feature
37
week ending March 9, 2014 | guyanatimeSinternational.com
-Photographer Fidal Bassier believes it takes an artist to capture life through the lens
Bassier enjoys taking vibrant photos of Georgetown
Bassier's fetish is photographing birds
P
rofessional photographer Fidal Bassier enjoys capturing, through his camera lens, memorable moments in life. He considers photography as an art and believes that it requires an artist to capture beauty through the lens. “My interest in photography started when I was in Israel, at the Baha’i World Centre. The Baha’i gardens and building there are so beautiful. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture the amazing sunsets. After coming back to Guyana, I got busy with studies and then with marriage and starting a new life. I got back to photography in 2006 when my first daughter was born. I got my first camera and took as many photos of her as I could. Then I found myself taking the camera around with me and taking whatever I thought was interesting,” he re-
One of his most recent applauded photos taken during Mash 2014 celebrations
called in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine. The ardent photographer is amazed at the technology that allows him to take a photo and see the results instantly, capturing a moment in time and saving it for generations to come.
Through photography, Bassier freely expresses himself and is able to share his outlook of the world with others. “It started off as a hobby, but later became my passion. Now, I'm lucky enough to be able to pursue it as a career. I love photographing people. I also enjoy telling a story, capturing an emotion or a moment in time through my camera. I ask myself what I am trying to capture, what the object is and the story I want to share,” Bassier pointed out. Bassier mentioned that he has seen amazing photographs taken with a basic camera. He was once told, and believes it to be true, that the “camera is just a tool and the photographer is the artist”. As a professional photographer, Bassier incorporates various techniques and styles so that he can always have something new to add to his work. “I am still learning the secret to ‘good’ photography. I read a really interesting quote from a late American photogra-
pher, Irving Penn, which I think sheds some light. He said: ‘A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is in a word effective,’” the photographer noted. Currently, Bassier feverishly works to develop himself as a photographer. He hopes to travel to different locations in Guyana to photograph people. Despite challenges in the photography business, Bassier is adamant in continuing to pursue his passion. “I think photographers have many challenges to overcome. From being able to maintain expensive equipment, to fair pricing of photographs and educating clients, to copyright laws that need to be updated to protect photographers' work. With patience and dedication, these challenges are slowly being overcome,” he declared. For more information on the photographer, visit 55 Photography on Facebook.