Two talks "Cosplay in T&T" and "Finding your Photographic Style"

Hosted by Trinidad & Tobago Photographic Society

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE. THIS EVENT WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY 14TH JANUARY 2019, BUT IS NOW BEING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 16TH JANUARY 2019. In our first meeting of 2019 we have something for everyone - beginners, intermediates and pros. Two contrasting talks - one on finding your style as an image maker and the other on cosplay and the creative image makers in this arena in T&T.
COST: Members $30, non-members $60.

Sarita Rampersad will be talking on finding your photographic style. One of the first questions people ask you when they hear you’re a photographer is ‘what’s your style?’. Very often, photographers feel pressured into choosing one because it’s expected that if you’re doing this professionally then you must know how to define what, why and how you do what you do. ‘Finding a style’ is less of a blueprint to follow than realising that you have company in your quest to define yourself and your work, while acknowledging that sometimes there’s nothing wrong with figuring it out along the way.

An attorney by profession, Sarita left the rigidity and constraints of law for the world of advertising, where she had the opportunity to photograph areas in East Port of Spain slated for demolition, capturing powerful images of places and people that were deemed disposable. This exposure heavily influenced her
earlier work, which focused on showing the beauty in the gritty and stark.

She delivered meals to the homeless many times a week, allowing her to build a relationship with many of them and photograph them in a way that reflected their situations. One of the earliest comments on her work then, was that she made the displaced look like kings and gave them a presence which was difficult to ignore.

Having found a medium in photography that would allow her expressive freedom, she formalised her education with courses online, and at UWI School of Continuing Studies, under the tutelage of master Desmond Clarke. She continued to educate herself in the field, participating in a year-long commercial photography class with instructor Don Giannatti.

Sarita was also part of a team that hosted many photographic and creative workshops with internationally known instructors locally. She has been published in daily newspapers, Entrepreneur Spirit, Caribbean Beat and Discover Trinidad & Tobago magazine and one of her personal projects on the prevalence of cell phone usage among masqueraders during Carnival (Disconnected Mas was shared by thousands and picked up by Global Voices online. She also created the Steups ‘emoji’ :)

Many of her pieces hang in private collections in the UK, US and Australia. While more varied in subject matter than before, her work continues to depict content that seems simple at first but which reveals multiple layers upon closer inspection.

Jason Winter-Roach has been doing photography for many years, cutting his teeth with event and promotional companies, covering concerts, Regatta races, brand launches and the like. It was through this that he was first introduced to the cosplay community in Trinidad at a convention. For those of you who don't know "Cosplay" is the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game, especially one from the Japanese genres of manga or anime. Jason started pursing the culture and phenomenon that is cosplay in T&T and is one of the few local photographers working in this area, so prepare for the unusual and creative world of Cosplay!