of mixing inks (CMYK) – for display, all files are RGB, but I try to ensure that in LR my settings are usually in Black and White. Images that have warmer tones like red/yellow/orange or even cooler tones towards blue may usually need a simple white balance adjustment towards a neutral temperature setting.

My process is not secret, and I am always open to questions.   Ansel’s Zone System is well documented and you should give it a read and learn a little from it.

Original published on the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook Page on March 30th, 2020. Original comments and discussions can be seen on the original post.

by

PhotoTalk – Wildlife; Kester Clarke and Kwesi Isles

First in the PhotoTalk series.

PhotoTalk 2020/01

Untitled-2

I’ve always admired those folks who do wildlife photography, in Guyana its mostly Bird Photography, but they do get in quite a bit of wildlife too. For local art competitions and exhibitions its been hard for these photos to break into the top where they are considered art.

My view on this has always been that the photographers approach has a lot to do with it. Many Bird Photographers are concentrating on catching the Bird, whether at rest or in flight, its not an easy task to get a great shot of the bird; what results most times are what I consider Bird Portraits, again, excellent work, but often not considered “art” by many.

I was discussing this with an artist and one of the things I came away from that conversation with was that the resulting photographs often lacked other compositional elements related to “story-telling”.

I wanted to mention two “Bird” photographs that, in my opinion, broke through that barrier and by themselves speak volumes. Kester Clarke’s image gives not only action in a still frame, but also offers drama, the shallow depth of field, the sharp details in the birds with the bit of motion blur on the wings makes it an instant pleaser. Kwesi Isles’ image uses subtle background detail with sharp foreground detail in the “post” to add to the main subject in flight, putting it in greyscale lets the viewer see all of this while being undistracted by colour, I haven’t seen the coloured version, but I believe that the background colour would have diminished the clarity seen in the black and white version.

Just my two cents. 

Thanks Kester and Kwesi!

Michael C. Lam

Originally published on the Guyana Photographers’ Facebook page on March 25th, 2020. Comments can be seen there on the post.

by

Today is Tomorrow’s Yesterday

As Guyana heads into inevitable elections and a possible and uncertain future where Oil may play a large role (larger than necessary), some photographers, including Nikhil Ramkarran, Dwayne Hackett and Darrell Carpenay, have been saying both privately and publicly that Georgetown (and the coastal areas) will undergo certain changes; they see it as a time to capture life as we see it before that change is in our past.


“Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Clean-Up – 19-0102 | DXO One
Continue reading →