Category Archives: Photography

Photography Biathlon

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“What’s a Photography Biathlon?”, you might ask. That is a very good question, and if you had asked me that yesterday I wouldn’t have a clue.

However, during this morning’s run it came to me. For some time I’ve been wanting to post a blog entry about my morning runs in the hills above Kingston, which are the gateway to the Blue & John Crow Mountains National Park. Of course, any blog post that I do requires photos, but I don’t like to mix my running with my photography – I feel that one distracts from the other. Since today was my long run and I had my Samsung J5 with me anyway (using my Runtastic app), I decided to – as the company from Beaverton says – Just Do It.

Mountain view during the first kilometre

My run this morning was a 10K run – 5K uphill and 5K down.  The steepest stretch is the 1st kilometre, and this tends to be my slowest pace and so this is when I started shooting. Now, I tend to muse while I run so later on in the run I thought to myself “here I am, running and shooting, like I’m doing some kind of photography biathlon”. Eureka!! Then the next thought was, “another challenge for my photography students”. (I’m not sure how they’d take to the idea).

Roadside flora

Sunrise through the trees

As I ran (and shot), I began to formulate the criteria. Firstly, it won’t work for distances less than 10K, because the runner needs to have put in the distance and/or the pace at the end of the day. Secondly, you are to average 1 photo per kilometre, and finally, the runner decides when during the run they shoot. Today I shot during the uphill 5K, so that my downhill run would be uninterrupted (although I was distracted by the goats in the final kilometre). The winner would be the person with a combination of the best photos (taken during the shoot – no editing) and the best time.

So, any takers for a Photography Biathlon?   

Another mountain view.

Barbados Morn

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Last month I was fortunate to find myself in the neighbouring Caribbean island of Barbados, somewhere that I have always wanted to visit. Although I was there for only two days of non-photographic work, I had to take a few hours to explore the environs around my hotel. Fortunately, these environs encompassed the UNESCO World Heritage site known as The Garrison. Needless to say, those two hours reminded me of the simple pleasures that can be had with a Nikon in hand.

The Main Guard of the Barbados Garrison, built in 1804

The Main Guard of the Barbados Garrison, built in 1804

The Garrison was designated a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 2011 by UNESCO. According to the UNESCO WHS website, this is due to the “outstanding example of British colonial architecture consisting of a well-preserved old town built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.”

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A private building located in the Garrison World Heritage Site.

A private building located in the Garrison World Heritage Site.

From what I was able to see – which was centred around the Garrison Savannah race course – I was quite impressed with the preservation and usage of the buildings. Some were still used by the Barbados Defence Force, while others were private homes, some were museums and others were used by various government agencies.

Although I was impressed by the pride that our Barbadian neighbours have in their historical structures, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of “what if?” What if Jamaica invested in their built heritage sites in the same way that Barbados has invested in The Garrison? In historical Spanish Town there are numerous structures which date to the 16th century when it was known as Villa de la Vega and was Jamaica’s capital under the Spanish occupancy. A similar historical zone centred on Emancipation Square and the Cathedral could have been created. My uncle who was raised in Spanish Town, says that when he was growing up there was a large Brick Barracks that was used as a school – until it fell into disrepair. Such is Jamaica’s story…..

The Soldiers Brick Barracks, built in 1808

The Soldiers Brick Barracks, built in 1808

However, my task that day was not to mourn the deficiencies of my own country, but to celebrate and document how Barbados has been able to harmoniously make the past a part of their present and future.

The Barbados Light & Power building, formerly the Commissariat Provision Store and then the Garrison Theatre.

The Barbados Light & Power building, formerly the Commissariat Provision Store and then the Garrison Theatre.

 

 

 

 

Food Photography Challenge

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New challenges….that’s something that we should never shy away from. This semester I embarked on such a challenge when I was asked to be the photographer in the newly revamped course, “Food Styling, Photography & Writing” in the School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at the University of Technology, Jamaica. I say this was a challenge because most of my time as a photographer over the past 20 years has been spent as a photojournalist, with not much time spent in the studio. So to say that I was a bit rusty is an understatement. However I took on the challenge because, as all teachers know, you never stop learning. In fact, if you believe that you have stopped learning, you might as well stop teaching.

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So what did this challenge entail? First of all, let me give you an overview of the course. The main lecturer was Chef Leroy Myers. I have no idea how his food tastes, but he is a very skilled food stylist. He was also able to teach the students how to creatively arrange a variety of dishes, under the themes of eggs, fruits, sandwiches, meat, ice-cream and beverages.

My task was to light and shoot the subjects arranged by the students. The shooting was easy (I so love my Nikon D800E!). The lighting…not so much. At least not during the first shoot. Why? Space. I shot in two main areas – a classroom where the students also used to prepare the dishes, and an outdoor atrium. Both had their unique challenges. For the indoor shoots, I ideally would like to have at least six feet between the table and the two lights and umbrellas that I had set up.  This was not possible, so the first set of photos had distracting shadows that I was not happy with. Fortunately the ceiling was white. So within the space, I bounced the two Smith-Victor lights off the ceiling and violà, I had created a soft-box. The outdoor shooting was easier. It was done in the morning when there was still shade in the atrium which provided soft lighting. Here I used the Nikon Speedlights wirelessly, the SB-910 as the main light and the SB-800 to fill-in when required.  Here are the best shots.