Beautiful architecture complemented by trees, by Jill Roberts.
Marcia Bowen and Sara Johnson, Contributors
SINCE AUGUST 2001, we have been waiting for The Gleaner series of photography 'thing-a-ma-gigs' to touch down in Montego Bay. After seeing the various photographic teams being deployed in Santa Cruz, Port Antonio, Savanna-la-mar, and Ocho Rios, it took everything to control the little green monsters raging in us. We could not wait for the moment when Montego Bay would be the city of choice.
We waited, waited and waited. It was just taking forever. Seriously we had just about given up hope. But then! We saw the advertisements for Spanish Town Exposed and decided that since they weren't coming to us, then we would go to them. Because, evidently at the current rate it seemed Montego Bay was the forgotten city.
So after sending in our entry forms, on the eve of April 4, we packed our photographic paraphernalia and headed to what was the old Spanish capital. Neither of us was leaving anything to chance so of course we had quite an arsenal of films, battery, plus extra cameras. Hey! You never know!
We rolled into Spanish Town at approximately 5:00 a.m. The base location was 21 White Church Street the former location of the St. Catherine Credit Union. We had signed up for the 6:00 a.m. 12 midday shift. Surprise, surprise! We were given our briefing and one roll of film each. They were 24-exposure 200-speed Mitsubishi film. One roll? Sara and I looked at each other in consternation. We (me, most of all) were both trigger happy. It would be interesting to see how we controlled our 'impulses.'
We could not wait to be off. Immediately Sara spied a steeple. While she snapped that I captured a child fixing a bicycle.
We were being quite cordial to each other. Whomever saw the shot first got it. Sounds good, doesn't it? We were heading to Central Village now; I thought a bicycle leaning against the cemetery sign made an interesting study. Sara disagreed. Within the same vicinity, she thought a man fixing his bicycle made a better subject. Oh well, to each his own.
Wow! There's a woman washing a carpet in the river (creek?) under a large cotton tree. We both decided it was an awesome shot! With her ample cleavage heaving vigorously, the woman attacked the carpet from several angles, liberally sprinkling powdered soap and scrubbing like her life and those of her children depended on it. Quite amenable to the camera she invited our photographic observation. I snapped the scene from several angles one roll notwithstanding. Sara dared to get antsy and almost honed in on my scene but my eyes dissuaded her and so she backed off.
Let me tell you something about Sara. She's a professional been one for 11 years. She uses a manual Nikon FM3 with brackets, a sun pack 544 flash with wide lens really powerful looking. When she shoots something it's sure!
So being in direct competition with her can be quite daunting. She also uses different lens and flashes depending on the scene she's shooting. So you can see it's difficult if not impossible to really compete with her. In one respect this is admirable but on this particular Saturday morning it was impossibly infuriating. It meant waiting for 30 minutes for her to take a shot of one hibiscus flower as she has to constantly modify her equipment. We are now on our way to the Gorge. Our objective, mine really, is to capture a real country bus smack dab in the middle of the flat bridge.
On the way there, we sighted a really buff dreadlock riding a 10 speed eliminator, balancing on his shoulder a log measuring about seven feet. He gladly consented to doing a shot but try as she may, Sara could not get him to act natural. He started telling her all kinds of things like "yuh want mi fi tek off mi shirt? Raise mi muscles." A shot is a shot is a shot is a shot right?
There's a very old house perched on a hill. In the yard is the chassis of what looks like a richly rusted flatbed truck. I thought the composition was interesting.
COLOURS
Back on our route, while waiting for the light to change to take us across the bridge, a string of colours rushed onto the bridge. They were participants in a bike race! About 30 cyclists were being escorted by two Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) outriders. It was magnificent! The colours were vibrant, the energy palpable, the pace frenetic! "Get that! Get that!" Sara screamed. I am in the car for heaven's sake! Notwithstanding, I emergency braked, grabbed the machine and pointed it towards the objects of desire. By this time, more than half of them had flashed across the bridge and were riding alongside the line of cars. I snapped feverishly. Did I really catch anything? Only time will tell. The stellar shot would have been to capture the procession smack dab in the middle of the bridge.
We had parked by now and was waiting for our country bus to crawl across the bridge. It was 7:00 a.m., a little late for country buses, don't you think? Suffice to say, none came our way. Anyway a chiffon truck and I think a National Meats truck sufficed before we headed back to the town.
My roll was finished and Sara had gone 14. Believe it or not I was exhausted, famished and wanted to finish. When we drove into the square, we saw six bright-eyed and bushy tailed children pushing a baby in a pram. It seemed a pretty light pram and it certainly didn't need all that energy. Kids!
SHOTS
I am sorry to report that by now between Sara and I, all cordialities, consideration, and deference had been dispensed with. We were now jostling for the same shots. It was every man, woman really, for herself. If the shot looked good we were going after it. So we both did the pram picture as probably 20 other photographers did, as we discovered the scene right outside the base location. We deigned not to do any of the historic buildings as we figured there would be a glut on those.
We are now back at the base. There's a sumptuous breakfast, delicately fried dumplings, ackee and saltfish, callaloo, fried plantain, fried fish, bammy. It was now 9:00 a.m. We managed to inveigle an extra film from project co-ordinator Judith Thompson, who was oh so pleasant and helpful.
We were off again. The objective this time? To get market, commercial and environmental shots. We ended up getting some really good ones (at least we considered them to be). There was the one Sara got of a man sleeping (reclining style) in a telephone booth; one of a dreadlocked woman reading The Gleaner. We both elbowed for that one. We got photos of vendors doing their various things, selling panties, pumpkin, pine and peanuts.
We did capture a few good residential shots. (We thought they were good) A woman brushing her teeth with the 'paste' trailing down her mouth made a good shot. So did the rather modest yard with the pristine satellite dish juxtaposed against more humble possessions. Eager children encouraged us to take shots of them and so did market vendors. As much as we could, we obliged. Another roll of film completed. We still had not taken any buildings, animals, flora or fauna yet. We desired to represent in every category. We needed more film and so we returned to base. We got them. Hmmm, Judith was being rather kind.
By now most of the other photographers had arrived. Chief Judge Howard Moo-Young and some of his peers were on the scene. We then headed towards the Jose Marti round-about. We wanted to capture the entrance to Spanish Town so to speak. The bridge, schools, hills . . .
Just outside the Registrar General's office, we sighted some cows. Okay, Sara saw them first. Against my competitive nature, I was struggling to give her the preference here. The cows are resting. She snapped away. Back in the car we are ready to move when lo and behold, a calf started suckling his mom. Brakes jammed and both of us reached for our instruments. Cries of, "it's my shot ensued." You know what any number can and did indeed play.
Wow! There's a white trailer pulling an articulated bus those ridiculously long buses. In my opinion that was an awesome shot. Captured! Okay let's just go past Jose Marti School and then call it a day! Just circling the round-about when lo and behold there's a man sleeping beyond in the brambles, his head resting on a tree stump. Captured! Last shot! Oh the joys of a really good lens.
Returning to base, we said our good-byes and drove out of there dreaming of seeing our photographs in print. (Wink).
The participants in the midday to 6:00 p.m. shift had started coming in. We had absolutely no idea it would have been so tiring.
