Malcolm Yusuf Hinds, the founder of M Blitz Photo-graphy at Bartica, produces work that remarkably surpasses his 18 months of being in the profession and is one of the most sought-after digital artists in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
He specializes in portrait, fashion, wedding, baby and family photography and lives to capture the joy of others through his lens then share those photos with his clients. Seeing their faces light up brings him much pleasure.
Malcolm was the sixth child for his mother and the first for his father. For most of his life he was an introvert, always shying away from socialising. Instead, he poured his energies into writing poems. A friend and classmate who loved performing began putting dancehall rhythms to his poems and would perform them in class; Malcolm soon joined him. He later started to favour hip-hop and rhythm and blues genres. The duo became great friends, and thus the once-shy teen began his journey to a road of opportunities.
Malcolm took up table tennis as well and represented Bartica, playing in the boys under-16 and under-18 categories and finishing as champion in 2012 and 2014. He later picked up a new hobby, which all began with a phone.
“I’ve always had an artistic drive, which I mainly used to focus on my music. But after getting employed at the Bartica Public Hospital, I bought a Samsung s7 edge and was amazed by the features of the camera and the pictures it took,” he said. “I began posting the photos on Facebook and then began receiving numerous likes. I did it as a hobby, really, and then after receiving a lot of encouragement from supportive friends and family, I decided to buy a professional camera and the rest is history as they say.”
Malcolm recalled doing thorough research online for the ideal DSLR camera that was within his budget and was happy when he came across the NikonD3400. He describes holding his camera for the first time as a surreal experience and spending that first week snapping as many photos as he could. He then checked online for more information on how to use his camera as well as doing proper maintenance.
While searching online for ways to improve his photography, Malcolm stumbled on two phenomenal photographers – prize-winning wedding and portrait photographer Daniel Venter and Darnell Douglas who is also a filmmaker – both of whom inspired the way he now creates. Of the two, Malcolm is more in awe of Venter’s work and said that what he is most inspired by is the way Venter utilizes the light in his surroundings to get the best photos.
Since purchasing his camera, Malcolm has been on exciting adventures, travelling around Bartica to scenic spots and to places outside of the town. He has learnt some lessons along the way.
Among the challenges he faces are persons paying late or not at all, finding studios where he can print photos at for a reasonable cost and having photoshoot sessions cancelled due to rain. Though he does not consider it one of his main challenges, he finds that the use of camera phones affects the professional photography market as the megapixels of many phone cameras are of standard quality and can take good shots.
However, for the issues he cannot fix he has found ways of dealing with them. He has learned to hold all photos until they are paid for and he sometimes manages to make his clients realize that when the weather is bad outside, they can have some cool indoor shots instead.
At present, he does not have a studio set up, which does not bother him as much. For the photographer, one of the many positives about living in Bartica is that he has many picturesque places to choose from and he takes advantage of this.
Malcolm believes that some of the problems he faces stem from a lack of appreciation for art. Entertainment and sports, he indicated, fall along this path also and for someone who is involved in more than one art form, and was also a contributor in the sports arena, it is his utmost desire to see upgrades in these areas and to see and receive the support of his fellow Guyanese.
Asked which kind of photography was the most difficult to learn, Malcolm confided that it was landscape photography and though he did not share what exactly was challenging, a look at his work shows that he has surely learnt a lot.
Currently he is working on developing his skills in using an off-camera flash.
Outside of photography, this young man is also a skilled music producer attached to Bottom House Records (BHR). He has recorded and produced music for renowned artistes like Natural Black, Lil Million and Jamaican Duane Stevenson as well as Zion Kidd and Wise Beat.
The 21-year-old is an artiste himself and said that since he began writing poems some years ago, he has written and recorded more than 200 songs. Some of his best pieces, he shared, are “Black Out” featuring Level Vybz, “Who Be That” with Wise Beat, “Late Night,” “Jungle Romance,” and “Am I Good Enough”.
He has performed at various events in Bartica. He intends to continue to pursue music and is working towards completing five studio albums within the next decade, through which he hopes to build his fan base.
Malcolm has his plate full as he also holds down a full-time job as a Records Clerk at the Bartica Hospital. The talented young man can be described as someone who is down-to-earth, ambitious and certainly determined to live his dreams. He said that in a little time he is sure to become one of Guyana’s top-ranking photographers.
Asked whether he thinks an individual can support himself doing photography full time in Guyana, Malcolm said he was sure this was possible, but not likely if the person was the sole breadwinner of a family.
When requested to share a memory he will take with him to his grave, he shared a boyhood experience. “[It]… occurred since I was in primary school,” he reminisced. “My friends challenged me to bicycle race down this very high hill. We called it the Ramsingh Hill and I didn’t know that my bike brakes were broken. I shouted out to my friends, ‘I going down this hill fus bai’. Arriving at the bottom, I realized that my brakes weren’t working. I was headed straight for a kuru tree [and] flew off my bike into some thorns. My friends came down to see if I was alright, they found me covered with thorns and eating some kuru. We all just laughed [and] though I was in pain I played it off cool because I wanted my friends to think I was tough, so I just sat there under that tree and enjoyed those kurus.”
He has always been one for adventure even if it meant taking risks and Malcolm has taken numerous risks while doing photography, just to get that perfect shot. Perhaps the riskiest thing he has done is stand on a building that was ready to collapse to capture that perfect image.
His limited free time he spends at home with his girlfriend playing video games or hanging out with his best friend, Simeon Drepaul.
Academically the photographer has attended Hill View Nursery School, St John’s Primary, St Anthony’s Primary and Bartica Secondary School. In addition to his technical skills, he also did Computer Studies at the Bartica Technical Institute.
For photography or music bookings, Malcolm can be reached on Facebook at Malcom Yusuf Hinds or at 604-6834.
