2009 - A picture each day - 2010

Guyana - Land of Many Waters

2011-11-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

Featuring many photographs from this blog - reprocessed and colour balanced for print - this book is available in two versions (with or without captions for the photographs)and two sizes (large, and very large!)... Enjoy the preview!

Day Five Hundred and Twenty Three - Lightning at Kaiteur

2010-11-16T13:00:00.005-04:00

A dramatic image to end the blog with! This is pretty much the last photo I took in Guyana, and I've not really taken any since (I'm having a break, and most of my gear is being fixed or cleaned). I'm now back in the UK and the blog is finished. I'll not be continuing the photo-a-day project in the UK (at least, I don't think so!)... I'm not sure what the next step is. There are some decisions to be made... maybe some plans to put in place... Watch it all unfurl at my new blog: www.jmbphotoblog.blogspot.com

As for my Guyana photos... Well, if you want to see any of them on a better quality website, or even buy good quality prints, go to www.jmbroscombe.deviantart.com. There might even be some pictures there which didn't make it on the blog - for a start, there are a whole load of pictures of Kaiteur in this folder!

Day Five Hundred and Twenty Two - Kaiteur Falls at Night

2010-11-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Continuing the search for an alternative view of Kaiteur, I spent a few hours in the dark at Johnson's View with the camera on a tripod, my 50mm lens set wide open, and my D700 taking long exposures waiting for lightning.

After a while some lightning crept up behind me - so I had the fear of being eaten by a jaguar replaced by the fear of being hit by lightning! Then it started raining so I quit for the night!

Day Five Hundred and Twenty One - Hawk at Kaiteur

2010-11-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

I really wanted to get some different pictures of Kaiteur. It must be the most photographed site in Guyana. It is the largest single drop waterfall in the world but still wonderfully unspoilt and photogenic. A really great place to spend a few days. I was lucky to get this hawk flying in front of the waterfall. I'd spotted it flying around and was hoping that it would drop down in front of the falls, but I was also suffering from equipment problems - another Nikon Lens has died on me with an autofocus failure on my 70-300mm zoom. Still, I just managed to get this in focus in time!

Day Five Hundred and Twenty - Looking down the Potaro Valley

2010-11-13T13:00:00.001-04:00

Flying straight into Georgetown, and then the next day out to Kaituer Falls for a few days. Something I really wanted to see before leaving Guyana. This is the view from the falls looking down river.

PS - Sorry the wrong photo went up earlier today!

Day Five Hundred and Nineteen - Leaving the Rupununi

2010-11-12T13:00:00.001-04:00

This is my last day in the Rupununi. I'm flying to Georgetown, and then after a few more days I'll be leaving Guyana.

Day Five Hundred and Eighteen - Bringing the Sugar Cane Home

2010-11-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

A Wai Wai family returning from the farm, bringing home a crop of Sugar Cane.

Day Five Hundred and Seventeen - Masakenari Village Benab

2010-11-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

The large meeting house in Masakenari - a remote WaiWai village in Guyana. There is a dim rainbow in the background, but it's only just visible in the picture.

Day Five Hundred and Sixteen - Shooting Rapids

2010-11-09T13:00:00.001-04:00

All this day I was trying to get photos of an Amazonian Kingfisher in flight, which was proving hard work. I thought I'd got the perfect one (here as a runner-up) but when I finally got it onto my computer I was disappointed to see that the kingfisher wingtip was covering its face. Shame as it was carrying a fish too. Oh well, I liked this one of Fergus shooting some rapids on the upper Essequibo.

Day Five Hundred and Fifteen - Hummingbird Feeding Chick

2010-11-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

A few versions of this one - but I had real difficulty getting focus right, as the branch was swaying in the wind... Alternatives are here.

Day Five Hundred and Fourteen - Big Mosquito

2010-11-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

I think this is some kind of huge mosquito... Looks like it means business to me!

Day Five Hundred and Thirteen - Lurking Caiman

2010-11-06T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Five Hundred and Twelve - Traditional Wai Wai Boat

2010-11-05T13:00:00.001-04:00

A traditional dug out boat, made from a single tree hollowed out.

Day Five Hundred and Eleven - Macaw

2010-11-04T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Five Hundred and Ten - Basking Tree

2010-11-03T13:00:00.001-04:00

Most of my pictures I think are viewed better full size, but just for a change, I think this one works much better as a thumbnail! Maybe something to do with the focus not being crisp enough.

Day Five Hundred and Nine - Wild Deer

2010-11-02T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Five Hundred and Eight - Butterflies

2010-11-01T13:07:00.001-04:00

I still don't understand how butterflies fly - with such crazy oversize wings they should be out of control, but they seem to have incredible speed and agility.

Day Five Hundred and Seven - Big Moth

2010-10-31T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Five Hundred and Six - Hiding Lizard

2010-10-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

Not sure it is a lizard actually - anyone know any better?

Day Five Hundred and Five - Traditional Boating

2010-10-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

This traditional Wai Wai boat is being used at Parabara, the end of the road going South and the start of the river journey. I'm not sure if the boatsman is Wai Wai or Wapishana, but to me he has a definate Wapishana look!

Day Five Hundred and Four - Setting off to Masakanari

2010-10-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Today is the start of a long river journey to Masakanari, the remote Wai Wai village in the Deep South of Guyana. It's not a fast journey, taking between four days and three weeks, depending on river conditions, rapids, and blockages due to fallen trees.

To get to the river we travelled south from Aishalton to Parabara, through savannah, muddy holes, creeks and forest. At this stick up, Sandy de Freitas of Dadanawa Ranch has the right idea: sit in the vehicle, light up a cigarette, and wait for someone else to do the pushing!

Some alternative pictures are here in the runner up folder on Picasa.

Day Five Hundred and Three - Keeping Cool

2010-10-27T13:00:00.002-04:00

In the heat of the savannah, surrounded by Kaboura flies, there's one place to be that's cool and fresh... Down in the creek!

Day Five Hundred and Two - Project Trust

2010-10-27T13:00:00.001-04:00

During all our time in Aishalton my blog has ignored the presence of other foreigners living and working in the area. But there is a steady stream of volunteers arriving and leaving. Just as we were leaving the two new Project Trust volunteers arrived from the UK. They will teach in Aishalton Secondary School for a year. In this photo one of them (Dave) is joining in with the tradition of preserving the rock carvings at Aishalton with a bit of chalk taken from the school.

Day Five Hundred and One - Amerindian Portrait

2010-10-25T13:00:00.003-04:00

Today I did a second set of Amerindian Portraits. It will take me a while to sort through all these and get them online, but sometime they'll be up at my DeviantArt account: www.jmbroscombe.deviantart.com. In the meantime there is a quick preview of a couple more portraits in my runner up folder on Picasa.

Day Five Hundred - Last dance for me...

2010-10-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

My last chance to see a traditional Amerindian dance, at the end of Heritage Month 2010. I'm getting ready to leave Aishalton to return home.

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Nine - Off Road

2010-10-23T13:00:00.001-04:00

It can be a rough journey on the rainforest trail from Georgetown to Lethem. For this truck it was a bit too rough. Passing a fallen tree the trailer went too close to the edge and started to slide in the mud. With a full load, including drums of petrol, the whole truck rolled right off the road. Both driver and passenger survived without any serious injury.

Intermission - Twenty Two

2010-10-22T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Twenty One

2010-10-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Twenty

2010-10-20T13:00:00.002-04:00

Intermission - Nineteen

2010-10-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Eighteen

2010-10-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Seventeen

2010-10-17T13:00:00.002-04:00

Intermission - Sixteen

2010-10-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Fifteen

2010-10-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Fourteen

2010-10-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Thirteen

2010-10-13T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Twelve

2010-10-12T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Eleven

2010-10-11T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Ten

2010-10-10T13:00:00.002-04:00

Intermission - Nine

2010-10-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Eight

2010-10-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Seven

2010-10-07T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Six

2010-10-06T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Five

2010-10-05T13:00:00.001-04:00

Intermission - Four

2010-10-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Three

2010-10-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - Two

2010-10-02T13:00:00.000-04:00

Intermission - One

2010-10-01T13:00:00.003-04:00

For the next few weeks I'll be out of touch... but here are some of the portraits I took for Amerindian Heritage Month in September. During October I'll be travelling through some of the most remote areas of Guyana, and I'll still be taking Photo of the Day. These will then start coming up on the blog at the end of October, when I get back to my computer!

Meanwhile, the winners of Environmental Photographer of the Year have just been announced. One of my images - featured on the blog last year - was Highly Commended in this competition and will be part of the exhibition in London later this month. Some of the winners are here, and they are well worth a look!

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Eight - Home Sweet Home

2010-09-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

A few to pick from - but I couldn't resist the colour on this one. One of the alternatives (here) is almost the opposite - a natural black and white!

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Seven - Another One Bites the Dust

2010-09-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

Maybe a motorbike repair business underneath your wooden house is asking for trouble? There goes another Georgetown wooden building.

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Six - Playing the Square

2010-09-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Went up the lighthouse again, this time with Georgetown photographers Nikhil, Michael and Andre. Had a couple of shots from the lighthouse, but couldn't resist the one of this construction worker taking a break on the back of a pick-up, playing his variation on the triangle.

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Five - Kurupukari Long Boat

2010-09-27T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Four - Happy Birthday Leonie

2010-09-26T13:00:00.002-04:00

A quick snap from a busy day today... Nothing to choose from!

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Three - Fr Britt's Diamond Jubilee

2010-09-25T13:00:00.002-04:00

A really difficult choice today. There was a nice photo of Fr Britt surrounded by young people, with every eye right on him, but it didn't quite get Britt himself into the picture enough. Then there was a good portrait of Britt looking straight into camera. And then the challenging group shot. Not a masterpiece, but a result, balancing a lot of people, different areas of light, and a couple of remote flashes! I really wanted to get Britt swamped by local people and children and I think the effect might be there!

In the end I went for the one which I think is probably technically the best!

Day Four Hundred and Ninety Two - Early Morning Cooking

2010-09-24T13:00:00.002-04:00

The early sun gives nice lighting through an open window to this lady preparing beef for later in the day.

Day Four Hundred and Ninety One - Making a Matapi

2010-09-23T13:00:00.001-04:00

As seen in use previously on the blog!

Day Four Hundred and Ninety - Enticing Wild Pigs

2010-09-22T13:00:00.001-04:00

A special day today - a long ritual to lure the wild pigs of the mountains into the village where they can be easily hunted and roasted! The day starts with the making of the grass skirts, out on a rock near the forest. Once the skirts are ready then the procession begins. Hollowed bamboo horns are blown towards the areas where the bakuru, the hairy pigs, roam. The procession then moves off, singing and chanting, winding its way over the savannah and through all the local creeks. At each creek the procession troops through the deepest part and everyone whoops and gurgles, enjoying the cool water after the long walk. At some points on the route the procession is refreshed by girls carrying parakari, local homebrew. The girls wear bright green grass skirts and decorations. They are known as the hummingbirds, darting around and providing the nectar that keeps the pig enticers refreshed.

Difficult to pick just one for today... Should be some alternatives up soon!

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Nine - Plastering

2010-09-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

The nursery school is finally getting its kitchen built. The tiny children who walk many miles each day to come to school will be able to get a hot meal, cooked by volunteers, using donated food.

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Eight - AHM Portrait - Celine

2010-09-20T13:00:00.001-04:00

For Amerindian Heritage Month I set up a makeshift photo studio in the half-built new community centre in Aishalton. The plan was to take portraits of Aishalton villagers wearing their traditional dress. The first person to come was Celine, along with her husband Kid and their two children Konainmo and Aichauzo. She didn't come for her picture - she just came to watch whilst I photographed Kid and the kids. After I'd taken those pictures I asked Celine if she'd step in front of the camera. She looked a bit shy, looked down, and then looked up with a beautiful smile. Perfect!

For the first two weeks of next month I will be unable to load daily photos - so the blog will run an intermission showing my AHM portraits.

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Seven - Great Balls of Fire

2010-09-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

A variation on lightning and stars. This time we have lightning, stars, moon, and also the light from a small cooking fire lighting up the lower branches of the tree in the foreground. I took a few versions of this, in portrait layout, showing more of the foreground, but I think this frames the lightning better. The alternatives are here in the runner up folder on Picasa (and I've also uploaded a few older ones too!).

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Six - Marudi Evenings

2010-09-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Five - Fetching Water

2010-09-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Four - Marudi Mining Camp

2010-09-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

With the cut lawns (to keep the snakes away) and the view of Bat Mountain in the distance, this could be some holiday camp in the wild outback... But once the rainy season is finished, it will be full of miners risking their lives in backbreaking work to find small pieces of gold.

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Three - A man called Tiger

2010-09-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

Tiger lives in a small shack on a hillside in the middle of the mining area. He doesn't seem to have much, but he boasts that the springwater he keeps in a half burried box is as cool and refreshing as anything from a fridge. He looks fit and healthy, and when I wander past he invites me in for a cool drink, a fresh banana, and a game of chess on his homemade board and selection of pieces from a few different chess sets. I relax with him in the shade and find he's right. This is a level of luxury that you couldn't find in London, Paris or New York!

Day Four Hundred and Eighty Two - Mining Scar

2010-09-14T13:00:00.004-04:00

What was once a small quiet creek running through shaded forest is now a great red scar in the landscape. This enormous hole has been dug, pretty much by hand, in the search for gold. So much work, effort, and danger, along with some death and destruction. But the mines surprised me. The occasional scar in a hillside was offset by the beautiful scenery. The rough, hardworking miners were kind and welcoming. This place wasn't the hell on earth I was expecting, and the destruction was much less than that caused by any motorway passing through the countryside.

Day Four Hundred and Eighty One - Hunters

2010-09-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

OK - I'll admit it sounds crazy, but here is the story! I was on the rough trail to the Marudi gold mines. In the middle of the rainforest, many miles from anywhere. The trail was wet, muddy and awful. I got so stuck on my motorbike that I couldn't go anywhere. The bike was stuck upright! I dug clay out from the wheels but still couldn't lift the bike out - either the front wheel or the back wheel. I had a good rest, ate and drank and tried again, but I was stuck. Then, like a dream, these Amerindian hunters stepped out of the forest, lifted my bike out, and sent me on my way. I'm glad I took a photo. It wasn't just a dream!

Day Four Hundred and Eighty - Three Girls

2010-09-12T13:08:00.002-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Nine - Group Meal

2010-09-11T13:01:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Eight - Preparing for Heritage Month

2010-09-10T13:00:00.003-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Seven - Going Home

2010-09-09T13:00:00.001-04:00

After the festival of games and activities, dances and parties, it's time to head off over the savannah on the long trek home. At least we've had no rain all week and the trails are starting to dry out.

PS - There's a hidden extra in this photo - I didn't notice it until I got it onto my computer - but it made me laugh! Prize for the first person to spot it!

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Six - End of Games

2010-09-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

The games ended with atraditional dance, which slowly morphed into a Brazillian Forrah dance session! It was a great way to finish with everybody dancing in front of the stage to the Wapishan musicians performing their version of Brazilian dance music!

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Five - Miss Amerindian 2010

2010-09-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

Key feature of the August Games is the selection of Miss Amerindian for the year. No swim costume parade, but there is a traditional dress parade, speech in Wapishan, traditional song or performance, a difficult question to answer, and finally, the ball gowns!

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Four - Fire

2010-09-06T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Three - Toshao Gomes

2010-09-05T13:00:00.002-04:00

Amerindian Chief - Amerindian Head-dress - Amerindian Grass Skirt - Amerindian Necklace - Carib Beer!!!

Day Four Hundred and Seventy Two - Performance

2010-09-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Seventy One - Games

2010-09-03T10:12:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Seventy - Aishalton Culture Group

2010-09-02T13:00:00.001-04:00

Each evening at the games there is a performance party. This year most of the acts were traditional wapishan dances.

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Nine - Watching the Games

2010-09-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Eight - Opening the Games

2010-08-31T13:17:00.001-04:00

The August Games 2010 start in Aishalton with a traditional show involving local songs and dancers. Backstage preparations combine applying face paint with looking after children.

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Seven - Saying Goodbye....

2010-08-30T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Six - Fresh Meat

2010-08-29T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Five - Cooking

2010-08-28T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Four - Traditional Look

2010-08-27T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Three - Abstract!

2010-08-26T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Two - Eustace

2010-08-25T13:00:00.003-04:00

I was playing with flash, trying to set up a little indoor studio for Amerindian Heritage month in September. Eustace Martin came round to give Sarah a woven basket. Eustace is Aishalton's major competitor in the traditional activities of the August Games. He will be representing Aishalton in activities such are fire starting, Ite Tree Climbing, speed weaving, rope making, and arrow making.

Day Four Hundred and Sixty One - Flower

2010-08-24T13:00:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy week! Should be back to some more interesting photos next week when the Deep South Games start!

Day Four Hundred and Sixty - Rainstorm Pontoon

2010-08-23T13:00:00.002-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Nine - Bedford in Mud

2010-08-22T13:04:00.000-04:00

Stuck on the open savannah without a tree in sight to winch off. We passed this truck and stopped to help. After a lot of digging under the wheels of the jacked up Bedford we tied our hi-lux to another hi-lux and connected them to the Bedford winch to try and help it out. The Bedford did a great job of dragging the two jeeps backwards! Next we burried a big log in the sand (they called this 'a dead man', and the hole was a perfect shallow grave!) and winched from the Bedford, but the log dragged out. Finally another grave was dug, the log burried again, rocks put on top of it, planks on top of the log, and then a Hi-Lux was parked on the planks.

After 3 hours of jacking, digging and placing rocks the Bedford finally came out...

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Eight - Mr Parks, the mechanic

2010-08-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

No trip to Lethem is complete without a visit to Parks, to get some vehicle work done!

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Seven - The Three Horsemen of the Savannah

2010-08-20T13:00:00.003-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Six - Stagebuilding

2010-08-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

I should have called this 'With a little help from my friends'! The cowboy hat was pulled down low, hiding most of the face. I was just framing and wondering whether I'd be able to fill the shadows with flash when suddenly a hand appeared and lifted off the hat! Nice to have a little bit of help sometimes!

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Five - Land Rover

2010-08-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

An alternative to the ox carts!

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Four - Taking a break

2010-08-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

Lots of hard work in the village, preparing for the Deep South Games, which this year will be held in Aishalton.

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Three - Village Work

2010-08-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Two - Ox Cart and Creek

2010-08-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Finally I manage to track down an ox cart crossing a creek in good light - with time to fill the shadows with some flash! Deeper water would have been the icing on the cake!

Day Four Hundred and Fifty One - Watching the Performance

2010-08-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Fifty - Flowing Grass

2010-08-13T13:00:00.003-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Forty Nine - Ite Creek

2010-08-12T13:00:00.001-04:00

Day Four Hundred and Forty Eight - Letters Home

2010-08-11T13:00:00.001-04:00

Father Britt-Compton, at 91 years old is still going stong in Aishalton. As is his typewriter!

Day Four Hundred and Forty Seven - Mango Trees

2010-08-10T13:00:00.002-04:00