For many, receiving a dismissal letter from one’s place of employment would cast instant doubts of their next move. But for 23-year-old Marceano Narine, receiving what some might term ‘that dreaded letter’ marked the beginning of something better, in his eyes something great.
The Scene sat down with the young man recently and learnt how he used that dismissal letter as a stepping stone to not only focus on his work as a photographer but to also follow the path of achieving a degree in International Relations at the University of Guyana.
A first-year University student, Marceano enjoys watching football, anime and of course working on his photography skills.
According to the young man, though he had been exposed to photography at a tender age, it was never something he gave much thought to.
“It was never something I liked back then and I had even told my father who is also a photographer that all he does is click, click, click; I just didn’t see the fun in it at that time,” Marceano said.
However, his perspective on the art form changed when he received his first camera at the age of 15.
“It was a Nikon D100, a manual camera. On that same day I learned the complexities behind talking about photography and actually knowing how challenging it was,” he shared.
Marceano further explained that while it was at that moment his interest in photography peaked, it was after his receiving the dismissal letter that he began placing more emphasis on his photography.
“I placed more emphasis on it the day my former employer presented me with a dismissal letter. That situation didn’t cause any panic, instead I immediately planned my next move. Got home filled out my application form to the University of Guyana and made a conscious decision to enhance my own photography business. I knew I had the talent and I felt it was time to focus on building that talent,” he said.
This being said, the photographer says he now spends a large portion of his time thinking of new photography concepts.
“I can honestly say I do nothing but conceptualize my next image in my head… I love photography and my work should speak and capture the audience’s attention without going overboard in my editing style,” Marceano said.
“I hope to one day create and capture an image that will stun the entire world, one that speaks for itself, one that immediately stops you from rendering views. Not only a breathtaking, intriguing and mesmerizing shot but the sheer concept of it,” he added.
Commenting on his inspiration for his photos, Marceano said he draws inspiration from his own thoughts, being careful not to contaminate what he considers to be his unique ideas.
“I try my best not to admire or try to incorporate people’s ideas into my work, given in Guyana it’s hard because photography is an art and most of the ideas or things to try have already been done to a level before somewhere by someone. I keep off the internet to keep away from most international photographers. While most people would say it’s better to view the work of others I don’t because I don’t want to incorporate or integrate their work into mine since I feel it would contaminate my own uniqueness because then I would critique my own uniqueness as faults,” Marceano said.
“There are a few photographers I do look up to, but they are all local: Michael C Lam, my pops Adrian Narine and Keno George, because their work shows their own style,” he added.
Unfortunately, for Marceano photography does not come without its challenges, more so since he feels that his age would have contributed to the challenges he faced in the past.
“One of the challenges I have faced as a photographer is being treated with respect, and I sometimes want to believe it’s because of my age; sometimes you find people trying to use you to their own advantage,” he shared.
“I once went to a modelling agency to do a collaboration with them so that I could get the experienced models to assist me, you know those who would add more expressions to the photos but they didn’t call me until approximately two weeks later to do an event for free,” the young man added.
In spite of the challenges though, Marceano says he continues to work on his projects and has even done some that he is extremely proud of.
One such project was the time he journeyed to the mining town of Linden with the intention of capturing some shots of the Milky Way. Sadly, Marceano explained, his timings were off and he had not properly prepared. He was nevertheless able to capture something he described as “the first peep of the sun,” on the last day of the trip.
For him that show was spectacular owing to the fact he had also managed to capture a scenic landscape on land and in the sky.
As he continues his journey to being the ‘best that there is’, he is focused on completing his degree and building his business—Marceano Narine’s Photography—into one that can the one stop all in the world of photography. Marceano can be contacted on Facebook or 676-8181
