How I photographed Trinidad carnival.

‘I grew up in four continents, living in diverse places for significant periods of time. These places include Borneo and Jakarta in Indonesia, Paris, Argentina, Texas, Canada and more.’

The word "Carnival" is derived from the Latin "Carne Vale" and translates into "Farewell to the Flesh". The inspiration for this Series of Carnival Photographs came after being a key on camera interviewee for a Documentary which aired in Canada recently titled “Where is Home?” which was produced by Two Time Emmy Award Winner Paul Saltzman and directed by Aga Alegria. The film discuses the lives of Expats who grew up around the world and the trials and experiences they encountered in a globetrotting lifestyle. One main aspect of the film is that it discusses how one may not feel connected to their parent’s homeland if they live outside that country for an extended period of time, especially during their formative years. I grew up in four continents, living in diverse places for significant periods of time. These places include Borneo and Jakarta in Indonesia, Paris, Argentina, Texas, Canada and more. I did live in Trinidad for a short while when I was very young, but didn’t at that time partake in mas fully, so doing this whole project was a form of self-discovery and discovery of my parents’ heritage that I was never around to be a part of and never fully understood until now.

I am primarily a portrait photographer so I approached the subject matter as if they were portraits as opposed to large group shots with hundreds of masqueraders in the frame.

I spent the years of 2011 to 2013 focused on photographing mainly Traditional Mas and J’ouvert as each costume tells an element of the folklore and history of the country. I did however photograph certain kings and queens as well. Doing this project was a way for me to learn about the heritage and culture I never knew growing up. I also spent the past three years researching as much as I could about the characters in my photos by talking to the individual masqueraders such as the fancy Indians, blue devils etc. and by spending time in their homes and mas camps. All these experiences furthered my appreciation of the Art that is mas. When first witnessing the celebration, I found it to be similar to a live Broadway Show on the streets, or a form of street theatre. As they masqueraded through the streets, I felt driven to capture them in the cathartic frenzy that is Trinidad Carnival. In doing so, I learned a lot about Trinidad’s heritage, folklore and culture.

‘Instead of using on camera flash or daylight, I carried around large studio lights single handedly or with a taxi driver as an assistant.’

I photographed the project in a slightly unorthodox manner. Instead of using on camera flash or daylight, I carried around large studio lights single handedly or with a taxi driver as an assistant. I was running around Trinidad photographing mas with everything from Alien bees to Profoto studio lights with large soft boxes and octabanks powered by battery packs and stands balanced by weights and bricks. As a result, the photos have a polished aesthetic. The work may look heavily photo shopped or digitized but it’s the lighting from large soft boxes, which gives the photos that polished feel and look. The only factors that were done in computer were dodging, burning and sharpening of the image. The rest is all lighting. The work has been received well internationally and has been recently featured in Applied Arts Magazine – Canada’s Leading Visual Communications Magazine as a ten page spread as well as making the Houston Press Headline in the Night and Day Art Section in 2012. Mounted life size (6 foot) Prints were used as exclusive art décor for the N.C.C. Media Launch of 2013. The work also made the Williams Tower Gallery (situated in Houston’s Largest Skyscraper) as part of Joe Aker’s Show entitled: Aker Imaging – Last Film Lab Standing. In addition, one of the photos was selected for the Houston Center for Photography Fine Art Auction and 30 photos were recently exhibited at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.