AN ABANDONED house tilts under a tumultuous sky, reads the description under “Doomed”, a Michael Lam photograph depicting a dilapidated but defiant structure located on the East Coast of Guyana. In a “Den Amstel Evening”, Nikhil Ramkarran beautifully frames one of his young subjects through a glass window, and by the lad’s pointing fingers, directs the viewer’s gaze to two other youths sitting on the seawall.
“Coastal Wanderings”, as the exhibition put together by the two self-described hobbyists is called, opened to the public last Friday at the National Art Gallery (Castellani House) located on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown.
Ramkarran notes that he has been interested in photography for as long as he can remember. His grandfather, who went overseas, would bring back cameras, but there are rare occasions when he remembers not having or using a camera.
However, he began to take his hobby really seriously after a 2005 trip to the Rupununi reminded him of what a photogenic country we live in. He has since taken over 40,000 photos.

Photography and computers
Lam noted that photography and computers have allowed him to express himself in artistic form. Though he holds a Degree in Biology from the University of Guyana, he currently works in an advertising and marketing-related field.
Lam says it is not only important to capture a well composed and revealing scene or image, but to process it to convey more of the emotion contained in the scene.
The visually gratify and thought stimulating exhibition is on until March 17, 2012.